533,000 Jobs Lost in November — But the Feds Imported Another 140,000 Foreign Workers the Same Month! (Contact ’em)
With the federal government reporting another giant loss of jobs for November, isn’t it time to stop the massive importation of foreign workers?
Non-farm employers in the U.S. eliminated 533,000 jobs in November.At the same time, in a typical month the feds give out approximately140,000 new work permits and green cards to foreign workers.
How can this make any sense for the American people’s own governmentto be recruiting more competitors for a dwindling number of jobs? Monthafter month as hundreds of thousands of Americans lose their jobs, thefeds keep pumping another 140,000 new foreign workers into thelaborforce.
The new foreign workers compete with the laid-off and underemployedhighly skilled Americans in most professions and occupations, but mostforeign workers compete directly in the construction, service andmanufacturing industries where unemployment is the highest and whereAmericans have the least margin of financial security.
The feds add workers in two major ways.
- The most recent government data show that the feds grantedgreencards to 744,531 new working-age permanent immigrants (age 20-64)in 2007. Every one of them can immediately apply for a job (as can manymore immigrants who are below and above that age range).
- The Department of Homeland Security reports that in the fiscal yearjust ended it issued NEW work permits to another 912,735 foreignworkers who are not permanent immigrants.
That adds up to an astounding rate of 1,657,266 foreign workers peryear, and that doesn’t count renewals on foreign work permits or theflow of illegal workers.
While the new Congress and President determine how to best spend atrillion dollars to stimulate more jobs, they should immediately inJanuary suspend most foreign-worker importation. Limiting immigrationmostly to nuclear families and our fair share of internationallyrecognized special needs refugees seems like the logical response tojob-loss reports like the one today (Dec. 5).
ROY BECK is Founder & CEO of NumbersUSA
Views and opinions expressed in blogs on this website are those ofthe author. They do not necessarily reflect official policies ofNumbersUSA.