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The Impact of Illegal Immigration on the Wages and Employment Opportunities of Black Workers

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The Impact of Illegal Immigration on the Wages and Employment Opportunities of Black Workers The Impact of Illegal Immigration on the Wages and Employment Opportunities of Black Workers A Briefing Before The United States Commission on Civil Rights Held in Washington, DC Briefing Report Letter of Transmittal The President The President of the Senate The Speaker of the House Sirs and Madam: The United States Commission on Civil Rights (Commission) is pleased to transmit this report, The Impact ofIllegal Immigration on the Wages and Employment Opportunities of Black Workers. A panel of experts briefed members of the Commission on April 4, 2008 regarding the evidence for economic loss and job opportunity costs to black workers attributable to illegal immigration. The panelists also described non-economic factors contributing to the depression of black wages and employment rates. Based on that discussion, the Commission developed the findings and recommendation that are included in this report. Among its findings, the Commission notes that the illegal workers are estimated to account for as much as one-third of total immigrants in the United States, and that illegal immigration has tended to increase the supply of low-skilled, low-wage labor available. The Commission found also that about six in 10 adult black males have a high school diploma or less, and are disproportionately employed in the low-skilled labor market in likely competition with immigrants. Evidence for negative effects of such competition ranged from modest to significant, according to the experts who testified, but even those experts who viewed the effects as modest overall found significant effects in occupations such as meatpacking and construction. The Commission views this topic as complex, and therefore makes no specific recommendations at this time. The Commission recommends generally, however, that the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other appropriate governmental agencies collect data concerning the presence of illegal workers in the U.S. workforce and on the employment and wage rate effects of such workers on low- skilled and low-wage workers of all races. The Commission believes that such data should be made available to the public. Part A, which consists of the body of this report, was approved on January 15, 2010 by Chairman Reynolds and Commissioners Kirsanow, Heriot, and Taylor. Vice Chair Thernstrom and Commissioners Gaziano and Melendez abstained. Commissioner Yaki voted against. Vote tallies for each of the Commission‘s findings and recommendation, which make up Part B of the report, are noted therein. Table of Contents Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................... 1 Findings and Recommendation .......................................................................................................... 3 Summary of Proceedings ...................................................................................................................... 5 Panel One ................................................................................................................................... 5 Gordon Hanson .................................................................................................................... 5 Gerald Jaynes ........................................................................................................................ 6 Vernon Briggs, Jr. ............................................................................................................................ 7 Harry Holzer ......................................................................................................................... 9 Discussion ............................................................................................................... 10 Panel Two ................................................................................................................................ 15 Julie Hotchkiss .................................................................................................................. 15 Steven Camarota ................................................................................................................ 17 Richard Nadler ............................................................................................................................... 18 Carol Swain ........................................................................................................................ 19 Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 20 Statements .............................................................................................................................................. 24 Gordon H. Hanson................................................................................................................... 24 Gerald D. Jaynes ...................................................................................................................... 27 Vernon M. Briggs, Jr. ....................................................................................................................... 35 Harry J. Holzer......................................................................................................................... 40 Julie Hotchkiss ......................................................................................................................... 44 Steven A. Camarota................................................................................................................. 48 Richard Nadler ........................................................................................................................ 53 Carol M. Swain ........................................................................................................................ 62 Public Comment ..................................................................................................................... 65 Speaker Biographies ................................................................................................................. 66 Gordon Hanson........................................................................................................................ 66 Gerald Jaynes ........................................................................................................................... 66 Vernon M. Briggs, Jr. ........................................................................................................... 66 Impact of Illegal Immigration on the Wages & Employment of Black Workers Harry J. Holzer .......................................................................................................................... 67 Julie Hotchkiss .......................................................................................................................... 67 Steven A. Camarota .................................................................................................................. 67 Richard Nadler.......................................................................................................................... 68 Carol M. Swain ......................................................................................................................... 68 Statements of Commissioners .................................................................................................. .69 Dissent of Commissioners Michael Yaki and Arlan Melendez .......................................... ..69 Statement and Rebuttal of Commissioner Gail Heriot ......................................................... .69 Rebuttal of Commissioner Peter N. Kirsanow ......................................................................... 71 Rebuttal of Commissioners Michael Yaki and Arlan Melendez ............................................ 79 Executive Summary 1 Executive Summary In the midst of public debate over immigration reform, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights voted to examine the possible effects of illegal immigration on particularly vulnerable segments of the U.S. working population, specifically low-skill black workers.1 Since the April 4, 2008 briefing, the severe economic downturn has affected workers in general, and--if unemployment rates are any indication--has had an even more severe impact on low-skill 2 workers. To help air important aspects of the debate, the Commission invited experts who have published and spoken on this issue to weigh the relative effects of factors that influence black low-skill workers‘ wages, job gains or losses and report their conclusions to the Commission. 3 The speakers discussed factors that included the economic costs to this particular group, fiscal costs to taxpayers of social services for low-skill workers, competing skill levels of affected workers, the economic gains to the U.S. economy as a whole from flexible, low-cost labor,4 and what constitutes a fair comparison between legal and illegal workers and their job 5 opportunities. The Commission selected balanced panels that included Harry Holzer, professor of public policy at Georgetown University; Gordon H. Hanson, professor of economics at the University of California, San Diego; Julie Hotchkiss, research economist and policy advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Vernon Briggs, professor emeritus of labor economics at Cornell University; Gerald Jaynes, professor of economics and African American Studies at Yale University; Richard Nadler,
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