Posted on 04/11/2017 3:53:11 PM PDT by CedarDave
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Immigrant labor is like bread and butter to the New Mexico economy.
Without it, according to economists and business owners, key industries including oil and gas, agriculture, construction, and hotel and restaurant operations would face major hurdles to keep the wheels turning.
Without immigrants, our labor force would essentially stop growing, making it very difficult to increase our gross domestic product, said New Mexico State University economist Jim Peach. I understand the desire to control our borders but, if you disrupt the ecosystem, there are going to be bad consequences.
If the Trump administration removes a lot of these people, it would not necessarily generate jobs for native-born New Mexicans because a lot of these are low-wage occupations that are not very attractive, he said.
Some economic sectors would be hit particularly hard. Food crops, dairy operations, and oil and gas production would be especially vulnerable.
Without the foreign-born labor pool, agriculture would pretty much collapse, said Al Squire, a dairy producer in Hagerman.
Immigrants occupy more than half of the jobs in oil and gas in southeastern New Mexico, during both boom and bust cycles.
Theyre in all areas of operation, from management to hauling and roustabout, said Gregg Fulfer, former Lea County commissioner and owner of the Fulfer Oil and Cattle Co. in Jal. The culture is pretty well ingrained at all levels.
The total undocumented population is unknown. But the Pew Research Center estimates about 85,000 people more than 90 percent of them from Mexico illegally resided here as of 2014. That represents about 4 percent of the total state population, giving New Mexico one of the top ten highest ratios for undocumented immigrants nationwide.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
So true. Our small company employs bilingual staff to work with those where English is a second language. How many we work with are illegals is unknown. Spanish is spoken as much as English and visiting a Walmart, for example, makes one think you are in El Paso or south of the border.
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It should be understood that “a well regulated immigration system being essential to the economy, the borders will be strictly enforce, and legal immigrants will be registered and monitored.” And then, the economy could proceed apace.
And so what happens after they’ve been here awhile? Are these lifetime jobs, or do they “move on” and thus we need to import more “immigrants” to fill the voids?
Or the better question, why not just pay market to hire American workers and stop leaving the residual costs of “immigrants” to the rest of we poor souls?
Robots
Replace them with robots.
They might break down but they’ll never go on strike.
So do they pay fair wages and do they pay in cash so the immigrants don’t have to pay taxes?
New Mexico doesn’t have a very vibrant economy.
Only sociopaths/psychopaths would refuse to acknowledge the difference between legal/illegal immigration/invasion immigrants/invaders.
Another propaganda piece muddling ‘immigrant’ and ‘illegal immigrant’ for the purpose of tugging on heart-strings.
“How many we work with are illegals is unknown.”
Because no one bothers to find out. wink wink nudge nudge
I absolutely loathe the delusive notion that either our state or national economy would collapse if it weren’t for the “immigrants”. It’s complete propaganda.
They meet or bring with them a Latina, move in together and start having babies, many of them. Now they have an "anchor" and the kids grow up and start school, etc. etc.
Unlike ABQ where many migrate to causing social problems (drugs, crime, etc.) most that stay and are working here make decent wages though some dirt hauling companies likely pay the unskilled laborers under the table. Those that have acquired a skill and a decent paying job keep their noses clean and don't cause problems.
“Those that have acquired a skill and a decent paying job keep their noses clean and don’t cause problems.”
Other than taking jobs from unemployed citizens AND because they’re illegal, they work for far less, reducing the standard wages in blue collar jobs all across the nation.
Depends on the company and the job. For example, the major oil companies require contractors to have a master services agreement to work for them. It requires contractor staff to demonstrate work and safety training, pass drug tests, etc., and that work is good money. Now a contractor may need to have a subcontractor do some occasional work, say use a backhoe or haul dirt. The subcontractor will invoice the contractor for the work, but with his employees that's where there may be a bit of exchange of cash for work. It all depends on the honesty of the employer.
Very good. Answer: Just eliminate welfare.
Yes, yes, we’ll all die, we’ll all be out of work, lettuce will ten dollars a head. Where’s my BINGO card.
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