JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-- Every morning, while most people are still asleep, James Green is trying to find work. He's a construction worker who says he's losing jobs to illegal aliens, who will work for less money. Green's problem is one reason why some Florida lawmakers want to bring an Arizona-style immigration law to Florida.
The Arizona law allows law enforcement to check the immigration status of anyone suspected of being in the United States illegally. Action News found several illegal aliens living and working in northeast Florida.
The illegals were building homes in St. Johns County. They agreed to speak with Action News as long as we didn't reveal their names.
"We did not come to take jobs from others. We came to take advantage of what they're not taking advantage of," said one illegal alien.
But with an unemployment rate in northeast Florida at more than 11%, higher than the national average, a lot of people aren't happy to be losing jobs to workers who are in this country illegally.
"You know, you've got dependable workers right here in the United States, you don't need to go outside the U.S. or allow people to come in," said Artez Spates, a Navy veteran.
It's hard to find out what kind of an effect illegal aliens have on our economy. But a Harvard study shows that men like Spates have the most to lose to illegals when it comes to finding work and making a living. According to the study, immigration has reduced the average earnings of an American man by 4%. Men who didn't graduate high school lose out even more, with their wages going down by 7.4 %. American-born blacks and Hispanics are most impacted by immigration because they're more likely to be in direct competition with them for jobs.
A Harvard study shows men like Spates have the most to lose.
While illegals may be taking jobs from people like Spates, economists say they are helping him in other ways.
"Home prices are not as high as they would be otherwise because some of the salaries paid to some of the workers in this industry are lower than they otherwise would be," says Dr. Paul Mason, chair of the Department of Economics and Geography at UNF.
According to Dr. Mason, cheap immigrant labor also helps lower grocery prices and meals at restaurants.
But that doesn't make James Green or Artez Spates feel any better as they continue to get up every morning and look for work. In part 2 of this Action News investigation, we'll explain what local law enforcement can and cannot do about illegal aliens in our community and how likely we are to see an Arizona-style immigration law in Florida.
