[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12627-12628]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    IMMIGRATION TAKES AMERICAN JOBS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Alabama (Mr. Brooks) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, the June jobs report says 
America's unemployment rate dropped to 6.1 percent. While 1,115,000 new 
part-time jobs were created, a staggering, 827,000 full-time jobs were 
lost, and America's labor participation rate remained at 62.8 percent, 
the worst since President Carter.
  A recent Center for Immigration Studies report, based on data from 
the Census Bureau and Homeland Security and Labor Departments, offers a 
startling and sobering insight concerning people in the 16-65 age 
bracket, so startling that I instructed my staff to double-check the 
report's data, and it checked out as factually accurate.
  First, the report determined the American economy created 5.6 million 
new jobs in the 16-65 age bracket over the past 14 years.
  Second, ``the total number of working-age immigrants (legal and 
illegal) holding a job increased 5.7 million from 2000 to 2014, while 
declining 127,000 for American-born citizens.''
  Over the past 14 years, although the American economy created 5.6 
million net new jobs in the 16-65 age bracket, American-born citizens 
lost 127,000 jobs. All job gains, and more, went to immigrants.
  Third, even though the American economy created 5.6 million net new 
jobs over the past 14 years, population growth and job losses caused 17 
million more American citizens to not be working in 2014 than in 2000.
  Fourth, and contrary to what amnesty proponents and their media 
allies would have you believe, ``Immigrants have made gains across the 
labor market, including lower-skilled jobs such as maintenance, 
construction, and food services; middle-skilled jobs like office 
support and health care support; and higher-skilled jobs, including 
management, computers, and health care practitioners.''
  Immigrants swept the jobs field and had jobs gains in virtually every 
segment of the American economy. The argument that immigrants only do 
jobs Americans won't do is not supported by the facts.
  Immigrants gained jobs while Americans lost jobs in each of the 
following high paying industries: architecture and engineering; 
transportation and material moving; installation, maintenance, and 
repair; sales; construction and excavation; office and administrative 
support.
  Fifth, Americans of all major races lost ground. Black Americans 
lost, Hispanic Americans lost, White Americans lost. The percentage of 
working Black American-born citizens dropped 9.2 percentage points. The 
percentage of

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working Hispanic Americans dropped 7.7 percentage points, and the 
percentage of working White Americans dropped 6.1 percentage points.
  Sixth, America's immigration policies over the past 14 years have 
been both a war on women and a war on men. The percentage of working 
female American-born citizens dropped 5.5 percentage points, while male 
American-born citizens did even worse, dropping 9.1 percentage points.
  Mr. Speaker, I have two comments on the Center for Immigration 
Studies report. First, lawful immigrants have done well. Everyone would 
do well to learn from lawful immigrants' work and study habits.
  Second, President Obama must start vigorously enforcing America's 
immigration laws. A Pew Hispanic Center study determined that illegal 
aliens hold roughly 8 million jobs in America. That is 8 million job 
opportunities illegally taken from Americans, thereby suppressing 
wages, causing unemployment, and creating income inequality among far 
too many struggling American families.
  Mr. Speaker, I can't speak for anyone else but me, but as for me, Mo 
Brooks, the Congressman from Alabama's Fifth Congressional District, I 
will fight for the economic interests of American citizens as 
Washington works its way through the immigration debate.

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