"Today "unauthorized workers" -- the label used by the Pew Hispanic Center -- account for nearly 5 percent of the overall U.S. labor force, or about 7.2 million workers. Of those, nearly 20 percent work in construction-related jobs.
"Unauthorized migrants make up a larger share of all workers in a few more detailed occupational categories," Pew reports. "For example, the unauthorized were 36 percent of all insulation workers and 29 percent of all roofers and drywall installers."
These numbers -- and the prospects of what is to come -- are the reason why Bush favors some sort of system that incorporates those workers into any legislation. Back at the doughnut shop, Bush said he didn't favor amnesty: "But I'm also realistic to tell you that we're not going to be able to deport people who have been here, working hard and raising their families."
People come here to work, the president said. Five powerful words. And, as a middle-age baby boomer, hoping to one day retire, I certainly hope people continue to come here to work."
Get the Story:
Mark Trahant: Immigration -- fix for aging work force
(The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 7/9)
More Mark Trahant:
Mark Trahant: No economic paradise in
America (06/12) RMark Trahant: What went
wrong at Fannie Mae? (6/5)
Mark Trahant:
A hip, cool place in Washington DC (5/29)
Mark Trahant: Border fence a bad idea for U.S.
(5/22)
Mark Trahant: It's time for U.S.
and Iran to talk (5/15)
Mark Trahant:
High gas prices a wake-up call to America (5/8)
Mark Trahant: Stark choices define American
politics (5/1)
Mark Trahant: Hope for
the best, plan for the worst (4/24)
Trahant: We should decide how our taxes are spent
(4/17)
Mark Trahant: Entering the
immigration debate (4/3)
Mark Trahant:
America is a blending of cultures (3/27)
Mark Trahant: Unsaid debates dominate agenda
(3/20)
Mark Trahant: Bush and human
rights in Pakistan (3/13)
Mark Trahant:
Hank Adams, Indian visionary (3/6)
Mark
Trahant: Health care spending on the rise (2/27)
Mark Trahant: Future taxpayers will cough up dough
(2/13)
Mark Trahant: Sooner or later,
America will go broke (2/6)
Mark
Trahant: Bush will tell us everything is great (1/30)
Mark Trahant: Abramoff turning into blame the
Indians (1/23)
Mark Trahant: Cultural
changes come, some slowly (1/9)
Mark
Trahant: Starting new year off with correction (1/4)
Mark Trahant: How about a coin for Vine Deloria?
(12/19)
Mark Trahant: The really great
state of the economy (12/12)
Mark
Trahant: America's numbers don't add up (12/5)
Mark Trahant: Few writers as powerful as Deloria
(11/21)
Mark Trahant: Media sometimes
isn't fair (11/14)
Mark Trahant: No one
wants to talk about immigration (11/7)
Mark Trahant: The ultimate power of the Fed
(10/31)
Mark Trahant: Is there no trust
in the government? (10/24)
Mark Trahant:
The next pick for Federal Reserve job (10/10)
Mark Trahant: I was wrong about voting by mail
(9/26)
Mark Trahant: Rebuilding New
Orleans, a unique city (9/19)
Mark
Trahant: Katrina testing limits of charity (9/12)
Mark Trahant: Democracy an unfinished
experiment (08/29)
Mark Trahant: You
write the news, you pick it (8/15)
Mark
Trahant: Tribal stories don't matter to science (8/8)
Mark Trahant: Congress focuses on real issues
(8/1)
Mark Trahant: Judicial debate
conceals big issue (7/25)
Mark Trahant:
Wasting time at work can be productive (7/18)
Mark Trahant: Appoint Indian to U.S. Supreme Court
(7/11)
Mark Trahant: Readers offer junk
mail solutions (06/20)
Mark Trahant:
Junk mail invades home, office (6/13)
Mark Trahant: Social Security needs new compact
(6/6)
Mark Trahant: Readers upset over
military cartoon (5/30)
Mark Trahant:
Healing the world with totem poles (5/23)
Mark Trahant: We're all as young as we feel
(5/16)
Mark Trahant: Social Security
debate masks failures (5/9)
Mark
Trahant: Public sees bias in the news media (5/2)
Mark Trahant: Few salmon left for tribal ceremonies
(4/25)
Mark Trahant: Tax system unfair
and complicated (4/18)
Mark Trahant: Our
nation must pay its own tax bill (4/11)
Mark Trahant: Latest numbers on economy scare me
(4/4)
Mark Trahant: C-SPAN just as
important today (3/28)
Mark Trahant:
Does democracy mean supporting Bush? (3/21)
Mark Trahant: Academic freedom for Churchill
too? (03/07)
Mark Trahant: Journalism
more interactive than before (2/28)
Mark
Trahant: Social Security debate all about 'me' (2/21)
Mark Trahant: Social Security push ignores big
issue (2/14)
Mark Trahant: Human beings
only react during crisis (2/7)
Mark
Trahant: Election tales usually one-sided (1/31)
Trahant: Public school system not good enough
(01/24)
Mark Trahant: Three cheers for the
First Amendment (01/10)
Mark Trahant:
Did my vote count? Did yours? (12/20)
Mark Trahant: Bush plan leaves no room for salmon
(12/13)
Mark Trahant: Two friendly faces
on the news (11/29)
Mark Trahant:
Mainstream media doesn't matter (11/22)
Mark Trahant: Do political endorsements matter?
(11/8)
Mark Trahant: So what happens
after the election? (11/1)
Mark Trahant:
Vote early and avoid campaign sleaze (10/25)
Mark Trahant: Congress should abide by laws too
(10/18)
Mark Trahant: Election changing
as we speak (10/11)
Mark Trahant: NMAI
must change the story (09/27)
Mark
Trahant: Media's view of elections should change (09/20)
Mark Trahant: What happened to Pakistan? bin
Laden? (09/13)
Mark Trahant: Payroll tax
not fair to all Americans (8/23)
Mark
Trahant: Bush's answer was slightly better (8/9)
Audio: Bush explains meaning of tribal sovereignty
(8/6)
Mark Trahant: The one that didn't
get away (08/02)
Mark Trahant: Living in
a world of easy credit (7/26)
Mark
Trahant: Congress still stealing Indian land (07/12)
Mark Trahant: Raising the next peace generation
(7/6)
Mark Trahant: How far does
'terrorist' definition go? (6/28)
Mark
Trahant: The big five-oh a good time to reflect (6/21)
Mark Trahant: Ordinary Reagan was extraordinary
(06/14)
Mark Trahant: Indian girls team had
game back in 1900s (06/07)
Mark Trahant:
Voice mail filled with views on Iraqi war (05/17)
Mark Trahant: A familiar story of cultural
change (03/22)
Mark Trahant: One
Indian in Senate is wrong number (03/08)
Mark Trahant: Division marked another major war
too (2/23)
Mark Trahant: We're still
fighting the Cold War (01/26)
Trahant: Selling democracy to Indian
Country (11/17)
Trahant: Can't trust
Uncle Sam with Indian money (11/10)
Mark Trahant: Bush needs to note success and
failure (10/20)
Mark Trahant:
Technology and the news world (09/29)
Mark Trahant: Preparing for the unthinkable
(09/22)
Trahant: When tribes succeed,
someone changes rules (09/1)
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