Speech #1130126826

Only an adjustment in policy. I suggest. will change this trajectoryjust as policy has changed early in the 20th century to allow labor markets to be tightened and wages go up. This is an issue that affects all residents. our foreign born who are here wanting to work and the U.S. born. Among those most affected by the size of these large immigrant flows are the new immigrants themselves who want to get a good job that pays a good salary. By continuing to admit these large numbers over such a sustained period of time. many immigrants themselves are unable to find jobs. For instance. less than half of the immigrants who entered California since 2010 are participating in the labor force. They are not finding jobs. There are not enough jobs for them. Half the entire number of immigrants who entered California since 2010 are not working. In Los Angeles. where 4 in 10 residents are immigrants. onethird of those who recently arrived are living in poverty. We have an obligation to those whom we lawfully admit not to create a circumstance where. by admitting continuing to admit many more. we are diminishing their job prospects. A sound immigration policy must serve the needs of people who are lawfully here and who are nativeborn. That has to be the primary focus of what we are doing. This discussion has to be had. We cant ignore this. We cant make like we can absorb an unlimited number of workers. we dont have jobs for the workers we have. Immigrants and nativeborn workers are also competing with a large flow of temporary guest workers. Temporary guest workers are brought into the United States from abroad for the explicit purpose of taking a job. not on a path to green card and citizenship. They come just to work for a limited period of time. Each year the United States admits roughly 700.000 guest workers.