A key U.S. civil rights official, armed with data that cheap legal and illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from American-born minorities, is calling on Congress to take a hard line stance in its developing immigration policy that gives priority to Americans workers.

Believing he has an allies in President Trump and top White House adviser Stephen Miller, Peter N. Kirsanow, a commissioner on the United States Commission on Civil Rights, said, “Government policy should be formulated around that concept: Benefit Americans first before you start to benefit foreigners.”

In an interview with Secrets, the sole Republican on the eight person commission, added, “We should be looking at what helps Americans first.”

Kirsanow expressed dismay that while the president has a solid immigration blueprint based on his promise to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall, congressional Republicans are unfocused and some have endorsed business demands for more and cheaper imported labor.

“I think this president is by far the strongest president that we’ve ever had from a pro-American immigration policy standpoint,” he said. “We’re getting more from this president than we could ever expect to get,” he added.

Of Miller, he said, “I think Stephen Miller is probably the strongest advocate for a pro-American immigration policy.”

Kirsanow this week sent a letter to Congress warning that minorities could be further squeezed out of the workforce in the tight labor market if more immigration is allowed and if some in Congress follow through with plans to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants.

“Granting amnesty to illegal aliens will only perpetuate the damage that has been done and extend it into the future by acting as a magnet for illegal immigration,” he wrote to Sen. Chuck Grassley.

In the letter, he sought to counter business claims that finding workers is hard. He said that many workers are still sitting on the sidelines and will come back in if businesses aren’t allowed to take a short cut and hire cheap immigrants.

“A tight labor market incentivizes businesses to seek out teenagers, retirees, stay-at-home parents, former prisoners, and others, and offer them training, accommodations, higher pay, and so on to entice them into the workforce,” said the employment and civil rights lawyer.

In a blunt demand, he added, “I fully understand that businesses would rather hire people who do not require training, do not have what they consider a problematic criminal record, who do not need time off or flexible schedules and who are willing to accept low pay. Too bad. Businesses have responsibilities to their fellow Americans that they do not have to citizens of other countries. When there are good times in the economy, all Americans should get the chance to share in them."

