Will Congress Now Try to 'Amnesty' Us?
7/24/2021 - Mark Thies Townhall.com
Congress may soon attempt to pass
the biggest amnesty for illegal immigrants in a generation, even though recent
polling overwhelmingly shows that most voters oppose amnesty. If lawmakers defy
their constituents and pass the bill anyways, it'll worsen the crisis at the
border -- and make it even harder for Americans to find good jobs.
Earlier this year, the White House proposed a sweeping immigration package that
would have offered legal status, and eventually citizenship, to over 11 million
people who crossed the border illegally or overstayed their visas. That plan
would have also greatly expanded the number of legal foreign workers coming to
the United States to fill jobs.
The full package hasn't gotten much traction on Capitol Hill, where bills
normally need to pass the Senate with considerable bipartisan support. But now,
some senators are hoping to include amnesty provisions in a "reconciliation"
bill that isn't subject to the filibuster, meaning it could be passed on a
party-line, simple-majority vote.
Illegal border crossings are already at their highest level in a generation,
due to the White House's rollbacks of certain security measures. The latest
available data from Customs and Border Protection show that over 188,000
illegal immigrants were apprehended at the southern border in June 2021, up by
a factor of six from 33,000 in June 2020.
Including an amnesty in a reconciliation bill would send a horrible message to
tens of millions of people around the world who are considering immigrating
illegally. It'd entice them to make the dangerous journey in hopes that they
too will gain legal status, either in this amnesty or a similar future one. And
it'd further enrich the violent cartels who are already making millions per day
from human trafficking at the border.
Congress passed what was supposed to be a "one-and-done" amnesty in
1986, when there were roughly 3 million illegal immigrants in the country.
Policymakers enacted another half-dozen smaller amnesties over the subsequent
decades.
But the number of illegal immigrants kept rising. Amnesty didn't solve the
problem -- it only exacerbated it.
It's truly unbelievable that just as America is coming out of Covid-19,
Congress would even consider an amnesty, increasing competition for jobs and
hurting Americans of all backgrounds -- whether descended from the Pilgrims who
arrived on the Mayflower or naturalized citizens who came here just a few years
ago. One recent study by London School of Economics researchers finds that even
a 1 percent increase in the share of laborers who are immigrants decreases
native-born workers' wages by 0.4-0.6 percent -- and likely reduces the
immigrants' wages by a similar amount. Harvard's George Borjas, the nation's
most prominent immigration economist, estimates that immigration transfers
about $500 billion in wealth from workers to companies each year by depressing
wages.
Of course, people don't need PhDs in economics to understand that adding more
workers to the labor pool makes it easier for businesses to fill open slots
without increasing pay or benefits. It's common sense.
That's why 51 percent of voters oppose offering amnesty to illegal immigrants,
according to an early July poll from Rasmussen. Only 44 percent support it.
Independents oppose amnesty by a whopping 57-34 margin.
If Congress rams through an amnesty via reconciliation, it'll hurt American
workers. And judging by how poorly it polls, amnesty will also hurt the
re-election chances of any lawmaker who votes for it.
Mark Thies, Ph.D. is an Engineering Professor at Clemson University whose
research is focused on energy and sustainability.
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