September 19, 1983 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 24729 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRA- Every nation has as one of its sovereign workers employed in this country-34 mil­ TION: THE IMPACT, THE rights, the right to control the flow of lion people-hold jobs in exactly the kinds CHOICES people into its country. Of the 165 nations of low-skilled industrial, service and agricul­ on this planet, 164 do so rigidly. Only the tural jobs in which illegal aliens typically United States has a lax immigration policy. find employment, and that 10.5 million HON. BILL LOWERY If you or I were to go to Mexico or Canada, workers are employed at or below the mini­ OF CALIFORNIA it would be next to impossible under their mum wage. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES laws for us to cross that border, get a job or LEGAL INEQUITIES become productive members of their soci­ Monday, September 19, 1983 eties. What we have to ask as a nation are Though there are necessarily two parties e Mr. LOWERY of California. Mr. three basic questions: in this offering and accepting of employ­ First, how many people will we admit to ment, only undocumented foreign nationals Speaker, we will soon be debating the are legally culpable. Worse yet, this legal in­ most important piece of immigration this country for permanent residency? Two, who will get the slots? Who, of the equity increases the dependence of undocu­ legislation to come before the Con­ 600 million people around the world who mented aliens on their employers, making gress in over 20 years. Accordingly, I want to migrate, most of them to the United them even more vulnerable to exploitation. would like to share with my colleagues States, will be allowed entrance to our coun­ In other words, as the law now reads, it is the following remarks by Charles R. try? illegal for an illegal alien to take a job; it is Stoffell of the Federation for Ameri­ And, three, how are we going to enforce illegal to harbor an illegal alien; but it is not can Immigration Reform. Mr. Stoffell the rules of our immigration policy? illegal to hire one. It must be understood brings a great deal of expertise to the I think this public debate, the answering, that undocumented workers do not make if you will, of these three questions is going less than the minimum wage. Recent gov­ immigration reform arena and I am to involve two stages. The first, and the one ernmental surveys have shown that the av­ sure Members will find his speech that Washington is grappling with now, is erage illegal alien makes between $4.00 and before the California Roundtable an attempt to form a consensus on the fact $5.00 per hour. To the extent that they take stimulating and informative: that we must limit immigration into this good jobs at good pay with the protection of LEGAL AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: THE IMPACT, country. the law, they are competing illegitimately THE CHOICES The second stage, the one that will come· and unfairly for the jobs that many Ameri­ Our Nation has a proud history of re­ after this agreement is what that limit cans want and need. sponding compassionately and humanely to should be. What is the number of people Former Secretary of Labor, Ray Marshall, the world's oppressed people. We are, after that should be allowed into our country has observed, "I am convinced that we are all, a Nation of immigrants. Most Americans every single year as immigrants? Will it be sowing the seeds of a serious future civil would agree that we should continue to 400,000-800,000-or over a million, as we're rights struggle. We would be better off if we honor our tradition of help. But it must not getting today from both legal and illegal im­ could confront it now." blind us to the fact our Nation's resources migration? ILLEGAL ALIENS TAKE NEEDED AMERICAN JOBS are limited, and that our economy cannot ECONOMIC IMPACT For years we have heard that undocu­ long sustain the pressures of a continuing What are the impacts of current and pro­ mented workers are a cost-free benefit to flood of immigrants. spective patterns of immigration in the U.S. the United States. The argument rests on IMMIGRATION CONCERNS AND FAIR labor market and economic system? There the belief that low-skilled American workers FAIR was founded in 1979 to tackle the are those who have driven across the at worst are lazy, and at best choosy, about intricacies of the immigration issue. Today, "empty space" of America and say that we the jobs which they will do, and that they it is still the only national non-profit organi­ have room to accommodate many, many, will no longer take jobs which they consider zation in the country that is educating the more people. What they don't understand is to be demeaning. Therefore, there exists a American people to the problems uncon­ the need for this empty space in America to number of jobs that, if they are to be done trolled immigration pose to our future. support our crowded urban population and at all, must be done by illegal immigrants. FAIR believes that unlimited immigration is the hungry world population which depends This widespread myth is not supported by contrary to the national interest, that ille­ in ever increasing amounts on our grain. any data. Nor is the data that Americans gal immigration can and should be ended, The economic competition felt by poor, mi­ won't take hard, dirty jobs supported by and that all legal immigration should be nority and lesser skilled Americans when surveys of thousands of Americans. An Ohio placed within a single, stable ceiling that is the volume of illegal immigration is high is State university study of young Americans consistent with our country's history of another major problem. The main victim of performed for the Labor Department found compassion and generosity for less fortu­ illegal immigration is the unskilled domestic that a majority of young people would take nate people. American worker. lowPaying jobs in fast-food restaurants, Immigration has always benefited Amer­ Dr. John Reid is a graduate professor in cleaning establishments, and supermarkets ica. But legal immigration at today's mas­ Sociology at Howard University. In Decem­ as well as washing dishes-exactly the types sive levels and illegal immigration that is ber, 1981, a study he did on the economic of occupations most associated with undocu­ completely out of control have numerous advancement of "Black America in the mented workers. A substantial number of negative results. These negative effects can 1980's," was released. Dr. Reid writes, the young people in the survey said they be seen in pressures on social welfare and "Blacks are affected more than any other would work at wages even below the mini­ health care systems unable to cope with this U.S. group by the massive increase in immi­ mum wage. growing population, in job competition be­ gration since the mid-1970's. The surge of A Los Angeles Times survey published on tween illegal immigrants and American mi­ legal and illegal immigrants and refugees, April 7, 1981, found that, "The widely ac­ nority and youth job seekers and in ethnic no longer white Europeans, but primarily cepted notion that some jobs are so menial conflicts. Conceivably a majority of Ameri­ Hispanics and Asians, ironically presents only illegal aliens will take them is untrue cans might in the end come to the conclu­ new competition for Black Americans, just . among unemployed people interviewed sion that all immigrants hurt the country, as they have finally begun to edge up the seventy-five percent said they would apply and this could be the greatest tragedy of all. socio-economic ladder . it is clear that for jobs paying between $3.35 an hour, the I think that this growing awareness has right now the masses of new immigrants are legal minimum wage, and $4.50 an hour." come about in part because of the realiza­ taking jobs away from disadvantaged Former Secretary of Labor, Ray Marshall, tion that our resources are not limitless. If Blacks, particularly Black teenagers. Fur­ stated in the Los Angeles Times on Decem­ we have learned anything from the long gas thermore, it cannot be argued that U.S. ber 2, 1979: lines and water shortages here in the West Blacks and Whites shun the kinds of jobs "It is false to say American workers in the past few years, it is that we are begin­ that illegal immigrants typically fill." cannot be found for all of the jobs filled by ning to run short-that our melting pot, like Then Dr. Reid presents evidence from the undocumented workers. The truth is that any pot, indeed has a bottom. Department of Labor that a third of all there are millions of American workers in e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by the Member of the Senate on the floor. e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by the Member on the floor. 24730 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS September 19, 1983 all of these low-paying occupations already. The available evidence suggests that pub­ automobiles, and were picked up. That The Job market in which they <the illegal licly financed Health Services <especially night we stopped a car and found six teen­ aliens) compete is highly competitive, with a emergency, obstetric and pediatric care) are agers in one trunk, forty-eight in the back surplus of people vying for a shortage of widely employed.