Illegal Immigrants Outnumber Texas Unemployed

There are more illegal immigrants in the Texas workforce than unemployed Texans, the co-chairs of the Reclaim American Jobs Caucus noted recently. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 1,004,400 citizens and legal immigrants currently looking for work in Texas. And according to a 2010 Pew Hispanic Center study, there are 1,050,000 illegal immigrants working or looking for work in Texas.

Congressman Lamar Smith of Texas, a co-chair of the Reclaim American Jobs Caucus and Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement regarding the findings:

Representative Smith: “Texans should not have to compete with illegal immigrants for scarce jobs. Unfortunately, because the Obama administration refuses to enforce our immigration laws, out of work Texans are suffering. Worksite enforcement efforts have fallen dramatically since President Obama took office—administrative arrests are down 79% from 2008, criminal arrests are down 62%, and convictions are down 70%.  That means it is easier for illegal immigrants to keep jobs that rightly belong to U.S. citizens and legal immigrant workers.” 

According to the numbers released by the Reclaim American Jobs Caucus, Texas is the only state where the number of illegal immigrants in the workforce exceeds the number of unemployed citizens.  But co-chair Smith said that doesn’t mean other states are not affected by illegal immigration.