Progressive pro-immigration policies leave nearly 20 million American men in the dust on jobs: report

A new report found that left-wing pro-immigration policies have led to nearly 20 million American men being sidelined by the labor market as employers have grown to favor migrants.

Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, compiled data on the labor force participation rate focused on the share among the working-age (16-64) population. Camarota told Breitbart news even if the unemployment rate reached zero, “The reality is there’s a huge pool of potential [American] workers for employers.”

Fueled by pro-migrant lobbies and progressive agendas, Camerota argued that the significant reduction in labor force participation over the last 20 years has also had a negative impact on other aspects of society.

“To the extent that this massive [sidelining of Americans] reflects social problems,” Camarota explained, “then bringing in more immigrants lets us ignore the social problems – whether it’s the obesity and disability crisis, the opioid epidemic, crime, all of those things that are contributing to this problem.”

“What immigration does is let you just ignore it,” he offered as employers could have their choice of a younger and healthier workforce being imported. Since 2000, the number of working-age immigrants rose from 18.4 million to 27.6 million, nearly nine million. In the same span of time, the number of Americans who have dropped out of the labor force rose by more than 10 million.

Of the now 45.3 million Americans not accounted for in traditional unemployment metrics, almost 20 million are men. Camarota stated, “They sleep on their parents’ couch or their mother’s basement or mooch off of a girlfriend. A lot of them are on disability, some of them engage in illicit activity.”

Camarota furthered the argument that politics were leaving these Americans behind by pointing to a senate hearing being held Tuesday by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA).

Advertised as meant to “examine the challenges immigrants face in seeking lawful permanent resident status, and the need to overhaul and modernize the legal immigration system to preserve family unity and grow our economy,” Camarota pointed out that the witnesses only include two immigration lawyers and a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin who came from India.

Camarota posits if Padilla were serious about “family unity” and economic growth then he would have invited Déjà Thomas to speak about his study that found high migration had played a significant role in sidelining 70 percent of black Californian workers. Of the more than 45 million workers out of the labor force, 6.3 million are black.

While COVID has been acknowledged as having some impact of late, the reality is labor force participation had dropped from 77.3 percent in 2000 down to 72.8 percent by 2016, including nearly a full percentage point drop throughout President Barack Obama’s administration. Under President Donald Trump, the rate had steadily climbed to 74.1 percent until COVID artificially forced the rate down by 1.5 percent.

The arguments appear fairly straightforward when during an economic crisis like the current one, senators like Padilla have hearings to promote immigration and 38 of his colleagues are petitioning to increase the availability of H-2B visas for foreign workers.

Compound those issues with the perpetuation of the welfare state like the one in California, which provides benefits for homeless to relocate there to live off of $820 worth of government handouts a month, and the reality becomes clearer.

“It reflects progressive ideology about very generous welfare and a completely permissive immigration system,” Camerota explained. When “coupled with the business community’s desire for more and more cheap labor, and indifference to the crowding-out of American workers” there can be no alternative outcome.

Kevin Haggerty

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