Posted on 03/08/2006 2:41:34 AM PST by Ninian Dryhope
Study finds as many as 12 million immigrants may be in U.S. unlawfully
WASHINGTON - As many as 12 million illegal immigrants now live in the United States, up from an estimated 8.4 million in the 2000 Census, according to a new study released Tuesday.
The estimate by the nonpartisan Pew Hispanic Center also said that illegal workers fill nearly one out of every 20 civilian jobs.
They hold 24 percent of all jobs in farming, 17 percent in cleaning, 14 percent in construction and 12 percent in food preparation.
The population and work force estimates were released a day before the Senate Judiciary Committee was scheduled to debate legislation that would tighten borders to stem the flow of illegal immigrants.
The highly charged political issue centers on how to deal with immigrants already in the country illegally and whether to create temporary visas for future workers.
"In spite of efforts to control unauthorized migration, the numbers have continued to grow," said Jeffrey Passel, author of the report. "This is a population drawn (to the United States) by employment, and unauthorized workers participate actively in the labor force."
Children a factor
The number of illegal immigrants is 11.5 million to 12 million, up from the 11.1 million estimate of a year ago, according to the Pew study.
Of the total, 7.2 million were employed in March 2005, making up about 4.9 percent of the civilian labor force.
While 94 percent of men illegally in the country hold jobs, undocumented women are less likely to hold jobs than legal or native-born workers, largely because of the presence of children in their families, the study said.
About 3.1 million children, or two-thirds of all the children in families that include illegal immigrants, were born in the United States and are citizens.
The high number of children born here to illegal immigrants is used by advocates of tighter controls as an argument against issuing temporary worker visas.
"It highlights how false the label of 'temporary worker' is," said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies.
With illegal immigrant families taking root in the United States, he said, "it's hard to deport people."
Immigrant rights advocate Angela Kelley, deputy director of the National Immigration Forum, said it is perplexing that opponents want "to deny that there's a place for these workers in our society."
Business interests
The Pew report added fuel to the debate about whether illegal immigrants are doing jobs refused by U.S. citizens or legal immigrants.
Krikorian said that if illegal immigrants make up 17 percent of those in the cleaning occupations, for example, "that means that 83 percent are Americans or legal immigrants. Where are the jobs that Americans won't do?"
Business interests especially want new "guest worker" visas and legal status for immigrants already here because, they say, the economy needs the immigrants who are filling unwanted jobs.
"There's an inadequate number of U.S.-born workers doing those jobs, which is why undocumented workers are doing them," Kelley said.
The Judiciary Committee will consider a proposal by its chairman, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., that would allow illegal immigrants who were in the country and working before Jan. 4, 2004, to remain here if they stay employed and do not commit crimes.
But they would have to return to their home countries if they want to apply for citizenship or if they are out of work for longer than 45 days.
Some say they oppose Specter's idea because they say it amounts to amnesty, and some immigrant-rights groups say it would treat immigrants as substandard workers.
gebe.martinez@chron.com
RESOURCES
NOT HERE LEGALLY
Between 11.5 million and 12 million illegal immigrants are estimated to be in the United States.
How they break down: • Age and sex: 49 percent are adult males, 35 percent are adult females, 16 percent are children.
• Origins: 56 percent are from Mexico; 22 percent are from the rest of Latin America; 13 percent are from Asia; 6 percent are from Europe and Canada; 3 percent are from other regions.
• Influx: About 850,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in the U.S. each year since 2000. Because some die, return home or obtain legal status, the net increase is about 500,000 a year.
The Pew Hispanic Center used Census Bureau data to estimate that about 11 million immigrants had arrived by March 2005. It used population estimates to project the current population.
L
Our unemployment rate is about 5%. And there are about 7 million unemployed persons.
If you deport 12 million workers, in the best case that leaves 5 million jobs unfilled, assuming 7 million Americans feel like picking fruit and vegetables.
Where are you going to get 5 million more workers to fill the gap?
I don't think you realize how much we need willing labor. Deporting these people will damage the economy by raising the price of things like food and housing.
Time to get the buses rolling. Maybe we can use Nagin's, since he had so little use for them himself.
You think a robotic strawberry picker is right around the corner? Keep dreaming.
If the cheap labor were to be kicked out, the price of labor that was really needed would go up, and that would bring additional workers into the labor force, workers for whom $5/hour is not enough to make it worth their while to work.
If the price of labor goes up, demand on the productive part of the economy goes up, too. You get price increases as more expensive labor competes in the market to purchase goods and services. In the end more goods and services are consumed by this "native" labor to produce the same amount of goods and services as before. That's a net loss in production.
Fact is the United States gains greatly from illegal immigrants.
But what is the net effect?
Illegals create great savings in many areas. Are you sure those savings are negated by the things you mentioned?
Hey, they just magically appeared as a problem, in the mainstream press, the second W raised his hand in 2001.
Be patient, when Mrs. Clinton raises her hand, presto-chango this will no longer be the tiniest of concerns. Except for her taking care of the xenophobes!
There is extreme pressure on the housing markets in our area, as in most urban areas these days. As I drive to DC from WV, I pass communities with "reasonable" rents starting at $1000 and going to whatever. As I get closer to DC, the ernts get higher. When I arrive there, I see your "guest" workers standing in the 7-11 parking lots, or the gum't provided shelters. They get into pickups, and are carted off for a day of work, at $8-15 an hour. After the day is over, they return to share a $1500 apartment or house, with five-10 other "guests". They take their wages, and head for the bank or other wire transfer places, and send the bulk of the money to Mexico, or SA.
Citizens, as well documented immigrants, and workers, pay taxes on their incomes, and have to vie for one of those apartments/houses. They have to pay for medical care, and schools for the families of your 'guests".
I suggest you invite them to stay at your place.
I ate some shrimp last night, farmed in Cambodia. I had some pasta, and I opened a can of tomatoes from Italy, and made a sauce. I washed down my dinner with a bottle of wine from Australia. I'm sure we can keep the food stuff coming... (the Aussie wine was better than most I have gotten from California).
We don't need five million workers to fill the gap... and with your attitude, we probably don't need you!
Even he has said that deporting the illegals would create economic chaos.
I don't think you realize how unfazed we are by such self-serving twaddle.
You repeated the "Americans won't do these jobs" canard, right after reading the counterdemonstration that many, many Americans will do those jobs, especially if you pay them. You just want to pay people at the same rates the Brazilian orange-juice monopolists pay their peasants -- about 45 cents/hour.
You don't care that the wages you want to pay wouldn't support a family of four living in a cement shack with a dirt floor. You don't care. You just want to slash and burn your labor costs down to the ground, and you want us to concede that you can do that at will, and call it a fair deal no matter what.
Deporting these people will damage the economy by raising the price of things like food and housing.
Boo-hoo-hoo, cry me a river. You and the rest of the business community weren't worried about "raising prices" in the 70's. Never bothered you a bit when you were doing the raising -- until Paul Volcker slammed on the brakes.
In 1976, a brand-new Chevy Caprice with all the bells and whistles had a sticker price of about $5600. In 1988, the same model similarly tricked-out stickered for $19,000 -- and fleet versions went for $12-15,000.
No, "raising prices" didn't bother you guys when it was your idea!
Massive inconsistency held forth with a brazen forehead will get you nothing around this place.
Those savings are negated by businessmen's stuffing them into their pockets.
Clothes don't cost 85% less, because workers in Bangladesh get paid 90% less than American textile workers.
Uh it's closer than you think but the unions don't want a more mechanized approach to manual labor.
If the cheap labor were to be kicked out, the price of labor that was really needed would go up, and that would bring additional workers into the labor force, workers for whom $5/hour is not enough to make it worth their while to work. If the price of labor goes up, demand on the productive part of the economy goes up, too. You get price increases as more expensive labor competes in the market to purchase goods and services. In the end more goods and services are consumed by this "native" labor to produce the same amount of goods and services as before. That's a net loss in production.
More nonsense. The same kind of crap used to be said by plantation owners about slavery. Couldn't expect to remain "economically competitive" without it. The fact remains that taking slavery out of the equation proved to be the best thing for the agricultural industry because it forced the damn plantation owners to finally begin to modernize their approach to farming. The same kind of caveat applies to the use of today's illegals.
The U.S. does not profit from illegals.
Xenophobes? What xenophobes?! Xenophobe yourself.
Calling names won't get you anything, either.
eah savings, in taxes and workers comp that legit businesses have to foot for ones hiring illegals.
Addtionally, the construction sector now is replete with illegals that used to be good jobs for bkue collar working class people. No more.
Great post!
You are 100% right on. The OBL wants to create to classes of people. Them, and the rest of the maggots making barely livable wage while they profit.
It almost is like an economic facism they want since they want the gov't to be in bed with big business to bring about this outcome, despite the will of the people and despite the fact that it is literally destroying many of our cultural traits without our consent.
Correction: Opinion
Hey, thanks for pointing out that I can gain by doing something illegal. I guess when someone breaks into your home and steals all your stuff, they gain quite a bit too. Nevermind the illegal part of all this, after all, thats just a word right?
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