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My post confirms the million-plus jobs created but if the two studies I reference are accurate then to me the findings are disturbing. To wit, too many "recent" immigrants are getting too many jobs while native-born and established immigrants are still unemployed. It is not likely that the Rats would use these numbers for fear of "offending" foreigners and hyphenated groups. IOW, the Rats are just as much for this as the Republicans. Not good, IMO.

A Pew Hispanic Center press release, June, 2004:

"EMPLOYMENT UP, WAGES FLAT, FOR HISPANIC WORKERS"

"Immigrant Latinos, especially the most recent arrivals, have captured the most jobs. Non-citizens, Hispanics and others, who will not be able to vote in the November election are accounting for more than a quarter (28.5 percent) of the total increase in employment. . .In the 12 months ending March 31, the economy added a net total of 1.3 million new jobs. Non-citizens captured 378,496 or 28.5 percent of those jobs. . .Thus the political impact of job gains may be dampened by the fact that non-citizens, who do not vote, are benefiting disproportionately from the turn around in the labor market. . . ." [End excerpt]

Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies researchers Andrew Sum, Paul Harrington and Ishwar Khatiwada reported on employment. Here is an excerpt

"FOREIGN BORN EMPLOYMENT RISING AMIDST NATIVE-BORN DECLINES: The number of new immigrants who were employed between early 2000 and 2003 ranged from 1.757 million to 1.985 million and accounted for all of the net growth in civilian employment during that period while the native-born and established immigrants’ employment levels combined declined by more than 1.1 million. . .THE JOBS THEY HOLD: Nearly 95 of every 100 new immigrant workers held wage and salary jobs in 2003. A high percentage, however, are employed as contract workers or work in the informal labor market, frequently paid in cash on a daily basis, which accounts for a substantial share of the gap between employment growth in the nation’s two employment surveys [BLS household and payroll]. Though found in every industrial sector, new foreign immigrants are highly concentrated in three sectors: construction and manufacturing, leisure/hospitality and other service industries, and health/education/professional business services. More than 320,000 new immigrants obtained employment in the nation’s manufacturing industries at a time when total wage and salary employment in these industries declined by more than 2.7 million positions.

"'The continued high levels of new immigrant employment at a time when job prospects for native-born workers have dwindled represent an issue that should be part of the national dialogue among all candidates for president, Democrat and Republican,' Sum said. 'All candidates must take a stand on this crucial labor market issue. The nation needs a comprehensive, carefully thought through national immigration policy that takes labor market impacts into consideration.'" [End excerpt]

IMO it is reasonable to ask both Parties to reconsider their "stand on this crucial labor market issue. The nation needs a comprehensive, carefully thought through national immigration policy that takes labor market impacts into consideration."

Regularization, totalization, etc. are dogs that don't hunt IMO.