Vulnerable Americans

An article that will be published in the June 24, 2013 issue of The New Yorker magazine reports that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) sided with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on the issue of a guest-worker program for the construction industry. Construction workers and the unions opposed an expanded guest-worker program unless it was tied to the unemployment rate, but the Chamber of Commerce was concerned that since unemployment rates tend to be higher in the industry, it would be a road block to the temporary visas.

Half of all grads from four-year colleges are working in jobs that don't require a four-year degree, according to a McKinsey study cited by Forbes. The McKinsey report is backed by a similar study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that found 48% of U.S. college grads are underemployed. 

As the Senate Judiciary Committee prepares to review the guest-worker provisions of the Gang of Eight's amnesty bill, a national association consisting of electrical and electronics engineers is urging Congress to leave the H-1B visa quotas alone. The IEEE issued a statement on Monday to reject amendments that would further increase the number of H-1B visas issued each year and amendments that would weaken worker protections.

A group of Americans, mostly Black Americans, in Georgia are suing several farm employers because they say the farmers prefer cheaper, foreign labor over U.S. workers. The workers claim that farmers, including Stanley Farms - one of the largest growers of Vidalia onions, that they were mistreated and paid less than workers from Mexico.

The Associated Press reports the Obama Administration set records for the number of worksite enforcement audits and related monetary penalties in fiscal year 2012. But a recent Congressional Research Service analysis suggests it is too early to tell whether the Administration’s emphasis on auditing businesses is an effective immigration enforcement strategy, especially if the goal is to remove illegal aliens from the workplace.

Under the Obama Administration, immigrants have fared better at finding jobs than the native born. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data indicate that as of August 2012, over 1.7 million immigrants found jobs during Obama’s term while only 418,000 native-born Americans did.

The unemployment rate for immigrant workers in the United States is lower than the unemployment rate for native-born workers, according to data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS). BLS’s data show that unemployment among foreign born workers in May 2012 was 7.4 percent, while for native-born workers it was 8.0 percent.

A new Virginia law that goes into effect next summer will publish the unemployment rates for recent graduates of the state's colleges and universities. The law, which passed almost unanimously through both chambers of the Virginia state legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell, was created after a study from Northeastern University found that 50% of recent college grads are unemployed or underemployed.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the workforce participation rate among American teens has dropped by 10% to just 25% over the last 5 years. The participation rate was consistently near 50% during the 1980s and '90s, but has dropped steadily since then.

Pacific Steel in Berkeley, Calif. is laying off 200 illegal-alien workers who weren't able to provide valid documents after an audit conducted by the Department of Homeland Security. Earlier this year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement requested the company's I-9 files and found that the paperwork for 200 workers, approximately one-third of the company's total workforce, didn't match up.

A new report from Lincoln, Neb. reveals that disabled veterans returning from Iraq or Afghanistan are finding jobs because of the increasing number of companies using E-Verify. The report focuses specifically on three vets that now work for the Lincoln Verification Operations Center. The new center works under U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and helps private businesses verify new hires using E-Verify.

Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) has cosponsored Chairman Lamar Smith's Legal Workforce Act (H.R.2885) becoming the third Democrat to add his name to the bill. The bill would require 100% of businesses to begin using E-Verify for all new hires within 2 years and require all federal, state, and local governments to check new hires and existing employees within 6 months.

Rep. Charlie Bass (R-N.H.) has cosponsored House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith's Legal Workforce Act (H.R.2885). The bill would require 100% of businesses to begin using E-Verify for all new hires within 2 years and require all federal, state, and local governments to check new hires and existing employees within 6 months.

Rep. John Duncan (R-Tenn.) has cosponsored House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith's Legal Workforce Act (H.R.2885). The bill would require 100% of businesses to begin using E-Verify for all new hires within 2 years and require all federal, state, and local governments to check new hires and existing employees within 6 months.

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is placing a hold on the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (H.R. 3012) that overwhelmingly passed through the House Tuesday night 389-to-15. The bill would remove the per-country limitations placed on employment-based visas. NumbersUSA took no position on the bill since it would not change overall immigration levels.