From today's LA Times:
Religious and labor leaders called upon Congress and President-elect Obama to pass a comprehensive immigration package this year and said that the U.S. economy could not be restored without legalizing the nation's undocumented immigrants.
"Immigration reform is a necessity in order to fix the American economy," John Wilhelm, president of Unite Here's hospitality-industry division, said Thursday during a national teleconference call on immigration reform. The New York-based group represents more than 450,000 workers around the U.S. [emphasis mine — MK]
On the one hand, I'm concerned this absurd story line might get picked up in D.C. by the Chamber of Commerce/ACLU/AFL-CIO/immigration lawyers axis. On the other hand, it's so ridiculous that any politician spouting it is likely to get laughed off the stage even by politically uninvolved constituents.
Meanwhile, Numbers USA has gone on the offensive and asked not just for stepped-up enforcement, but for a suspension of legal immigration.