Speech #970051206

Mr. President. last year the Border Patrol apprehended about 1 million aliens attempting to enter the United States illegally. and officials within INS estimate that at least that many evaded detection and successfully gained entry. Most experts agree that these illegal aliens come to this country for one primary reasonjobs. However. there has been some debate over whether illegal aliens take jobs that Americans do not want or are actually competing with our own unemployed for available jobs. While I do not believe that there is a oneforone displacement. many of the illegal aliens are performing jobs which many of our unemployed would gladly fill. I recently had my staff compile a sample list of illegal aliens who have been apprehended within recent months. Although this is not a complete list it does give a good picture of the types of well paying jobs many illegals are holding. My colleagues should find it particularly interesting that one apprehension was made of an individual working at the Library of Congress for over $11 per hour. The Immigration and Naturalization Service also compiled yearly statistics on the types of industries which employ illegal aliens and the level of pay. It should be noted that these statistics do not include all of the illegal aliens who were employed when apprehended. It includes only those cases where the INS has positive proof of employment. Almost twothirds of the illegals who were employed were working at wages over $3.25 and many of these held jobs paying over $7.25 per hour. I ask unanimous consent that the INS report on illegal alien employment for fiscal year 1980 and the separate list I have compiled be printed in the RECORD.