Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Follow Us:
Top Stories

Are 'almost all of the new jobs' in the U.S. 'going to illegals'?

Are 'almost all of the new jobs' in the U.S. 'going to illegals'?

This fact brief was originally published by Wisconsin Watch. Read the original here. Fact briefs are published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network, and republished by The Fulcrum. Visit Gigafact to learn more.

Are 'almost all of the new jobs' in the US 'going to illegals'?

No.

About 150,000 foreigners make unauthorized entry to the United States each month, yet job growth far exceeds that.


Former President Donald Trump said at a June 18 rally in Racine, Wis., "almost all of the news jobs" in the U.S. are going to undocumented immigrants, but that's mathematically dubious at best.

All immigrants constitute 18.6 perent of the U.S. labor force. Studies have found the top industries employing undocumented workers are agriculture, construction and administrative support.

Employers created about 272,000 jobs in May, higher than the average monthly gain of 232,000. That figure excludes farm jobs. More than half of the jobs were in health care, government and hospitality.

There were roughly 10.5 million individuals living in the U.S. without legal status in 2021, or about 3 percent of the population. Federal law prohibits hiring undocumented immigrants.

The U.S. unemployment rate averaged 3.6 percent in 2023, the lowest rate in decades.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

New York Times The U.S. Economy Is Surpassing Expectations. Immigration Is One Reason.

Statista Annual unemployment rate U.S. 2023

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Unemployment rate inches up during 2023, labor force participation rises

Pew Research What we know about unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S.

AULA Blog Immigration as the Current Main Driver of Economic Growth in the U.S.

New American Economy Undocumented Immigrants and the U.S. Economy

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Total payroll employment up 272,000, health care up 68,000, in May 2024

Population Reference Bureau Immigration to the United States


Read More

The U.S. Built a Blueprint to Avoid Civilian War Casualties. Trump Officials Scrapped It.

Over 150 students and staff members of the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Iran were killed in a missile strike. Iranian Press Center.

AFP/Getty Images

The U.S. Built a Blueprint to Avoid Civilian War Casualties. Trump Officials Scrapped It.

Images from the missile strike in southern Iran were more horrifying than any of the case studies Air Force combat veteran Wes J. Bryant had pored over in his mission to overhaul how the U.S. military safeguards civilian life.

Parents wept over their children’s bodies. Crushed desks and blood-stained backpacks poked through the rubble. The death toll from the attack on an elementary school in Minab climbed past 165, most of them under age 12, with nearly 100 others wounded, according to Iranian health officials. Photos of small coffins and rows of fresh graves went viral, a devastating emblem of Day 1 in the open-ended U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Protestors outside, holding signs that read, "Justice for survivors" and "National Organization for Women."

Protesters gather as Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan court house on January 06, 2020 in New York City.

Getty Images, Spencer Platt

We Teach Prevention to Victims, Not Accountability to Power

Each time a major sexual assault case comes to light, the public conversation follows a familiar pattern. Awareness campaigns are launched. Safety tips are shared. People are reminded to watch their drinks, walk in groups, and trust their instincts. The focus quickly turns to what potential victims should do differently.

But the harder question remains: Why does sexual assault continue to happen on such a large scale?

Keep ReadingShow less
The Democratic Party - Missing in Action

Democratic party donkey symbol

Getty Images

The Democratic Party - Missing in Action

The country has been suffering under the thumb of Trump now for more than a year. So much of our country and people's lives are in shambles because of his actions. He has broken his promises to his middle-class and rural supporters (see my article, "Listen Up, Trump Supporters!"). He has disabled government agencies that protect the people. He has not only taken America to war against Iran without much of an explanation or the approval of Congress, but clearly the war and all the billions that have been spent and will be spent have not and will not result in anything that improves the interests of the United States in the region, and may in fact worsen them.

Trump controls, in large part, by being the most forceful presence, not just in the United States but in the world. In his king-like demeanor, he constantly takes action to undermine or destroy the government's traditional roles; he is a congenital liar, and he is so revered by his followers that he controls the airwaves and the media. The Democratic Party—the loyal opposition—has had no forum to act since Trump has mostly side-stepped his totally subservient Congress in moving his policy agenda forward.

Keep ReadingShow less
Statue of George Washington

George Washington saved the American Revolution not by winning battles, but by refusing defeat. From the daring 1776 Brooklyn evacuation to lessons for the 2026 US-Iran conflict, this story explores how wars are won through endurance, not just victory.

Tetra Images/Getty Images

Washington, the Military Escape Artist

Many wars are remembered for decisive battles. The American Revolution survived because one army refused to be destroyed.

George Washington understood that reality during the darkest months of the Revolutionary War. In 1776, the American rebellion stood on the edge of collapse. The Continental Army had been defeated repeatedly, and the British believed the conflict might soon end with a single decisive blow.

Keep ReadingShow less