Lou Barletta: Exec Amnesty Incentivizes Employers to Get Rid of American Workers for Cheaper Illegal Immigrants

On Thursday, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) said that President Barack Obama’s executive amnesty will only encourage employers to replace American workers with illegal immigrants who will be exempt from Obamacare mandates. 

On the House floor, Barletta, who has introduced the Defense of Legal Workers Act (H.R. 5761), which prevents the federal government from issuing work permits to illegal immigrants, mentioned that the “toxic intersection” of Obamacare and Obama’s executive amnesty gives employers a $3,000 per worker incentive to hire illegal immigrants who have just received work permits. Under federal law, since illegal immigrants who receive work permits cannot receive Obamacare, employers will not have to pay $3,000 in “penalties” for each illegal immigrant employee not provided health insurance.

“That will drive companies to hire illegal immigrants instead of legal American workers,” Barletta said, noting that employers will want to get rid of American workers for cheaper illegal immigrant replacements. He said the country has been put in this position is because the “Yes we can” campaigner is governing by the philosophy of “Because I want to.” 

Earlier in the week, Barletta grilled Homeland Security Security Jeh Johnson about the impact of Obama’s executive amnesty on American workers.

“When it comes to illegal immigration, the conversation is always focused on how to help the illegal immigrants, who have broken our laws,” Barletta said earlier in the week. “No one ever wants to talk about how granting them amnesty will affect legal American workers. It’s about time someone stood up for the millions of people who are looking for work, but who will now find millions of new competitors for jobs that are already scarce.”

Regarding the incentive that employers will have to hire illegal immigrants over American workers when Obama’s executive amnesty is enacted, Barletta said, “what I can’t figure out is if that’s an unintended consequence or a planned feature of the president’s policies.”