Republican Texas governor and presidential hopeful Rick Perry has touted Texas’ economic growth and job creation. Just one little problem (boldface mine):
•Of jobs created in Texas since 2007, 81 percent were taken by newly arrived immigrant workers (legal and illegal).
•In terms of numbers, between the second quarter of 2007, right before the recession began, and the second quarter of 2011, total employment in Texas increased by 279,000. Of this, 225,000 jobs went to immigrants (legal and illegal) who arrived in the United States in 2007 or later.
•Of newly arrived immigrants who took a job in Texas, 93 percent were not U.S. citizens. Thus government data show that more than three-fourths of net job growth in Texas were taken by newly arrived non-citizens (legal and illegal)….
•Of newly arrived immigrants who took jobs in Texas since 2007, we estimate that 50 percent (113,000) were illegal immigrants. Thus, about 40 percent of all the job growth in Texas since 2007 went to newly arrived illegal immigrants and 40 percent went to newly arrived legal immigrants.
Admittedly, the original study is by an anti-immigration group. But we are talking about a Republican primary, so this will appear legitimate to the voters who matter. If Perry is doing well and one of the GOP candidates gets desperate, be prepared to see this despicable vitriol unleashed: it’s like red meat to a hungry dog.
That would not be successful Latino outreach by the way….
mikethemadbiologist
Keep in mind what those numbers strongly imply, but which is not plainly stated — the reason so many of those jobs were taken by immigrants is because they are low-wage menial jobs. But naturally, no republicans/tea partiers/I-don’t-know-what-the-hell to call them anymore want to talk about that inconvenient fact.