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May 02, 2011 Teen Joblessness and Illegal Immigration By Eric Ruark, FAIR Director of Research Reuters reported on Monday that a recent study has found that only one in four U.S. teenagers will find work during the summer months of 2011. This is a record low, according to Reuters, which also reported that in Chicago the unemployment rate for 16 to 19 year old is close to 90%, which may result in "a rise in street violence." The Reuters article cites two reasons for the dearth of employment opportunities for American's youth: a poor job market and a loss of federal funding. Immigration is not mentioned as a factor, even though economists have shown that illegal aliens directly compete with teenagers for jobs. Curiously, Reuters ignored the immigration angle even though the statistics they are reporting on were generated by Andrew Sum, a Professor of Economics at Northeastern University, whose academic work has shown a direct correlation between the increased presence of low-skilled immigrant workers and rising teenage unemployment. Many jobs held by illegal aliens, such as in the fast food industry or doing seasonal work, were once entry level jobs that introduced teenagers to the labor market and gave them valuable work experience. High rates of unemployment for teenagers is an especially troubling trend because, as Sum has pointed out in earlier studies, teens who do not enter the job market continue to remain unemployed throughout much of their adult lives, and earn lower wages when they do work. They are also more likely to drop out of high school and have a much higher rate of teen pregnancy and criminal activity.
Indiana Passes Immigration Enforcement Legislation By Robert Najmulski, FAIR Field Staff Last Friday, Indiana was the latest state to pass immigration enforcement legislation, SB 590. Throughout the process, FAIR field staff has worked closely with Indiana Senator Mike Delph on the bill, which encompasses E-Verify, identification, employment and local law enforcement provisions. This is the fourth year that the Senator has engaged the General Assembly on this issue. We worked closely with Indiana activists on this bill and provided direct support to IFIRE (Indianans for Immigration Reform and Enforcement). With the influx of newly elected Republicans in November of 2010 we saw the opportunity to push this bill harder. Although things got off to a slow start in 2011, we kept the fires stoked on the bill and seized every opportunity to act. The FAIR field team was represented on three separate occasions at the Indiana state capitol to support SB 590:
The April 26 testimony was key, as the Indiana General Assembly session was scheduled to conclude in just a few short days (April 29). Senator Delph called on the FAIR field representative to present the first testimony that evening. In addition to the trips and appearances at the capitol, field staff participated in conference calls with the Senator and IRLI in an effort to fine tune the bill and present the best language possible. We also submitted written documents to support our findings and position on the bill and there were two concentrated email campaigns to get pertinent information into the hands of elected officials. FAIR's web team was instrumental in issuing a last minute alert to Indiana FAIR members to generate support of the bill. Special interests fiercely opposed SB 590 at every hearing. The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce came out strongly opposed, as did representatives of the agricultural businesses, hotel and restaurant businesses and special interest groups. Threats were made that business groups across the nation would no longer come to Indiana to hold conventions and that passing this bill would destroy the opportunity for Indianapolis to host the next Super Bowl. In the final moments before the vote, Senator Delph stressed his commitment to his constituents and challenged the Senate to do the same. Friday, April 29, was the final day of session for the Indiana General Assembly and the bill had only cleared the Conference Committee the day before. This meant that the bill had to go before the full House and Senate, all in one day. FAIR's Field staff monitored the House and Senate via webcast and stayed in constant communication with Indiana activists throughout the day; this was an 11 hour marathon that finally ended at about 9:20 PM. The final votes were as follows: House vote: 68-30 in favor and Senate vote: 35-15 in favor. The passage of SB 590 sent a strong message that Indiana was serious about protecting its citizens. Although there many tweaks and changes made to appease certain political factions, the final version is still a strong enforcement bill and the first of its kind in the Midwest. I had a conference call with Senator Delph's legislative aide this morning (May 2) and he was very kind and appreciative of FAIR's efforts. The senator is confident that the bill will be signed into law by Governor Mitch Daniels and we will stay engaged with activists and their efforts to encourage the Governor until this is done.
Mayor Bloomberg Says Send Immigrants to Detroit "Detroit should take a page from Lady Liberty and shine a beacon of welcome to immigrants as a way to overcome its severe population loss, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday. Bloomberg floated the proposal during an appearance on NBC-TV's 'Meet the Press,'" says the Wall Street Journal. "Detroit has seen its population fall from 1.8 million in the 1950 U.S. Census to 714,000 in 2010. The population dropped 26 percent in the last decade alone."
California Lawmakers Looking At Ways to Avoid Secure Communities "California lawmakers are the latest to weigh joining efforts in other states to gain control over a controversial national program that automatically checks the immigration status of arrestees," the AP reports. "On Tuesday, the California Assembly's public safety committee voted to advance the bill that would only let local communities participate in the program if they choose to do so through resolution."
New Report Finds Fault With Refugee System "[T]he Center for Immigration Studies has published "Refugee Resettlement: A System Badly in Need of Review," authored by CIS Fellow Don Barnett. He finds that our refugee resettlement system has failed refugees, both by diverting limited resources from overseas assistance and by the sheer neglect of those resettled in the United States by their "sponsors." In addition, the program is rife with fraud, profitable for hundreds of "non-profit" organizations, and is a potential channel for terrorism into American communities," says a press release from CIS.
May Day Protest Fizzles in LA The LA Times says that the May Day protest march this year attracted a small crowd, mainly union members and communists, along with illegal aliens. "Only a few thousand people showed up for the nine-block march that started early and ended quickly. Los Angeles police declined to issue a crowd estimate, but marchers didn't even fill the intersection of Broadway and 1st Street, where the demonstration ended," the paper says. "This year handmade posters were largely replaced with pre-printed signs and T-shirts. And instead of young couples pushing strollers, most marchers were union members -- particularly from the Service Employees International Union, which turned out hundreds of people -- or members of a socialist or communist group."
Florida Senate Debates Immigration Reform Bill "A controversial bill that seeks to crack down on undocumented immigrants in Florida is likely to be presented to the full state Senate on Monday," Fox News writes. "Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos is seeking to beef up the Senate immigration reform bill in a last minute attempt to require businesses use E-Verify. Officials confirmed Friday that Sen. J.D. Alexander will likely present the bill to the full floor Monday. Alexander is a citrus grower from Polk County who knows a thing or two about hiring immigrant labor."
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