To add to the list of jobs that Americans won’t do: Congressional Staffer.
It seems, after Freshman Representative Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) searched high and low for a United States citizen to fill the position of “Outreach Director” in one of her congressional offices, she came up empty handed and resigned herself to hiring an illegal alien for the position.
Did I fool you? No? Good.
Say what you will about Congress, those staffer jobs are highly coveted and hard to come by. Further, I don’t think anyone needs to be reminded that the rate of Americans who are unemployed and underemployed in this country is currently above 14%. (See U6 Unemployment Rate, Dec. 2012)
Despite all this, Rep. Sinema gave away a taxpayer-funded government job with full benefits to an illegal alien. Erika Andiola, the recipient of said job, is one of the lucky 154,000+ illegal aliens so far to be granted deferred action through President Obama’s DACA program. For Andiola that deferral also meant work authorization, qualifying her for jobs like this one that other Americans actually would like to do.
You might think employing an illegal alien would be political suicide for a brand new Member of Congress. To the contrary, it’s not hard to figure out the reasoning behind this strategic hire. First, Andiola is a pro-amnesty DREAM activist, meaning she already has ties as an immigration leader in the community she lives and works in. By hiring Andiola, Rep. Sinema gets to annex those connections for her personal use. Additionally, the controversy of hiring an illegal alien was sure to turn heads, giving Sinema instant recognition among veteran Members of Congress and the press, and a conversation starter in the looming immigration debates.
The timing of this particular hiring wasn’t by chance, either. On January 10, ICE agents arrested Andiola’s illegal alien mother in her Arizona home. Despite the fact that the ICE agents’ actions were lawful and her mother’s illegal presence was illegal, Andiola and her family were painted as martyrs by the press. By hiring Andiola, Rep. Sinema inserted herself into the unfolding media drama and was able to take on the persona of savior to the sympathizing illegal alien community. (Fox News, Jan. 16, 2013)
Rep. Sinema isn’t the only Member of Congress to hire an illegal alien on staff. Last week, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) announced he would be hiring DACA-approved illegal alien Jose M. Quintero to work in his Chicago district office, and he planned to hire another illegal alien to work in his Cicero, Illinois, office as well. (Hispanically Speaking News, Jan. 15, 2013)
Now that this particular glass ceiling has been shattered, Gutierrez says he expects other congressional offices will follow the trend.
If anyone thought President Obama’s backdoor amnesty measure wouldn’t cause increased job competition for U.S. citizens, please refer to the above exhibit.