As the U.S. economy sheds jobs, concern is growing over competition between native-born and foreign-born workers. That will come into clear focus this week. Thursday has been declared "Immigration Day" by groups seeking reforms of laws to allow a path for citizenship for many illegal immigrants. And on Friday the government is expected to announce more woes for the labor market. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com forecast that the report will show employers shaved 75,000 jobs from U.S. payrolls in April. If they're right, it would be the fourth-straight monthly decline. The economy lost a total of 232,000 jobs in the first quarter. The Labor Department's monthly report does not distinguish between immigrant and native-born workers.
See "Immigrants and jobs: A closer look", Chris Isidore, CNN Money, April 30, 2008