[whenwillitstop]

"the real underlying issue is unemployment/underemployment"

Why is a country that as high unemployment allowing high levels of immigration? Being mad about that seems highly rational to me

[beat]

Why aren't citizens doing the jobs that immigrants do? That's a more rational question.

Hiring immigrants isn't necessarily cheaper or easier. It's something employers do because they can't fill those jobs otherwise.

[ConfuciusSay02]

It's something employers do because they can't fill those jobs... [at the slave wage offered]

That last part is rarely, if ever, mentioned when the "locals won't do these jobs" nonsense gets trotted out.

[choko]

"It's something employers do because they can't fill those jobs otherwise."

What if they did something crazy, like offer higher wages to attract employees?

[whenwillitstop]

Immigrants are paid less, work harder to stay here, cannot switch jobs due to H1B visa laws, are happy to be here at all.

[sanderjd]

Why would people want to immigrate to a country where they can't find work? The answer is that they can find work.

Why can they find work if unemployment is high? I see a few possible answers: 1. Unemployment isn't actually high, 2. Employers are illegally paying immigrants below minimum wage knowing they have no legal recourse, or 3. They are taking jobs that those here are unwilling to take.

How does a crackdown on illegal immigration speak to any of this?