Speech #980217774

Above all. I believe the issue of amnesty is an economic one. an issue of jobs. For every job in this country now occupied by an undocumented worker. it costs this country. For every job that will be taken by an undocumented worker who is encouraged to come across our border because of amnesty. employer sanctions notwithstanding. it costs our country. Amnesty costs jobs for American citizens. It legalizes the theft of American jobs. A study published by Rice University concluded that 65 Americans lose a job for each 100 aliens that enter the country. Other studies have also confirmed this displacement effect. A 1979 interagency task force report from the Department of Labor showed displacement among American workers due to undocumented workers. Ray Marshall. former Secretary of Labor. has claimed that U.S. unemployment would be significantly reduced if illegal aliens were kept out of the job market. Even the Urban Institute study. which I know many cite as evidence in support of amnesty. concluded and I quote: Displacement will occur among low skilled workers who are not able to upgrade their jobs or to move from the region. some of these workers will find their wages continuing to erode. others will find themselves out of work. The worst aspect of displacement is that it occurs at the very level where steady employment is needed mostat the lowincome. unskilled labor level. Furthermore. those American citizens being displaced are blacks. Hispanics. and youth. To quote the Urban Institute study again. "most of the adverse economic effects associated with new immigration will be borne by the unskilled." It doesnt matter which study you believe there are still American citizens who are losing their jobs. There is an economic cost to amnesty in terms of our public assistance programs also. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that each unemployed American costs the Federal Treasury an average of about $7.000 per year in unemployment compensation. food and health benefits. and other associated costs. Thus for every million Americans displaced by undocumented workers. the Treasury loses $7 billion per year. The economic costs are evident in other ways. too. Studies have shown that expenditures for public services used by aliens are not offset by taxes paid by this group. The clearest example of this I can give you comes from my own State of Texas where the border communities have been forced to assume the economic burden of educating alien children in the local school system. I have been among the strong supporters of Federal assistance for alien education. but I believe this example only points up the realities of the economic costs of the undocumented in America. In Texas. the State education agency estimates there are more than 29.000 illegal aliens in Texas schools. The average cost of educating a child in Texas is $2.600. Even without accounting for special instruction costs that may be necessary with bilingual or educationally disadvantaged students. the cost of educating illegal alien children comes to more than $75 million. Taxes returned by undocumented persons in Texas have in no way reflected this cost. Further. the presence of undocumented workers reduces wages in low skilled occupations relative to other wages. The cost then. becomes one of economic stagnation in certain occupations and in particular regions of the country where the undocumented tend to settle. When we should be encouraging economic development. promoting job development and skills training. and protecting wage bases. we are instead offering to American society a policy of amnesty that is in direct opposition to our goals. Even in the most practical of terms the amnesty program falls substantially short.