Reply #130: I did some work in a post above. It's not my premise to defend

[bigtree]

but here:

What Impact Does Immigration Have on the U.S. Labor Market?

Understanding the effect of immigration on wages and jobs requires looking both at aggregate data and specific labor markets. Aggregate data show no overall effect. Studies of specific labor markets show small negative effects on low-skilled workers in stagnant local economies with high concentrations of immigrants, but not in other types of economies.

The impact of immigration on the wages and jobs of native-born Americans within a community is likely to vary over time depending on the the local economy. In growing economies, immigration increases the labor market opportunities of low-skilled workers; in declining ones or stagnant economies, immigration diminishes them.

Estimates of the labor market effects of immigrants usually fail to account for the job-creating effects of immigrant businesses and spending. Self-employment is higher among immigrants than among native-born Americans. Also, spending by immigrants on food, clothing, housing, and other goods creates jobs. Immigrant incomes in 1989 totaled about $285 billion, representing the same share of total incomes in the U.S. that immigrants represent of the total U.S. population.

http://www.urban.org/publications/305184.html#I

Abowd, John M. and Richard B. Freeman (eds.) (1991). Immigration, Trade, and the Labor Market. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Altonji, Joseph G. and David Card (1991). "The Effects of Immigration on the Labor Market Outcomes of Less-skilled Natives." In Immigration, Trade, and the Labor Market, John M. Abowd and Richard B. Freeman (eds.). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Bach, R. and H. Brill (1989). "Shifting the Burden: The Impacts of IRCA and U.S. Labor Markets." Unpublished Interim Report to the Division of Immigration Policy and Research, U.S. Department of Labor, November.

(1991). Impact of IRCA on the U.S. Labor Market and Economy: Final Report to the U.S. Department of Labor. Institute for Research on Multiculturalism and International Labor Working Paper. Binghamton: SUNY.