Immigration Takes American Jobs

Floor Speech

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, the June jobs report says America's unemployment rate dropped to 6.1 percent. While 1,115,000 new part-time jobs were created, a staggering, 827,000 full-time jobs were lost, and America's labor participation rate remained at 62.8 percent, the worst since President Carter.

A recent Center for Immigration Studies report, based on data from the Census Bureau and Homeland Security and Labor Departments, offers a startling and sobering insight concerning people in the 16-65 age bracket, so startling that I instructed my staff to double-check the report's data, and it checked out as factually accurate.

First, the report determined the American economy created 5.6 million new jobs in the 16-65 age bracket over the past 14 years.

Second, ``the total number of working-age immigrants (legal and illegal) holding a job increased 5.7 million from 2000 to 2014, while declining 127,000 for American-born citizens.''

Over the past 14 years, although the American economy created 5.6 million net new jobs in the 16-65 age bracket, American-born citizens lost 127,000 jobs. All job gains, and more, went to immigrants.

Third, even though the American economy created 5.6 million net new jobs over the past 14 years, population growth and job losses caused 17 million more American citizens to not be working in 2014 than in 2000.

Fourth, and contrary to what amnesty proponents and their media allies would have you believe, ``Immigrants have made gains across the labor market, including lower-skilled jobs such as maintenance, construction, and food services; middle-skilled jobs like office support and health care support; and higher-skilled jobs, including management, computers, and health care practitioners.''

Immigrants swept the jobs field and had jobs gains in virtually every segment of the American economy. The argument that immigrants only do jobs Americans won't do is not supported by the facts.

Immigrants gained jobs while Americans lost jobs in each of the following high paying industries: architecture and engineering; transportation and material moving; installation, maintenance, and repair; sales; construction and excavation; office and administrative support.

Fifth, Americans of all major races lost ground. Black Americans lost, Hispanic Americans lost, White Americans lost. The percentage of working Black American-born citizens dropped 9.2 percentage points. The percentage of working Hispanic Americans dropped 7.7 percentage points, and the percentage of working White Americans dropped 6.1 percentage points.

Sixth, America's immigration policies over the past 14 years have been both a war on women and a war on men. The percentage of working female American-born citizens dropped 5.5 percentage points, while male American-born citizens did even worse, dropping 9.1 percentage points.

Mr. Speaker, I have two comments on the Center for Immigration Studies report. First, lawful immigrants have done well. Everyone would do well to learn from lawful immigrants' work and study habits.

Second, President Obama must start vigorously enforcing America's immigration laws. A Pew Hispanic Center study determined that illegal aliens hold roughly 8 million jobs in America. That is 8 million job opportunities illegally taken from Americans, thereby suppressing wages, causing unemployment, and creating income inequality among far too many struggling American families.

Mr. Speaker, I can't speak for anyone else but me, but as for me, Mo Brooks, the Congressman from Alabama's Fifth Congressional District, I will fight for the economic interests of American citizens as Washington works its way through the immigration debate.

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