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Looking at all new job seekers born here and abroad actually reveals a significant decline in new workers competing for American jobs. During the postwar period from 1948 to 1980, as incomes rose for all workers, the labor force grew by 76 percent, driven largely by baby boomers and women entering the labor force for the first time. Since then, declining birthrates have led to about half as many new competitors entering the labor force each year, despite many more immigrants.

Less-educated Americans also faced less competition. The ranks of non-college educated workers swelled 50 percent in the postwar period, compared with just 16 percent in recent decades. During both periods, high school dropouts saw a near continuous decline in labor market competition from workers born here or elsewhere. In contrast, college graduates actually dealt with more competition than they had before.

All this suggests that the stagnation of wages has other origins, such as new technology and the increasing burden of regulations, not more job seekers immigrant or otherwise.

The senators analysis suffers from similar confusion when they say that their bill would create a system modeled after Canada and Australia. Controlling for population, these countries accept two to three times as many legal immigrants as America.

A related fiction is that the bill would prioritize skilled immigrants. In fact, it contains no more visas for skilled workers than our current law does. All the bill would do is cut the number of visas for the family members of United States citizens. Canada and Australia prioritize skilled workers by allowing far more of them to come while also accepting more family members than we do.

Canada and Australia arent the only ones surpassing us in terms of welcoming immigrants; 17 developed countries accept more legal immigrants as a share of their population than does the United States. This places the United States at an economic disadvantage in the global race for talent. For years, Canada has attracted skilled immigrants from America, and Microsoft even opened an office there specifically to take advantage of its system.

In other contexts, Senators Perdue and Cotton have often discussed how Americas tax and regulatory policies send jobs overseas. But micromanaging labor markets from Washington has the same damaging effect, pushing businesses away from the United States and hurting those that remain.

Rather than cutting immigration, Congress should raise the employment-based quotas, which it has not adjusted since 1990 when the United States had some 77 million fewer people and the economy was half the size it is now. A smart reform would double green cards and peg future work visas to economic growth, responding to market forces rather than political whims.

Smart reforms, however, require that Congress first understand the basic facts: America has not seen a deluge of immigration. Low-skilled American-born workers have not faced more competition for jobs. Other countries accept more immigrants per capita. Until these facts penetrate the halls of the Capitol, the immigration debate will continue to be mired in ignorant proposals like this.

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Ignorant Immigration Reform - New York Times

Arizona Senator John McCain, temporarilybeloved by some on the left for casting adeciding vote against Obamacare repeal, wants the Senate to pursue bipartisan immigration reform. But with the high-profile immigration reform failurein 2013 and the election of immigration hard-liner Donald Trump, McCain will face an uphill battle.

McCain toldThe Arizona RepublicThursday that he discussed the matter with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer before leaving Washington for brain cancer treatment.

"Immigration reform is one of the issues I'd like to see resolved," McCain said. "I've got to talk to him [Schumer]about when would be the best time. I think there are all kinds of deals to be made out there. I really do."

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Immigration reform will be an incredibly difficult task in the current political environment, however. In 2013, McCain and Schumer worked together ona bipartisan Gang of Eight bill which passed the Senate but diedin the House. Thatbill would have created a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the United States in exchange for increased border security and visa tracking.

Most congressional Republicanslikely will have no interest in supporting anyproposals Democrats would be willing to sign on to. Arguably, Trump made building a wall on the southern border the central tenet of his winning campaign. Hisadministration is touting a decrease inborder-crossing rates, and increases in requests from localities for removal of undocumented immigrants who allegedlyhave committed crimes.

This week, the administration expressed support for a long-shot bill that would create a merit-based immigration systemprioritizing English-speaking immigrants and reducing overall legal immigration numbers.

But McCain told the Republic he believes Trumps calls for a border wall could reopen bipartisan negotiations on the issue, adding that Schumer agreed it is time for the Senate to return to discussing it.

"Basically it's what we passed last time, brought up-to-date with the new challenges," McCain said. "It's still there. We got 68 votes, I think, the last time. I don't think that's going to be any different next time."

Fellow Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake also was a Gang of Eight member and discusses the process in his new book, Conscience of a Conservative. He wrote that the bipartisan group proved that the process as designed can actually work.

Although McCain admitted Trump may not agree to move forward on the issue, he said if it passes the Senate and House by a large enough margin, he may not have a choice.

"I don't know, but what I do know is that if we could pass it through the House and Senate the way we passed it through the Senate last time, it's like this Russia [sanctions]bill, it doesn't matter," said McCain. "Do you think he signed it because he liked it?"

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John McCain Wants Immigration Reform, But Is That Possible in Trump's America? - Newsweek

After the unveiling of the Trump administration's latest agenda-setting direction on immigration reform, Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina says the country needs a "hybrid" policy that reflects America's economy and family needs instead.

"I want to make sure that folks have an opportunity to assimilate to what it means to be an American and so what we should look for are hybrids where we meet our economic needs and at the same time allow for family cohesion to be what it always has been, which is the anchor of the American society," Scott said on "CBS This Morning" Thursday.

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In 2015, about 25 million foreign-born workers were part of the U.S. labor force. What fields did they flock to?

The RAISE act, which Mr. Trump threw his support behindat a press event Wednesday with the bill's sponsors, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, and Sen. David Perdue, R-Georgia, would establish a "points-based system for acquiring a green card," according to Mr. Trump. It would reduce the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country while also preventing immigrants from collecting welfare once they arrive in the United States.

The bill aims to make the U.S. immigration system more competitive through rewarding immigrants who speak English, have financial stability and demonstrate useful skills, among other factors.

It would also end "chain migration" in the green card application process by only extending to immediate family, such as minor children and spouses. Finally, the legislation would limit the number of refugees permitted to enter the country and eliminate the visa lottery, which makes 55,000 Permanent Resident cards available every year to immigrants from "underrepresented countries," according to the Department of Labor.

"The problems within our legal immigration system isn't the number," Scott said. "If there's needs for reforms, we should reform the systems that need to be reformed, but the reality of it is it has less to do with the number and more to do with reforms and in South Carolina there's a lot of jobs that go unfilled because we can't the workers to do those jobs."

While Scott called the use of a merit-based system of entry for immigrants a "good idea" successfully implemented by other countries like Canada and Australia, he said the crucial step is to help fill the "largest holes in the our economy."

Scott said sectors like STEM (science, technology engineering and math) and agriculture are two areas where workers are desperately needed.

Scott's comments come after his South Carolina Republican colleague, Sen. Lindsey Graham, said that if the RAISE proposal becomes law, it would be "devastating to South Carolina's economy, which relies on the immigrant workforce." Graham said it would cut the immigration population in half for those who work legally in areas like agriculture, tourism and service industries.

Scott says it's certainly possible to have both a merit-based program and one that allows for "family cohesion" to continue.

"I'm a big proponent for us to sit down at the table, figure out which way is up, because right now we have a lot of issues we haven't figured that out on, and if we can figure that out, head in that direction. So for me, up is more workers who meet the high demands that we have within our economy. We need to match the folks coming into the country with the jobs that we need."

He added, however, that legal immigration has not been the main priority for lawmakers as of late.

"There's nothing wrong with making sure that we create access for family members who are already here as long as we do it right, and the legal immigration system has not been the focus, nor has it been the problem for us for the last several years."

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Sen. Tim Scott calls for "hybrid" system of immigration reform - CBS ... - CBS News

The ups and downs of the relationship between President Donald Trump and Pope Francis have been well-documented.

From the pope suggesting that Trumps proposal to build a border wall between the United States and Mexico was not Christian to Francis welcoming the president and his family to the Vatican in May, the pair have had an interesting relationship.

But the Catholic Church appears to be taking a harder stance on the Trump administration. U.S. bishops have criticized proposed immigration legislation backed by Trump as discriminatory and urged Congress and the president to reject it.

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Pope Francis walks along with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump during a private audience at the Vatican on May 24. ALESSANDRA TARANTINO/AFP/Getty

The head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Migration, Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin, Texas, criticized the RAISE Act introduced by two Republican senators on Thursday, the Catholic Herald reported.

Related: Weve got the White House on speed dial. How evangelicals are influencing Trump

The proposed legislationthe full name of which is the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Actwould cut immigration by 41 percent in its first year and by 50 percent over a 10-year-period, The Guardian reported.

At a White House unveiling of the proposal on Wednesday, Trump said that the bill represented the most significant reform to our immigration system in a half century. The president also said it would create a merit-based immigration system that protects American workers and taxpayers.

U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), makes an announcement on the introduction of the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on August 2. Zach Gibson - Pool/Getty

The bill is being co-sponsored by two Republican senators, Tom Cotton and David Perdue, and would prioritize immigrants who can speak English or are well-educated. The bill would also permanently cap the number of refugees allowed safe passage.

But the church took a different view. Had this discriminatory legislation been in place generations ago, many of the very people who built and defended this nation would have been excluded, said Vasquez, according to the Catholic Herald.

Vasquez added that the bill would negatively impact families and undermined the contribution of immigrants to the United States. The bishop called upon Congress and the Trump administration to work together in a bipartisan fashion to enact into law comprehensive immigration reform.

Catholics marginally backed Trump in the November 2016 election. Fifty-two percent of Catholics voted for the Republican candidate over 45 percent who voted for his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, according to a Pew Research Center poll, although two-thirds of Hispanic Catholics backed Clinton. The Catholic archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, read from the Bible at the inauguration of President Trump on January 20.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan delivers remarks at the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20. Alex Wong/Getty

Trump said that it was the honor of a lifetime to meet Francis after his visit to the Vatican in May, appearing to smooth over their previous public disagreements.

But in a recent development, two close associates of the pope wrote a stinging criticism of conservative American Catholics for creating an alliance of hate with U.S. evangelicals to support President Trump.

The article was published in La Civilta Cattolica, a Vatican-vetted journal, though it is not clear whether the pope approved of the content. In it, the authorsAntonio Spadaro, a Jesuit journalist who has interviewed the pope, and Marcelo Figueroa, an Argentine friend of Francissaid that the worldview of hardline U.S. Catholics, based on a literal interpretation of the Bible, was not too far apart from fundamentalist jihadis. The authors also singled out Steve Bannon, Trumps chief strategist, as a supporter of an apocalyptic geopolitics.

At around 22 percent, Catholics make up the single largest religious group in the United States, and so the Trump administration will not want to disenfranchise them. But elements in the U.S. Catholic leadership have made it clear they intend to call out the presidents policies when they see fit.

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Is the Catholic Church Turning On Trump? US Bishops Slam Immigration Proposals as 'Discriminatory' - Newsweek

President Donald Trump is supporting immigration reform that would cut legal immigration into the US in half. The president says it's a plan that will protect American workers. Opponents say slashing immigration would hurt industries like agriculture and

Lauren Bale, WWLTV 10:22 PM. CDT August 03, 2017

NEW ORLEANS -- President Donald Trump is supporting immigration reform that would cut legal immigration into the US in half.

The president says it's a plan that will protect American workers. Opponents say slashing immigration would hurt industries like agriculture and harm the economy. Local workers and small business owners in Louisiana weighed in on the issue.

Casa Borrega on Oretha Castle Haley is Hugo Montero's American dream.

"Wake up early, go to work, work the whole day to create a better future," Montero said.

Montero came to the United States from Mexico 30-years ago. He opened Casa Borrega after years of hard work. He thinks everyone should be given that same chance.

"The essence, the spirit, the soul of the United States is a land of immigrants. It's a great land created by immigrants," Montero said.

MORE:Trump joins GOP senators on immigration changes

The bill carrying the President's support would cut legal immigration to the US in half and give preference to immigrants who speak English, have financial stability and "useful skills." Fishermen in Westwego say that would leave many in the seafood industry without extra help.

"It will knock out a good bit of people, if some of those people had to go," Fisherman Camille Bourgeois said.

Bourgeois fishes for Jonathan's Seafood. He say anyone should be allowed into the US legally.

"I'm all for the American dream, I really am," Bourgeois said. "100 percent no matter where you come from or who you are."

However, he still thinks US citizens should be given preference over newer immigrants.

"Give a citizen a chance to pay his bills and feed his family first," Bourgeois said.

Back at Casa Borrega, Montero argues that the proposed bill goes against the principals the US was founded on.

"To deny the entry to people who want to work hard, who want to do better in life, I think it's just cruel," Montero said.

As the immigration debate plays out, Montero is feeling lucky he was given the chance to come to the US and start a new life.

"Every day I'm grateful," Montero said.

The proposal will have to go through the legislative process on Capitol Hill, where the bill is largely opposed by both republicans and democrats.

2017 WWL-TV

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President-backed immigration reforms could spell trouble for local businesses - WWL