Stimulus Jobs Should Go To US Citizens

By Allen Bacon, Editor, The Daily Bosco

Thousands of jobs created by the economic stimulus law could end up going to illegal immigrants, particularly in states where undocumented workers are primarily in the construction field.

Conservative statistics estimate illegal immigrants in the United States could take 300,000 construction jobs, or 15% of the 2 million jobs that new taxpayer-financed projects are predicted to create.

Part of the fault lies with Congress for failing to require that employers certify legal immigration status of workers before hiring by using a Department of Homeland Security program called E-Verify even though the Bush administration made the verification procedure mandatory.

The program allows employers to check the validity of Social Security numbers provided by new hires. It is available to employers on a voluntary basis. While it has been argued that the program is faulty, it should not take too much effort to make it better.

The estimate is based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey and other independent findings that 15% of all construction workers in the United States are either illegal immigrants or lack the status of legal immigrant authorized to work.

Settling the economic crisis is not going to be easy. But there are some things that can be done so that the taxpayers of America get more stimulus bang for the buck.

For instance, there should be incentives for employers to keep jobs here in America..not sending jobs and manufacturing overseas just because it's cheaper to do so. The jobs sent elsewhere stimulate other country economies...not the United States.

While it is true Illegal Immigrants put a portion of their income back into the US economy, it is also true that much of the money...I would argue most of the money...goes back to their families and friends in other countries and stimulates other economies...Not the United States.

The value of the Illegal Immigrants in this country is another discussion that can be debated. But when it comes to taking monies that are supposed to help US citizens and the US economy...it just doesn't make sense to let it go to somebody who is not as apt to put it back into the system.

The statistics at the beginning of this Op-Ed piece were obtained from various sources including an article by William M. Welch in USA Today