Thread: Sec of Labor: Immigration reform is an economic imperative

Immigration reform is an economic imperative

Miami Herald
BY HILDA L. SOLIS
www.dol.gov
Hilda L. Solis is the U.S. Secretary of Labor.

I'm particularly concerned about undocumented young people who live in the United States because their parents came here seeking a brighter future. I think about them every time I talk about the DREAM Act -

Google, Goya, Yahoo, Intel and Levi Strauss. It's hard to imagine a day without these iconic and uniquely American brands.

But what most people don't know is that all of them were founded or co-founded by immigrants.

Goya foods was started by Don Prudencio and Carolina Unanueb — a young immigrant couple who in 1936 sold olives and olive oil from a tiny Manhattan storefront. Almost 60 years later, the website Yahoo was co-created by Jerry Yang, who immigrated to California from Taipei as a child.

Immigrants founded 18 percent of the 2010 Fortune 500 companies — which post combined revenues of $1.7 trillion and employ more than 3.6 million people.

Our current economy certainly needs to be fostering success stories like these. But just as important: we also need to foster the successes of countless immigrants who mow our lawns, build our roads, clean our offices and harvest our crops. Because we all benefit from their work, too.

Too often, immigrants work in our country's underground economy — earning unfair wages, suffering unsafe conditions and hiding from authorities. This is not only wrong, it's economically self-defeating. For generations, immigrants have helped to bring prosperity to our country through entrepreneurial spirit and sweat equity.

Given their economic potential, why would anyone want to shut off the tap of foreign-born talent? Why force willing wage earners — and potential taxpayers — into the shadows with no path to legal citizenship?

I'm perplexed by the questions because the answers seem so obvious. Yet the current U.S. immigration system does exactly these things.

We educate foreign-born workers at a faster rate than any other country. But our outdated immigration system often sends them packing, only to create billion-dollar companies in countries that compete against us.

Our flawed immigration system also threatens the country's agriculture industry. Growers that can't find field labor end up shutting down or turning to undocumented workers.

I've heard the arguments: Immigrants take jobs away from native-born workers. They depress wages. Both claims are false. In fact, every immigrant farm worker supports three additional jobs — often in better-paying sectors like manufacturing, packaging and transportation. In high-skilled industries, the impact is even greater with each immigrant worker estimated to create five additional jobs. As for pay, studies show that native workers earn higher wages in areas with higher immigration.

If the status quo persists, America stands to miss enormous opportunities to accelerate our recovery.

I'm particularly concerned about undocumented young people who live in the U.S. because their parents came here seeking a brighter future. I think about them every time I talk about the DREAM Act — legislation designed to stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents by giving them the chance to obtain legal status either by pursuing a higher education or by serving in the U.S. armed forces.

Sadly, the DREAM Act has yet to become reality, despite the economic value. Students who will benefit from the DREAM Act are projected to contribute well over $1 billion in tax returns for multiple years. That benefits all of us.

We have made progress. The Obama administration recently unveiled new policy initiatives to attract foreign entrepreneurs who can invest in fields of high unemployment and start new companies. The recent expansion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs and support of emerging legislation like the StartUp Visa Act also point in the right direction.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced they will begin applying common sense guidelines to deportation decisions, factoring in ties and contributions to the community, family relationships and military service records.

These are significant steps, but they are just the beginning of what we must do. President Obama cannot fix America's immigration system on his own. He needs partners in Congress to pass reforms that will support immigrant families and strengthen the American economy.

On Labor Day 2011, I'm reminded that America is an ongoing story and that we have not reached the final chapter. On this day, as we celebrate the contributions workers have made to the strength and prosperity of our nation, we need to remind ourselves that immigrants played — and will continue to play — a critical role in that story.

Hilda L. Solis is the U.S. Secretary of Labor.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...re.html?pg=all

Quote from the Miami Herald Blog for this article:

John Berry

Hilda Solis likes to point out that so many companies were formed by immigrants and this is true. But the people she speaks of came through legal means.

The argument that immigrants create jobs may be true, but any worker would naturally contribute to other jobs. There would be few differences in job-effects between a citizen and a foreign national having a job except the matter of nationality. Forgive a bit of nationalism but Americans should get the first chance at a job in this country. Citizenship should have some privileges.

Importing more people to replace American workers is not going to create more jobs as much as activists like Ms. Solis say. It will cause Americans to have to compete with cheaper foreign labor being brought in and put many more Americans out of jobs.

She has made agreements with many Latin countries to protect the rights of their citizens in this nation whether they are here with permission or not. Encouraging such unfair competition is not what might be expected of the Secretary of Labor.

Her job title suggests that she should worry about helping American citizens with getting employed. Instead her writings and actions suggest that she is more loyal to Ethnic Solidarity than to this nation. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-hilda ... 23933.html?)

At the very least Hilda Solis is in the wrong agency. In Labor she is supposed to be working for the good of ALL citizens of the United States.

She is not supposed to be discriminating in favor of her race or citizens of foreign lands. The "melting pot" means assimilation but it seems to people like Ms. Solis that is a dirty word.

The Department of Labor should not be promoting importing foreign workers in a Depression. They especially have no business making agreements to protect illegal foreigner's rights over American citizens.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/04/2 ... nomic.html

This article is proof that the Obama administration is openly and flagrantly advocating amnesty for millions of ILLEGAL ALIENS.

Not only that, through Hilda L. Solis, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, this government is now unlawfully PROTECTING ILLEGAL ALIENS with unlawful agreements with foreign countries to protect them from deportation once they do come into this country ILLEGALLY.

Furthermore, Hilda L. Solis is unlawfully advocating the EMPLOYMENT of ILLEGAL ALIENS over American Citizens through her vigorous and public endorsement of pro-amnesty and pro-Hispanic political action committees such as The National Council of LaRaza.
http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-1264089-.html#1264089

This is made even more criminal because at least eight million Americans are directly displaced from employment at a time when the United States has more unemployment than at any other time since the Great Depression.

Please add this to the top of your action list for Wednesday, September 7th.

Time to Flood Congress With Calls Against Obama's Amnesty

http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-1263741.html#1263741

Let's ring the phones in DC off the hook today and tomorrow (Wed)!

Start by calling your own members of Congress and then call your entire state delegation to ask...

"What is Congressman _____ going to do to stop Obama's unlawful and unconstitutional Amnesty orders that will result in hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens receiving work permits instead of being deported when we have millions of Americans out of work?"

SPECIAL NOTE: If you are told a member of Congress opposes Obama's Amnesty, please ask that office to issue a press release or written release with that statement or to direct you to a written release.

Remember to call in this message, then send in a reinforcing version in writing by email, fax, or letter.

ALIPAC Congressional Directory (Phone and online contact info)
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-63874.html
add this on your action list for September 6th and 7th.

RELATED

Exactly who is Hilda Solis and why is she openly advocating preferential employment treatment of 23 million Latinos over non-Latinos in the United States?

RELATED

Our Ladder of Opportunity

Sec. Hilda Solis
U.S. Secretary of Labor

Last year, America's nearly 23 million working and unemployed Latinos represented 15 percent of the United States' labor force.

By 2018, * WE * will comprise an estimated 18 percent.

This expected 20 percent growth in * OUR SHARE * of the workforce makes * US * the fastest-growing group of workers in the country.

This Mexican bread loaf is conflating legal immigrants and illegal aliens.

For more information about the Secretary, contact:

U.S. Department of Labor
200 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20210
(202) 693-6000

E-mail Secretary Solis at talktosolis@dol.gov.

http://www.dol.gov/_sec/welcome.htm

RELATED

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
National Council of La Raza Conference” Health Care Town Hall Forum
Chicago, Illinois Sunday, July 26, 2009
http://www.dol.gov/_sec/media/speeches/ ... _NCLRC.htm

And it's always great to be with the National Council of La Raza.

Before I begin, I wanted to thank Janet Murgua, the NCLR board and staff for the outstanding work they do each day on behalf of the Latino community and our country. NCLaRaza is a bedrock for the Latino community” committed to strengthening this great nation by promoting the advancement of Latino families. I am proud of what NCLR stands for and the work that your organization and affiliates across our country do everyday.

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Gala
Gala Theme: "A Legacy of Public Service" San Antonio, TexasJuly 13, 2010
http://www.dol.gov/_sec/media/speeches/ ... 3_NCLR.htm

It's inspiring to say that today NCLR is in 41 states, and Puerto Rico... and the District of Columbia.

NCLaRaza is everywhere!

That means that in virtually every part of this country, there are organizations that work for the advancement of our familias.

SHE IS A MEChA RECONQUISTA.

Tucson’s Latino leaders condemn Dr. Garcia and demand her removal
by DA Morales on Sep. 06, 2011, under Headline news
Press release regarding the issue you can learn more about here.

The Mexican American Studies Advisory Board Refutes TUSD Assistant Superintendent Lupita Cavazos-Garcia’s Comments Regarding MEChA

Last week at the Tucson Unified School District hearing appealing ARS § 15-112, testimony by TUSD Superintendent John Pedicone revealed comments made by Assistant Superintendent Lupita Cavazos-Garcia regarding her opinion of the student organization Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA).

MEChA is a student group whose mission statement and purpose is to promote higher education, cultura, and historia among youth. The group was founded on the principles of self-determination for the Mexican American community, and advocates that education is a critical pathway for the advancement of social justice.

Prominent MEChA members include Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Congressman Raul Grijalva, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, as well as on a local level many members of the MAS Advisory Board.

TUSD asst. superintendent Dr. Lupita Garcia calls MEChA "anti-semitic" and "un-American."
Garcia called MEChA “anti-Americanâ€

The Obama Administration's propensity to appoint pro-Hispanic political activists closely affiliated with LaRaza are by no means a secret.

RELATED

Obama Defends Sotomayor's Racial Comment On NBC Nightly News

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OkM1761 ... r_embedded

From the youtube comment blog:

'La Raza' means 'THE Race'. Sotomayor is a major figure of La Raza. La Raza pushes for open borders, amensty, driver''s license, free education, free healthcare, free welfare for illegal hispanic immigrants. Sotomayor is a main pusher. Sotomayor says that the 2nd Amendment does NOT guarantee U.S citizens the right to bear arms. Obama is a gun ban/control fanatic, and Sotomayor will make gun ban possible. People are stupid as hell to think this woman is a good choice for the Supreme Court.
bbnemesis123 2 years ago