Three civil rights commissioners say immigration reform bill would hurt African-Americans
Members of immigration rights organizations, including Casa in Action and Maryland Dream Act, demonstrate in front of the White House last week as they call on President Barack Obama to fulfill his promise of passing comprehensive immigration reform, in Washington. Three members of the U.S. Commission of Civil Rights say that a Senate bipartisan proposal to give some 11 million illegal immigrants legal status would disproportionately hurt African-Americans. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
WASHINGTON -- Three members of the U.S. Commission of Civil Rights say that a Senate bipartisan proposal to give some 11 million illegal immigrants legal status would disproportionately hurt African-Americans.
Abigail Thernstrom is one of three members of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission concerned about immigration bill's impact on African-Americans.
The letter, from two Republicans and one independent on the eight-member commission, was initially sent to members of the Congressional Black Caucus. On Tuesday, it was also sent to Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La.
"We are writing to address a rarely discussed effect of granting legal status or effective amnesty to illegal immigrants," the three commissioners say in their letter. "Such grant of legal status will likely disproportionately harm lower-skilled African-Americans by making it more difficult for them to obtain employment and depressing their wages when they do obtain employment.
The letter was signed by Commission Vice Chair Abigail Thernstrom and Commissioners Peter Kirsanow and Gail Heriot. Thernstrom and Kirsanow are Republicans, while Heriot is an independent.
The three commissioners mention a 2008 briefing on illegal immigration that brought together what they said was a diverse group of scholars to the commission. There was a general consensus, the commissioners said, that African-Americans suffer economic losses from competition with immigrants.
"Illegal immigration to the United States in recent decades has tended to depress both wages and employment rates for low-skilled American citizens, a disproportionate number of whom are black men," the three commissioners said in their letter. "Expert economic opinions concerning the negative effects range from modest to significant. Those panelists that found modest effects overall nonetheless found significant effects in industry sectors such as meatpacking and construction."
Landrieu had no immediate comment on the letter. Previously, she said, that immigration reform is "urgently needed for the economic strength and security of our country. But she also said the Department of Homeland Security needs more money allocated to prevent illegal immigration.
At a budget hearing last week, she complained that the president's 2014 budget proposal didn't contain nearly enough reforms and in some cases, "such as detention resources, funding moves in the opposite direction."
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., one of the key members of the Senate Gang of 8 that developed the new immigration legislation earlier this month, disputes the argument that the bill will make it harder on American workers, black or white. It's the current system, he said, that allows "unscrupulous businesses to hire undocumented workers and pay them less, diminishing job opportunities for Americans."
The bipartisan immigration bill now before the Senate "protects American workers from unwarranted immigration for jobs that Americans are willing and able to do," Rubio wrote in his Senate blog.
"For example, the proposal would not allow any work visas to be issued if the unemployment rate in a certain area is above 8.5 percent, which is the norm in many cities."
The legislation has run into strong opposition from Louisiana Republicans.
"It's immediate amnesty with a promise of enforcement," Vitter said.
Reps. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, and John Fleming, R-Minden, echo Vitter's concerns.
"My concern is that the bill is much more focused on legal status for illegal aliens than it is on border security," Scalise said.
Also getting the letter from the Civil Rights Commission members were the eight senators, four Democrats and four Republicans, who wrote the bipartisan immigration bill. Among the other recipients: Landrieu, Sens. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.; Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Ted Cruz, R-Tex., Mark Pryor, D-Ark., Ben Cardin, D-Md.; Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; Bill Nelson, D-Fla., Susan Collins, R-Main, Mark Kirk, R-Ill.; Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio
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