Journalist Asks: “Why Don’t We Care More about Our People?”

March 3, 2014
By Joe Guzzardi
As seen in:
The Cagle Post

Last week, President Barack Obama and House Majority leader John Boehner met behind closed doors. Hush, hush meetings between powerful politicians usually means bad news for Americans.

Among the topics discussed, and possibly the first matter of business, was immigration reform which despite a sluggish economy, high unemployment and the looming Russian intervention in the Ukraine, often gets top billing. Despite growing grassroots resistance, Republicans and Democrats appear committed to passing amnesty either piecemeal or in any other form that they can ram through.

Developing a sensible immigration policy that would work to Americans’ benefit is an increasingly elusive goal. The most insurmountable roadblocks are the incessant, high pressure lobbying tactics for more cheap labor that the Chamber of Commerce and other special interest groups put on pliant legislators. Another barrier is the media’s steadfast refusal to expose the House and Senate bills’ realities, that the legalization of at least 12 million illegal immigrants and a near tripling of legal immigration within the first decade will irreparably hurt unemployed Americans. 

Although the odds against it are long, a newly formed organization is fighting back against illegal immigration and taking its cause to the public. Those who have followed the immigration friction between open borders advocates and enforcement proponents since the Gang of 8 first convened in early 2013 know that citizens’ concerns aren’t included in the congressional discussion.

Americans4Work plans to change that. According to its website, Americans4Work explains why citizens deserve employment consideration ahead of illegal immigrants and foreign-born nationals who might come to the US on work visas. 

Describing itself as a support center, Americans4Work emphasizes that citizens, unlike aliens, have been reared in American communities, educated in American schools and brought up in American culture. Furthermore, citizens have served in America’s defense, worked in the nation’s industries and built American families, communities, churches and businesses. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics underlines how hard it is for Americans, especially minorities, to get ahead. In the African-American community, 23 percent of all workers or more than 3.5 million citizens are unemployed. US-born Hispanic-Americans have a 20 percent unemployment rate, more than 2.5 million workers. Moreover, 1 out of every 3 young Americans (18-29) without a college diploma is unemployed and has little hope of finding a job. About 54 percent of today’s 20-25 year-old American college graduates, 1.5 million, are unemployed or underemployed; the highest percentage in the last 11 years. Nevertheless, Congress is plotting to import 1.1 million overseas college graduates.

Americans4Work cites several factors including immigration that conspire against unemployed minorities. The prominent role immigration plays in American unemployment is indisputable. The Department of Homeland Security’s 2012 immigration report showed that more than 1 million foreign nationals became legal permanent residents during that year. Their LPR status authorizes them to work.

With Capitol Hill’s emphasis on globalism and its subservience to corporate interests, Americans can’t get a break. In January on Meet the Press, CNBC’s Mad Money host Jim Cramer asked host David Gregory about high immigration levels: “Why don’t we care more about our people?” Not surprisingly Gregory, a famous media personality, changed the subject.

Cramer’s question deserves an answer. The sad but hurtful truth is that more immigration means a more abundant supply of cheap labor for big business which trumps working class Americans’ best interests.

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Joe Guzzardi is a Californians for Population Stabilization Senior Writing Fellow whose columns have been syndicated since 1987. Contact him at [email protected]