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March 30, 2006
Do Illegal Immigrants Really Take Jobs From Poor American Workers?
Posted at March 30, 2006 12:06 PM in Race Relations .I cannot help but admit I too have witnessed and heard the words of young Black youth, male and female, tell of their experiences applying for jobs only to be rejected and then, minutes or days later, learn a Mexican/Latina/o man or woman got the job. A lot of the kids I have spoken with are angry, they feel the carpet has been pulled from under them, and in some cases, I cannot help but wonder if some of the racial uprising in our schools have something to do with the feeling the playing field is not fair?
Earl Ofari Hutchinson asks "Do Illegal Immigrants Really Take Jobs From Poor American Workers?"
What if the young black job seeker, or any other American looking for work in a low end manufacturing plant or a restaurant in Los Angeles, were offered that job which probably pays minimum wage and doesn't offer any benefits or job security? Would he take it? Maybe yes, maybe no. It's certainly hard to imagine that a young black from South Los Angeles, South Chicago, or Harlem, not to mention a native born young white or Latino going out to the fields to pick strawberries for 10 to 12 hours a day in the hot sun at minimum or even sub-minimum wages. Or, that they'd take a job at a car wash or bus dishes in a restaurant. But what if the farm contractors, car wash owners, and manufacturers paid a living wage and provided benefits. It might be a different story, at least for some young people in Los Angeles.[Read More]
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