Why you don’t see unemployed Americans outside Home Depot competing with illegal immigrants for JOBS?

wolfie

Is it because thet're too lazy to get out of bed?

t79a

Because the people offering jobs don't offer a decent wage because illegals work for less. Can you feed your family on the federal minimum wage or less?

Shane

They won't do a crappy job for $3.00/hour. Anyone who hires these illegal aliens is part of the problem. Mow your own law for heaven's sake.

Dirty Martini

This urban legend again? FYI, this is totally false.

The below is from the Wall Street Journal:

LOS ANGELES -- A year ago, a day-laborer center adjacent to a Home Depot here teemed with Latin American immigrants who showed up and found a sure day's work painting, gardening or hauling.

These days, more than immigrants are packing the Hollywood Community Job Center: Unemployed Americans are joining them. There's little work for anybody.

"Everybody is coming to look for work," says Rene Jemio, outreach coordinator for the hiring hall. "It's not just your average immigrant anymore; it's African-Americans and whites, too."

For the first time in a decade, unskilled immigrants are competing with Americans for work. And evidence is emerging that tens of thousands of Hispanic immigrants are withdrawing from the labor market as U.S. workers crowd them out of potential jobs. At least some of the foreigners are returning home.

"We see competition from more nonimmigrant workers," says Abel Valenzuela, a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles who studies day laborers. "Employers are also paying less than in previous years," he says.In the third quarter of 2008, 71.3% of Latino immigrant workers were either employed or actively seeking work, compared with 72.4% in the same quarter a year earlier, according to a new study by the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research organization. The 1.1-percentage-point drop "marks a substantial decrease in the labor-market participation of Latino immigrants," says Rakesh Kochhar, the Pew economist who prepared the report.

Since 2003, the labor force participation rate -- the employed or job-seeking share of the population -- among foreign-born Hispanics had been consistently on the rise. The decline in the third quarter of 2008 "is a testament to the character and depth of the current recession triggered by the housing slump," says the Pew report.

"The recession has truly put Hispanic immigrants in a state of flux," says Mr. Kochhar, who based his analysis on data from the Current Population Survey produced jointly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau.

At the Hollywood center, even a year ago, contractors and homeowners employed 30 to 40 workers each day. Now, it isn't unusual for only three or four to get hired, organizers say.

In Houston, where post-hurricane cleanup work is drying up, "the situation is getting more difficult by the day," says Salvador Perez, a 45-year-old Mexican day laborer who has been in the U.S. since 2003. "I like this country for the work opportunity, but now I can barely scrape together a few dollars to send home to my family after paying for rent and food."

ibu guru

Utterly false and unsupportable premise. US-born citizens DO post flyers on Home Depot (and other) bulletin boards, stand outside Home Depot & elsewhere looking for work, and go from one company to another with their valid identification, proof of citizenship, resume of their training and experience, letters of reference, etc, and apply for jobs.

An apologist for immigration-law violators contributes to the breakdown of respect of others and respect for the law. Apologists are as arrogant and ignorant as the lawbreakers themselves.

Miss Priss

Because it would be more productive for me to apply at McDonald's than to work for what they work for.

All this because I insist on having my own car, place to live, and food, and not living 10 to an apartment and sharing one Caprice. Damn my high standards!!!

rlstaehle

Because Americans are looking for sustainable employment, the illegals out side of Home Depot are only getting day labor from home owners looking to get their deck built, or house painted.

mamour

if you went on front of home depot to get a job,given by some individual who pay cheap labor?
would you feel odd? all by yourself with illegal immigrants?
i would be scared to get my rear end beaten !!!

Dr. Gonzo

Probably because they want an honest and legit job that they can get benefits from and file taxes on- and hopefully get money back at the end of the year.

Don Juan

Because they haven't got that far yet, that will be their last straw, still the Unemployed Americans have social security card which illegals don't have, and with that they can get jobs that are yet hiring.
But who knows, probably we'll see them all, americans and illegals in the fields picking up oranges, at least here in Florida.

Sidepocket8ball

Because the overwhelming tide doesn't speak ENGLISH. You have to work with others in the group wherever the unscrupulous employers take you to.
How can you do that if you are the only guy who doesn't speak espanol??
There's that and the fact that the illegals would completely hassle any white person who tried to steal one of THEIR jobs...!!

Silent Sentry

Because no one is hiring anymore. I was lucky to secure my current job in March. Otherwise I might be screwed.

Blimey!

Here's the thing...

Americans are too fat and lethargic to actually take up these shitty jobs that immigrants would do, yet they still ***** about them and say things like "they're talking all our jobs!"

ferengifighter4

Illegal crimaliens will be forced to leave, the recession may be a good thing

tempthack02

We do not have this problem in north carolina

Derrick

First, to refute the above, 5 dollars an hour is better than 0 dollars an hour, hello!

Now, the answer is because Americans have become overwhelmed with a feeling of entitlement.

Scatty

Oh and I thought this was a multiple choice question!!

el loco

You know, I never thought of that, and you are right. If the illegals "steal" jobs, why we don't see the unemployed looking for a job in the same place as the illegals ?

Shark

No way, how can i get up 5:00 am , Home Depot opens 6:00 am, to early to me, better stay on bed.

velcropap

cause they think they are to good to work for that low of pay.

tommyboy

Because they have made it too easy for them to mooch off the Government and .....they really don't want to work that hard!

In this time of recession, something is better then nothing, but too some, that little unemployment check is just easier.

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