ercent of the immigrants in their sample of low wage workers were able to find jobs within one year while only fourteen percent of African Americans were able to do so” (Camarota et al. 26). The authors conclude that immigrants fare better in the low wage labor market because employers see them as better workers.Another group harmed by competition from immigrants is the long-term welfare population. Because two thirds of this population lacks high school diploma immigration is likely to make it more difficult for them to find jobs that pay enough to support themselves properly.Immigration contributes to a growing disparity in the United States between the wealthy and the poor.African Americans in California felt the sting of illegal immigration fifteen years ago but did not know what to make of its effects. As a result they are now damaged with respect to low skilled or entry-level positions. A government accounting office study found that decades of heavy immigration to Los Angeles had changed the janitorial industry from a mostly African American unionized work force to a non-unionized Latino work force with many illegal immigrants. According to the census bureau the employment of African Americans as hotel workers garment workers restaurant workers hospital workers and public service workers in California had dropped 30 percent by the nineteen eighties while illegal immigrants with such jobs rose one hundred and sixty-six percent. The bureau of labor statistics found that nationally immigrants both legal and illegal account for fifty percent of the decline in real wages for the lowest skilled American workers most of whom are black. When undocumented workers work for less African Americans are forced to work for less or not work at all. Since illegals are not entitled to cost of living increases African Americans must expect not to receive salary increases.Many call this competition but when undocumented workers continu...
