Why are there so few illegals in Pittsburgh? (Butler, California: home, neighborhoods)

[pman]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

1. Pittsburgh already has a lot of working and lower class people who will gladly take the jobs illegals tend to in other cities. (Most of the people who have left Pittsburgh were educated while the uneducated and working class generally couldn't afford to move)
2. The type of jobs that are being created here generally require some degree or training.
3. Many jobs that illegals take in other areas have strong union backing here.
4. Pittsburgh didn't experience a housing boom and didn't gain jobs in the related low wage areas because of it.
5. The economy was flat from 1980-2005 when the country's illegal population exploded.
6. There are very few services here that cater to them here and I think the populace of the area isn't the most friendly to them.

I saw in an article from a newspaper in Harrisburg that the representative in Butler County is trying to get his law against illegals passed. I know it's not a problem but I think it would be a good idea to pass a law of some sorts to keep them from wanting to come to PA so we don't need to have this fight in PA once it does become a problem as in other states.

What problem are you talking about? No doubt hes just some hick racist appealing to peoples baser instinct. Your first point can only be true if the economy is weak. The problem usually arises when immigrants are better workers than the natives as is iften the case. Personally i think pa needs more immigrants period...legal or illegal. Its already happening in the east...now we just need more west of the alleghenies. We sont need some udiotic racist law...we do need a less bureaucratic state that fosters job growth...but i guess its easier to be a small minded bigot than improve pas economy.

[pman]

Originally Posted by MeinGlanzendMotorrad

My last neighbor was an illegal resident from Honduras.

Aside from regularly beating his girlfriend (The police didn't care.) he was alright.

Dont forget about illegals like poplawski...oh wait

[Goinback2011]

I noticed this on my recent visit to Pittsburgh.

In places with lots of illegals, the beneficiaries of their labor are the contractors with small businesses who hire them. They retain the differential in wages/benefits that would otherwise go to Americans working those jobs. This is impoverishing a large portion of the populations of areas with a lot of illegals, but enriching small business owners.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by pman

What problem are you talking about? No doubt hes just some hick racist appealing to peoples baser instinct. Your first point can only be true if the economy is weak. The problem usually arises when immigrants are better workers than the natives as is iften the case. Personally i think pa needs more immigrants period...legal or illegal. Its already happening in the east...now we just need more west of the alleghenies. We sont need some udiotic racist law...we do need a less bureaucratic state that fosters job growth...but i guess its easier to be a small minded bigot than improve pas economy.

Yes illegals are a great thing for an area. Just ask people in California, Arizona, Chicago, and Florida about how great illegal immigrants have been. Your desire for more illegal immigrants in this state and country is certainly in the minority by far. Also, please note I said PA didn't have a problem with a lot of illegal immigrants but should do something so it doesn't in the future. Don't distort what I said. Do we really want a bunch of foreign nationals to sneak in this country that we know nothing about and why they are here. Also, did you know that representative is married to a naturalized person from Germany and I would consider someone who represents the rather affluent areas of Southern Butler County a hick.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

Fair enough, but Mexicans are, and Etna and Sharpsburg had a wave of Mexican immigrants at the beginning of the last century. I knew to look it up as I've seen the Mexican children in my mother's grade school class picture.

Immigrants: Pittsburgh's Changing Face - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

A hundred years ago was a long time, and it was a small number (read your article quote below).

They surely didn't stay. Currently there is only one Mexican family in Etna. That's it.

There was a small contingent of Mexican families in Etna and Sharpsburg back then [late 1800s to early 1900s], but their numbers were still so small that they stood out.

Read more: Immigrants: Pittsburgh's Changing Face - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Immigrants: Pittsburgh's Changing Face - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

[BrianTH]

Just an aside, but the Hispanic population in the region is growing rapidly in terms of rate, which means it is increasing in terms of share. It remains unusually low for a larger U.S. metro, but it is likely to become more and more prominent over coming decades.

However, that doesn't necessarily have much to do with illegal residents, because the future Pittsburgh Hispanic population is likely to be mostly native-born and thus citizens.

[theyarefools]

Originally Posted by Sealtite

Well virtually, they're nonexistent. Why? For a city that seems to be doing a lot better right now than the rest of the country, you'd think they'd be there. You don't have to drive far from Pittsburgh to find them either. The Harrisburg area, Lancaster, Allentown, hell....even the Gettysburg/Chambersburg area. Chambersburg is actually chalk-full of em'.

By Illegals, do you mean Latinos? Have you ever been in the backroom of a kitchen where the food is prepped or the dishes are washed? Have you ever seen a large cleaning service? Have you been to any large farms lately? I never asked for papers, but there are a lot of Latinos in Pgh. People like you who assume they are all illegal cause them to stay under the radar. They are also doing the jobs that most of us don't want to do and many don't even acknowledge are being done.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by theyarefools

They are also doing the jobs that most of us don't want to do and many don't even acknowledge are being done.

That argument is so false. At nearly 20% real unemployment, there are tons of Americans who would take these random "undesirable" jobs I keep hearing so much about. I spent 6 years stacking milk crates in a 40 degree cooler while getting through high school and college and I'm sure that job would be have been considered "undesirable".

I think that if people think all Americans are "above" certain jobs then they must not know many blue collar Americans.

[toosie]

A lot of assumptions in this thread and I'll throw mine in along with y'all...

My take on the OP is that when he said 'illegal' he meant Hispanic - and assumes that any kitchen-working Latino is illegal. A few others here seem to be falling into that line of thinking also. Like a couple of you have pointed out, though, Hispanic doesn't automatically equal undocumented and there are other cultures represented in Pittsburgh that could contribute to the illegal population in Pittsburgh. Further, you can live/work in this country without being a US Citizen - and without being illegal, either.

I think the OP should clarify what s/he meant to ask - this thread seems destined to deteriorate and that might have been the intention in the first place.

[theyarefools]

The Economic Reality Of Tough Immigration Laws : NPR

I think that one of the big differences is that immigrants, especially illegals, work harder than many Americans. I see this first hand daily.