Over one hundred House Democrats have signed a scathing open letter to President Joe Biden demanding more generous benefits for migrants who have illegally crossed into the United States in recent months, including expedited work permits that some say put Americans’ employment opportunities at risk.
On Sunday, nearly half of all Democrats in Congress urged President Biden and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to authorize newly arrived migrants to work, in part by increasing parole time and reducing the mandatory 150-day waiting period observed by most arrivals before they can apply for a legal work permit.
“We write to urge the administration to use all the tools available to provide stability to undocumented individuals and recently arrived asylum seekers, seeking to work lawfully, support their families, and contribute to the economy,” Democrats wrote, adding that more migrants are deserving of the Temporary Protected Status label that would expedite their work approval applications.
“Asylum seekers should be permitted to apply to obtain work authorization from the moment that they file their asylum claim,” the argue, adding that backlogs in immigration courts are preventing asylum seekers from becoming taxpaying non-citizens. “This means that, for roughly six months after submitting the application, asylum seekers cannot provide for themselves or their families. As a result, asylum seekers are forced to rely on underfunded community groups to provide them with everything from housing to food to health services.”
Admission of foreign nationals to the U.S. labor market has the effect of reducing wages for American workers, according to a study by immigration economist George Borjas and highlighted by the Western Journal.
“The immigration surplus of $35 billion comes from reducing the wages of natives in competition with immigrants by an estimated $402 billion a year, while increasing profits or the incomes of users of immigrants by an estimated $437 billion,” the study found.
Estimates indicate that the number of new arrivals in 2023 alone stands between 100,000 and 800,000, according to the New York Post. The influx has overwhelmed Democrat-run cities like New York where Mayor Eric Adams recently warned that the issue would “destroy” his city if President Biden does not act to address the growing problem.
