57 Million Americans Out of Work, Same Number Senate Amnesty Would Bring In
A new study by the Center for Immigration Studies shows that 57.5 million working-age Americans are either unemployed or out of the labor market. This figure is almost identical (57 million) to the number of people the Senate's "Gang of Eight" amnesty legislation would bring in. Steve Camarota, the author of the study, said:
The number of working-age (16 to 65) native-born Americans who are not working — unemployed or out of the labor market — stood at 57.5 million in the second quarter of 2013, a figure that has barely budged in the last three years. Partly on the grounds that there are not enough workers in the United States, the Gang of Eight Immigration bill (S.744) that recently passed the Senate would double future legal immigration. Yet the more than 57 million working-age natives not working is 17 million larger than in the second quarter of 2000. The large increases in future legal immigration in S.744 seem out touch with the realities of the U.S. labor market."
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Al.), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, said the bill would bring in about 57 million new workers to compete with those out-of-work Americans for jobs. Sen. Sessions said he believes "this is a matter of humanitarian interest." Sessions also said that with:
47 million on food stamps, shouldn’t we be working to make sure every single American citizen now dependent on social services of the government be provided with the first opportunity to achieve a good job with a decent pay with a retirement plan and a healthcare plan? That’s got to be our goal.
You can read the full CIS report here.