Thus completely confounding Harry Reid.
…at least, that’s probably going to be Harry Reid’s excuse today for his rather bizarre claim that illegal immigrants aren’t part of the Nevada construction industry. When a local reporter pointed out that American citizens were out of work because it’s currently easier in many ways to hire illegal immigrants, Reid replied:
“I think that any information you have in that regard is absolutely without foundation,” responded Reid.(H/T: Jim Geraghty) Watch the video fast, before it gets taken down, too:
But a Pew Hispanic Center study shows 17-percent of all construction workers are in the United States illegally. Reid says not in Nevada. “That may be some place, but it’s not here in Nevada.”
But their latest 2009 numbers show Nevada is the state with the highest percentage of “unauthorized immigrants” in the labor force.
Reid apologists, take note: the survey is here. You will want to obsess exclusively on the detail that while the
Pew report in question does say (on page iii) that 17% of construction workers nationally are illegal immigrants, and that 12.2% of the Nevadan workforce are illegal immigrants, it does not formally say that there are any illegal immigrants working in the Nevadan construction industry*. Don’t worry about the fact that it is absurd to believe that a state with one-eighth of its workforce here illegally has somehow managed to avoid having any of them in an industry notorious for hiring illegals: you’re taking Harry Reid seriously in the first place, aren’t you?
Moe Lane
PS: Sharron Angle for Senator. Because she can actually see illegal immigrants when they’re installing drywall.
Redstate
