Three civil rights commissioners say immigration reform bill would hurt Blacks

pavpatel · 06-02-2013, 03:19 AM

Quote:

WASHINGTON -- Three members of the U.S. Commission of Civil Rights say that a Senate bipartisan proposal to give some 11 million illegal immigrants legal status would disproportionately hurt African-Americans.

The letter, from two Republicans and one independent on the eight-member commission, was initially sent to members of the Congressional Black Caucus. On Tuesday, it was also sent to Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La.

"We are writing to address a rarely discussed effect of granting legal status or effective amnesty to illegal immigrants," the three commissioners say in their letter. "Such grant of legal status will likely disproportionately harm lower-skilled African-Americans by making it more difficult for them to obtain employment and depressing their wages when they do obtain employment.

The letter was signed by Commission Vice Chair Abigail Thernstrom and Commissioners Peter Kirsanow and Gail Heriot. Thernstrom and Kirsanow are Republicans, while Heriot is an independent.

The three commissioners mention a 2008 briefing on illegal immigration that brought together what they said was a diverse group of scholars to the commission. There was a general consensus, the commissioners said, that African-Americans suffer economic losses from competition with immigrants.

"Illegal immigration to the United States in recent decades has tended to depress both wages and employment rates for low-skilled American citizens, a disproportionate number of whom are black men," the three commissioners said in their letter. "Expert economic opinions concerning the negative effects range from modest to significant. Those panelists that found modest effects overall nonetheless found significant effects in industry sectors such as meatpacking and construction."

Landrieu had no immediate comment on the letter. Previously, she said, that immigration reform is "urgently needed for the economic strength and security of our country. But she also said the Department of Homeland Security needs more money allocated to prevent illegal immigration.

At a budget hearing last week, she complained that the president's 2014 budget proposal didn't contain nearly enough reforms and in some cases, "such as detention resources, funding moves in the opposite direction."

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., one of the key members of the Senate Gang of 8 that developed the new immigration legislation earlier this month, disputes the argument that the bill will make it harder on American workers, black or white. It's the current system, he said, that allows "unscrupulous businesses to hire undocumented workers and pay them less, diminishing job opportunities for Americans."

The bipartisan immigration bill now before the Senate "protects American workers from unwarranted immigration for jobs that Americans are willing and able to do," Rubio wrote in his Senate blog.

"For example, the proposal would not allow any work visas to be issued if the unemployment rate in a certain area is above 8.5 percent, which is the norm in many cities."

The legislation has run into strong opposition from Louisiana Republicans.

"It's immediate amnesty with a promise of enforcement," Vitter said.

Reps. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, and John Fleming, R-Minden, echo Vitter's concerns.

"My concern is that the bill is much more focused on legal status for illegal aliens than it is on border security," Scalise said.

Also getting the letter from the Civil Rights Commission members were the eight senators, four Democrats and four Republicans, who wrote the bipartisan immigration bill. Among the other recipients: Landrieu, Sens. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.; Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Ted Cruz, R-Tex., Mark Pryor, D-Ark., Ben Cardin, D-Md.; Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; Bill Nelson, D-Fla., Susan Collins, R-Main, Mark Kirk, R-Ill.; Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.s...mmissione.html

Rev_Scholar · 06-02-2013, 09:55 AM

Da fuq? Now, it will not only "take away American jobs", but also hurt Blacks in the process?

Rogue414 · 06-02-2013, 10:42 AM

Nice try.

IamAman · 06-02-2013, 11:03 AM

I've always found it ironic that many black groups don't support immigration rights. You'd think if one group would understand what it's like to live without any rights and want freedom like everybody else it would be them, but then again, kicking the ladder once you get yours is a fine American Tradition. Just ask your cousins with a Green Card who are against immigration reform.

freshh. · 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IamAman

I've always found it ironic that many black groups don't support immigration rights. You'd think if one group would understand what it's like to live without any rights and want freedom like everybody else it would be them, but then again, kicking the ladder once you get yours is a fine American Tradition. Just ask your cousins with a Green Card who are against immigration reform.

As a Black immigrant, I see it a lot. I blend in because I don't sound Jamaican. So, some people tend to be honest around me because they think I'm a USC. And because of that, I've heard some really awful and ignorant things directed at immigrants from Black people who should know better. The funny thing is that they complain about "Mexicans taking our jobs" and how it will hurt the AA community, but they wouldn't do the jobs that most immigrants (including those from the Caribbean and Africa) do, either. We take jobs that are beneath us in terms of our educational backgrounds and former employment in our country of origin to ensure our families' survival.

I don't see how immigration reform can hurt them, when the vast majority of undocumented people are already working and doing jobs that went unfilled by all Americans.

dreamerperson · 06-02-2013, 11:27 AM

These morons, just like some leftist labor movement idiots who believe the bullshit these people and NumbersUSA propagate, need to realize that alienating people who could very well be your ally in demanding higher wages is counter-productive to any progress in giving fair wages to laborers.

Instead of encouraging undocumented workers to help fight an inequitable system that disproportionately favors white males, they choose to create further divisions among minority groups/groups who are at a disadvantage in society by vilifying people who are just as much victims as they are in a deeply entrenched classist system.

Instead of blaming the true source of inequity, the corporatist, crony capitalist system we have in place, they choose to blame people who are otherwise without clout, people with whom they can join forces to fight inequity.

/rant

Sorry, I'm just sick of this bullshit. I read/hear it from so-called progressives and civil rights activists all the time, and I'm finding it hard these days to identify with a political ideology with members who are just as ignorant as their right-wing counterparts when it comes to immigration issues.

Quote:

I've always found it ironic that many black groups don't support immigration rights. You'd think if one group would understand what it's like to live without any rights and want freedom like everybody else it would be them, but then again, kicking the ladder once you get yours is a fine American Tradition. Just ask your cousins with a Green Card who are against immigration reform.

Exactly...sometimes, it's people who have suffered the most injustices who become the most prejudiced.

There are some idiots in the Filipino-American community, for example, who are totally against CIR and even the DREAM Act even though they benefited from the 1986 amnesty law, which was far more liberal than what is currently being proposed. Fucking hypocrites.

Demise · 11:48 AM

I love the projects in NY, where the whole black community lives off of welfare, and the primary topic of discussion is who got out of jail when. These people are content with system they can mooch off of, they wouldn't take a job if it bit them on the ass.

Happyman0607 · 06-02-2013, 12:38 PM

I find it a little bit ridiculous that African Americans and even Americans complain about losing a job to an immigrant if they could work.. shouldn't you be hired upon your ability to do the job? Not based on the government paddling your ass trying to protect you.. if an immigrant can do your job better than you can you need to put a fire under your ass and get moving and try to be better or find another job. If you can't keep up, too fucking bad. don't look to th. Government to protect your slacking ass.. this country is run on capitalism and if you cant compete, get your fucking ass out of the field.. people preechinf democracy and want to live like a bunch of socialist with the governemnt holding their hands through every step of their life's.. absolutley ridiculous..

dtrt09 · 06-02-2013, 12:59 PM

An co-worker of mine who never attended college for even a quarter/semester, whom was hired when she was 17 because of her mother, and has been in the office for 14 years, complained that she couldn't go back to school because it's "too competitive" and it's full of immigrants. "Asians" is actually what she said. "They take all the spots". We live in the Seattle area.

I held her stare for about a minute trying to discern whether she was joking and as I realized that she wasn't, I asked

"When did you graduate (HS)?"

"1999"

"Who took your spot then?"

Silence.

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Three civil rights commissioners say immigration reform bill would hurt Blacks