Group releases findings about working illegals

One group says illegal immigration directly affects unemployment

The "Reclaim American Jobs Caucus" is a bi-partisan group made up of 40 members.  One of the co-chairs is Texas congressman Lamar Smith.

Their statistics show the number of illegal immigrants working in Texas is greater than the number of unemployed legal Texans.

Representative Leo Berman says he thinks the statistics are correct.

He doesn't believe it when people say illegals do the work that legal citizens won't do.

"When people tell me that Americans won't take the same jobs that illegal aliens are doing right now, I say that's a lot of baloney - because if employers would pay American citizens at least the federal minimum wage, many of those who have been unemployed for months and even years would take those jobs right now," Berman said.

There are laws on the books about immigrants who are working illegally in the states...

But some say... they're just not being enforced.

Rick Eisenbach with Grassroots America says many don't think the federal government is doing enough.

"Now in the Obama administration, enforcement is down so much that convictions and arrests are down 70 to 80%, so I appreciate what Congressman Smith is doing," Eisenbach said.

He says border security is the answer.

"We should close the border for illegal immigration.  We should build a fence, we should extend it all across Texas and the other states that border Texas...stop the illegal flow into the United States.  Then once that's done, we can do what we need to do to handle the illegal population that's in the country now," Eisenbach said.

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What do you think?  Are unemployed Texans having to compete with illegal immigrants for jobs?

Leave us a comment to tell us what you think.