As the liberal labor economist Vernon Briggs, Jr. has noted, we are now in another era of large-scale immigration that works against U.S. workers:
If labor seeks to organize immigrants on the same basis it does native-born workers (i.e., making no distinction between the nativity of workers), there is no reason to embrace the broad range of immigration policy issues. Indeed, the hard lesson of labor history is that the more generous the immigration policy, the worse it is for all workers in their efforts to raise wages, to improve working conditions, and to secure employment opportunities.
The current record border crisis and asylum application abuse will undermine worker gains made since the pandemic if not stopped.
I urge you to work with your colleagues to moderate legal immigration, secure the border and mandate E-Verify.
Sincerely,
Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA
