These workers are not hired to pick fruit and vegetables; they are highly skilled professionals who work in the computer industry, engineering, and the health care fields. "In this economy, most Americans suffering from unemployment would love to have any of these jobs, and many unemployed Americans already possess these skills."
One-and-a-half million legal immigrant workers from around the world flood into the United States each year, according to John Vinson, President of Americans for Immigration Control (AIC). That's enough workers to populate the entire city of Philadelphia or Phoenix--each year.
These workers enter the United States legally under the temporary work visa program (the H-1B visa program among them), and many are hired by a company before they arrive on U.S. soil. These workers are not hired to pick fruit and vegetables; they are highly skilled professionals who work in the computer industry, engineering, and the health care fields. "In this economy, most Americans suffering from unemployment would love to have any of these jobs, and many unemployed Americans already possess these skills," said Vinson.
The purpose of the temporary work program is to invite nonimmigrant workers with specific skills to work in the United States temporarily, up to a period of three years, according to the U.S. Department of State.
The 1.5 million figure does not include family members whom these workers bring with them . Immigrant family members are likely to enter the United States work force in the future. But since they already reside here, under permission of their spouse or parent, they do not require a work visa. The total number of workers, and future workers, entering the U.S. workforce from this program is not exactly known.
And while the program is intended as "temporary," the result is that most of these workers eventually remain in the United States permanently. Some return back to their home country when their visa expires, but more often, according to Vinson, they apply for an extension that could last up to three more years, or they apply directly for U.S. citizenship.
Perhaps most troubling, is that "about 40 percent of the workers we graciously invite into our country simply overstay their visas and remain in country illegally," said Vinson. That's 600,000 workers illegally entering our workforce each year, competing for jobs against American citizens. Again, add to that 600,000 the workers' family members and the number of workers, present and future, who transfer to an illegal status each year could be two or three times higher.
"Most people think of illegal aliens coming across our border from Mexico," said Vinson. "In fact, the problem on our southern border represents only a fraction of a much larger problem." Vinson claims that cross-border illegal migration, combined with people who show up at our airports without visas, accounts for about 500,000 people each year. "But in this economy, that figure is likely down to 200,000 to 300,000 people," said Vinson.
Vinson claims the real threat to middle class living standards is the temporary worker program. "These are highly skilled professionals willing to accept wages much lower than Americans with comparable skills," said Vinson.
With national unemployment the worst since the Great Depression, who is behind such an absurd policy? There are three culprits, according to Vinson.
First is the powerful business lobby, primarily led by the United States Chamber of Commerce, which lobbies Congress hard for larger quotas of temporary work visas. The second group are social and civil rights groups who, according to Vinson, promote cultural diversity and are intent on changing the racial and ethnic make up of America, "The third group is entirely political," said Vinson. These interests recognize that immigrants earn lower wages, hold fewer assets, and tend to be poorer. Such immigrant groups tend to vote more for Democrat candidates. "It's a conscious effort to build the ranks of their voting bloc," said Visnon.
Americans for Immigration Control estimates that had the government not instituted these programs in the 1970s, the American population would still remain under 250 million people. "We would be much less overcrowded," said Vinson. Schools would be less crowded, we would experience shorter commute times because we would not be waiting in traffic as long, and we would experience less road construction. With fewer workers competing in our workforce "our wages would be higher," said Vinson. "Fifty five million fewer people living among us would affect all of our daily lives in nearly every way."
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