With 1 in 5 Americans out of work, Obama issues over a million green cards

The examiner ^ | April 11, 2010 | Dave Gibson

[opentalk]

The Department of Homeland Security has just reported that during 2009, they issued 1,130,818 new Green Cards to foreign nationals, allowing them to work legally in this country. That number represents the fourth highest number of cards issued in one year.

750,000 of the new Green Cards were given to the families of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.

The top four recipient nations are as follows:

-Mexico…164,920
-China…receiving 64,238
-Philippines…60,029
-India…57,304

In Feb. 2009, the financial institution Merrill Lynch announced that the nation’s actual unemployment rate had reached 13.9 percent. A year later, that number had risen to 17.3 percent. This figure represents Americans who have been laid off from full-time positions and are now working part-time, as well as those who have simply stopped looking for work, and workers whose unemployment benefits have run out.

The official unemployment figure given monthly by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is now listed around 10 percent, but represents only those Americans currently receiving unemployment checks, and is not truly indicative of the dire employment situation now facing the U.S.

In 1931, the second full year of the Great Depression, the average rate of unemployment was 16.3 percent, with U.S. unemployment peaking at 25 percent in 1933. We now sit in between those two disastrous figures, with an ever-worsening economy.

With U.S. unemployment now at depression levels, we simply can no longer tolerate not only illegal immigration, but any immigration which allows foreign nationals to take much-needed jobs from American citizens.

Why are we paying the salaries of elected representatives who now seem to represent everyone, but us?

[proxy_user]

These are people who applied 10-15 years ago, whose number has finally come up. They have obeyed all the laws, rules, and regulations, and have probably sent in their documents two or three times, because the government is always losing them.

[Diogenesis]

Two things are sacrosanct in America under Obama.

ILLEGAL ALIENS and TERRORISTS

THE PENSIONS OF SEIU and the US CONGRESS

[ClearCase_guy]

These are people who applied 10-15 years ago, whose number has finally come up. They have obeyed all the laws, rules, and regulations, and have probably sent in their documents two or three times, because the government is always losing them.

True.

And look at the American citizens who dutifully worked and saved their whole lives: paid their taxes, supported their communities, obeyed all the rules. Those Americans have seen the value of their homes drop 40% and the value of their investments drop 40%.

Bad stuff happens, you know?

So, the question is: Should the US government make an effort to give green cards to foreigners? Or create an environment where Americans can get the jobs?

Doing both would be nice -- but if you can only do one, which do you choose?

I think this is easy.

[The_Reader_David]

Bravo! It's good to see the first reply on this speaking sense.

The one thing I can't take about our side's position on immigration is the nativism. If you don't qualify as a member of an Indian tribe, your ancestors (and probably some of them if you do) were all immigrants!

It's not like we curtailed immigration during the Great Depression--darn good thing, too considering some of the immigrants we got during that period: Einstein, Fermi, . . .

And it's rubbish attributing the normal functioning of our current legal immigration system to Obama.

[ExpatCanuck]

My family was among the recipients of Green Cards in 2009. We waited over 10 years for them and did everything legally. This info is meaningless without knowing how many of these cards were issued in 2009 were fast tracked for any reason, or without stats from prior years.

[Palter]

‘That number represents the fourth highest number of cards issued in one year. ‘

Who set the highest? Clinton, Bush?

During the depression, immigration dropped significantly.

[politicianslie]

And it's rubbish attributing the normal functioning of our current legal immigration system to Obama.

Just because Bush and McCain, Lyndsey Grahmnesty, Teddy Radical Left Kennedy wanted to overload our hospitals with illegal aliens, overload our schools with illegal alien children, overload our welfare system with illegal aliens is no reason to give Obama a pass.

Obama's intention is to make all of them legal citizens and then your vote means NOTHING.

It's part of Obama's plan to destroy America as you and I know it.

[only1percent]

The vast majority of people who get Green Cards are already here legally, in a status which permits employment. They were admitted when Bush was President, or Clinton for that matter, and Obama's administration has essentially no discretion over their converting status.

The statistic to watch is the issuance of new employment-eligible visas -- and, as one would expect in a recession, those numbers are somewhat down.

The most interesting story in immigration from a workforce perspective these days is high-level emigration -- the small but significant increase in foreign workers going back home because of increased relative opportunity (loss of U.S. job opportunity or better prospects at home).

With D.C. and the states in a death race to increase taxes and regulations upon businesses and executives, it's not hard to see why a high-potential Indian or Chinese executive would look long and hard at opportunities at home before he makes a permanent commitment to the U.S.

[NavyCanDo]

Anyone else notice a new trend in “ethnic” restaurants? One of our favorite Chinese restaurants now has a Hispanic cook and even a few on the wait staff. I've heard from others they have noticed the same thing, at Chinese, Italian, and other ethnic restaurants.

[elpadre]

Normally I have no problem with lawful immigration, such as these.

However, during a time of massive unemployment it only exacerbates the problem.

It might be a good idea to suspend all immigration when official unemployment reaches 7 or 8 percent, which means actual unemployment is around 15-20%.

[Altura Ct.]

-Mexico…164,920
-China…receiving 64,238
-Philippines…60,029
-India…57,304

More LaRaza members yeah!, good for us! Don’t see any European countries. That God Teddy and company changed that in 1965. What a great way to undermine our culture and destroy our nation.

[elpadre]

“...people who get Green Cards are already here legally..”

Not too long ago, I know that applicants for permanent residency (green cards) must not be working in the US. It was required that they be officially residing in their home country and only the embassies in that country were able to issue the cards - in that country.

Has all that changed??

[1rudeboy]

H1-B visa holders work here, pay taxes here, and are eligible to apply for a green card as long as they keep their noses clean and papers in order.

[montag813]

Bravo to the recipients of these green cards. They played by the rules. Now let’s not insult them and ridicule the work and bureaucratic headaches they put up with for 10-15 years by granting amnesty to those who snuck in and lived illegally for years in this country.

[Danae]

Hey wait, I thought the gubermunt said that things were gettin better?

D’oh.

[GailA]

Yeah, I noticed no industrialized countries like Ireland, England or even France was on the list.

[AuntB]

“during 2009, they issued 1,130,818 new Green Cards to foreign nationals, allowing them to work legally in this country. “

Someone please tell me how John McCain thinks we need a ‘guest worker’ program????

And this:

The top four recipient nations are as follows:

-Mexico…164,920
-China…receiving 64,238
-Philippines…60,029
-India…57,304

And we keep hearing we don’t allow Mexicans in “legally”?????

[GraceG]

This would be fine if we didn’t already have 30 million “undocumented guest workers” ie. illegal aliens here already.

[desertfreedom765]

Do you live in a high immigration state?

Illegal immigration has destroyed the California budget in case you haven’t been paying attention.

The US allows more Legal Immigration than any other Nation (by far). On top of that we turn a blind eye to 20+ Illegal Immigrants.

The American people want the borders enforced but the current system favors both political parties. The Rats want the votes and the Republicans want the cheap labor.