Alaska’s new border problem

For years, Alaska’s “border problem” was smoke from wildfires across the straits in Siberia. But now, President Biden’s amnesty plan would allow millions of foreigners — currently here illegally — to take jobs American workers need.

Alaskans are already hurting. Oil revenues have plummeted and our tourism, fishing and service industries have been decimated by COVID-19. Thousands of laid-off workers are living on unemployment benefits and stimulus checks. The last thing Alaska needs right now is competition from newly legal immigrants who got here by ignoring our laws.

Alaskans are not xenophobic. The Last Frontier prides itself on being a melting pot, welcoming and absorbing legal immigrants from all over the world. As of 2018, Alaska was home to roughly 60,000 residents born in foreign countries — a full 8% of the total population. But across-the-board amnesty for illegal immigrants is another matter. Lower-skilled Alaskans work in tourism and fishing. And that’s where the impact of newly legalized workers would likely be greatest. They would compete with the 10% of the Alaska population who already live under the poverty line, many of whom work in industries crippled by COVID-19.

At the height of the pandemic, local leisure and hospitality businesses cut jobs by a whopping 41%, according to an Explore Fairbanks report. In any recovery, employers — until now forbidden to hire low-cost illegal immigrants — might well turn to the newly legalized workers at the expense of Americans.

What is more, with illegal immigrants in the picture, paychecks shrink for everyone. Harvard economist George J. Borjas has shown that companies pay lower wages when there are more workers vying for the same jobs. Alaska is not alone in questioning the rationale — and the costs — of Biden’s proposal. His “solution” to illegal immigration would grant legal residency to the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States. He would put them on a path to full citizenship — eligible for a green card in five years and for citizenship three years after that. They could even pull in family members left behind. No wonder caravans of new immigrants are rushing toward our borders.

President Joe Biden promised to “bring the nation together,” fashioning himself as the president who can help the nation heal. His proposal certainly won’t heal the economic wounds that American workers have suffered over the past year. No one questions that people come to this nation to seek a better life. I’m sympathetic to their plight, but letting illegal immigrants “jump the line” sends a very confused signal about America’s oft-stated concern for the rule of law.

I hope our Sen. Lisa Murkowski — a moderate who has always sought compromise — will put her foot down and go on record against amnesty. Before we open the floodgates of foreign labor competition, let’s give Alaska’s mothers and fathers a chance to support their families.

Judy Eledge is a retired educator who serves as president of the Anchorage Republican Women’s Club. In 2020, she was an elector for Alaska in the Electoral College and has served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention on multiple occasions.

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