Speech #990079772

Why should we be concerned? Let us look at some of the myths. Myth one: "Illegal aliens dont take highpaying jobs. They just take jobs Americans dont want." Bunk. entirely wrong. According to Alan Nelson. Commissioner of the INS. 40 percent of illegal aliens apprehended at employment sites in 1984 were in highpaying jobs. In a study conducted by Donald Huddle. he found that over 53 percent of the illegal aliens he interviewed occupied jobs that paid $5 per hour and 12 percent were in jobs that paid over $6 an hour. In addition. Huddle found in a separate study of highway and construction workers that illegal aliens were commonly paid between $8 and $9 per hour. Let us take a look at a quote from the Huddle study: "Illegal Immigration Job Displacement and Social Costs" by Donald L. Huddle. Ph.D. In a 1983 survey we found that undocumented "urban" emigrants. mostly Mexican nationals. were 38 percent of the total of 200 illegals interviewed. About 53 percent of the sample earned an hourly wage in excess of $5 per hour and 12 percent earned more than $6 per hour. Only 38 percent of the respondents were working as common laborers. The others were distributed among 14 trades. In a 1982 field study of highway and commercial construction we found illegals commonly earned between $8 and $9 per hour as insulators. concrete finishers and painters. Let us look at a second myth: "Illegal aliens are not a drain on the American economy." The Huddle study is probably the best argument against this position. Let us look at a quote again for the same study: No doubt consumer and real estate taxes paid by illegal aliens. even in rental housing. help to cover some of the costs. but this is offset by money immigrants send to the home country. In their 1976 study. North and Houstoun estimated that 80 percent of illegal alien workers sent such remittances. an average of $151 a month for each alien. and an average of $129 per month for Mexican aliens. Veteran immigration officers think it is reasonable to assume that undocumented Mexican workers alone. who may number 3 to 4 million. counting seasonal agricultural workers. may presently be sending $3 billion a year in American dollars to Mexico. In any case. if we were to total up the probable job displacement costs caused by undocumented workers in the American economy in 1982. that sum could easily be over $30 billion. Then one might add the cost of illegal aliensstill quoting from the Huddle survey: One might add the cost of illegal aliens using taxpayersupported programs. If one were to assume 9 million illegals with dependents in the United States in 1982. as we do. then the cost for such aliens in taxsupported programs would be close to $5 billion. Here we accept the INS table as a range of plausible estimates. However. we believe that the next net tax contribution of undocumented aliens is probably much less than that indicated by the INS for the reasons given. The two costs taken together. that of displacement of U.S. workers and of illegals receiving taxsupported services. amount to approximately $35 billion per annum. One may give or take a few billion. but by any measurement. by any set of assumptions. cheap alien labor considered from all angles. including structural employment. is anything but a subsidy for the American economy. society. and educational system.