More Immigrants Mean Fewer Jobs For Blacks

by Mark Krikorian, Center for Immigration Studies: “Every hour sees the black man elbowed out of employment by some newly arrived emigrant, whose hunger and whose color are thought to give him a better title to the place.” No, this quote isn’t from today’s debate over immigration – it was written by Frederick Douglass in 1853. Mass immigration has always been detrimental to the job prospects of black Americans. . . . the admission of large numbers of foreign workers doesn’t harm blacks economically.

There are two reasons this is true – one that applies to workers in general, and one that is of special concern to black Americans. The first factor is simple numbers. The immigrant population, legal and illegal, is now at a record high of some 37 million, growing at a rate of more than a million a year. What’s more, immigrants account for nearly half of workers with less than a high school education – meaning they are in direct competition with American workers who also have less than a high school education, a group that is disproportionately made up of black Americans. . . . the second reason - the reason that black Americans specifically must be concerned about the economic effects of immigration. As Douglass’s quote suggests, immigrants simply are seen by many as preferable to native-born black Americans. That’s true whether we’re talking about Irish and Italians from the early 20th century or Mexicans and Chinese (even Jamaicans and Africans) today . . . [Read More]

---

Tags: black Americans, Center for Immigration Studies, employing illegals, Fredrick Douglass, illegal immigrants, immigrants To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!