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Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., center, speaks at a news conference hosted by the Tea Party Patriots to oppose the Senate immigration reform bill, Thursday, June 20, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Behind him are Hans Marsen, left, an immigrant from England, and Niger Innis with TheTeaParty.Net. White House-backed immigration legislation gained momentum in the Senate on Thursday as lawmakers closed in on a bipartisan compromise to spend tens of billions of dollars stiffening border security without delaying legalization for millions living in the country unlawfully. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, said this Labor Day marks a sad reminder that too many Americans remain without work, and that lawmakers should keep that in mind as they continue to debate proposed immigration reform legislation.

Sessions, a staunch critic of any plan that would grant amnesty to the 11 million immigrants already in the U.S. illegally, said the current plan being pushed by the White House would reduce wages and increase unemployment for American workers.

“A new study confirms that the labor-force participation rate is at a thirty-year low – meaning that small improvements in the employment rate have masked the deeper trend of a shrinking labor force with more people retiring early, going on disability, turning to welfare, and giving up looking for work altogether,” Sessions said in a statement today.

He added that another troubling indicator is record-high unemployment among teenagers.

“In 1999, half of teenagers had a summer job; today, it’s a mere third,” Sessions said. “Wages are also lower today than they were in 1999. Meanwhile, 1 in 3 without a high school diploma remains unable to find a job. This is more than temporary problem but an alarming trend: the workforce is shrinking and the welfare rolls are expanding.”

Congress is expected to take up the immigration issue when it returns from its summer break the week of Sept. 9.

The Democratic-controlled Senate in June passed a far-reaching bill that includes a big, new investment in border security and remakes the system for legal immigration system, in addition to creating a 13-year path to citizenship for those already here illegally.

Sessions, ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, challenged supporters of the proposal to get the facts about how it might affect the U.S. economy, and accused the White House of acting on behalf of special interest groups.

“What is the message from the White House, certain businesses interests, and their allies in Congress?” Sessions asked. “Bring in more workers from overseas to do the jobs they say Americans aren’t cut out for.”

Sessions called the plan both immoral and bad economic policy.

“We cannot continue to have millions of Americans leave the workforce while providing businesses with a constantly-growing supply of workers from abroad to do the jobs instead,” he said. “ We need to help Americans get off of welfare, off of unemployment, and into good paying jobs that can support a family. Our first loyalty must be to U.S. citizens.”

Sessions said lawmakers must focus on reducing the nation’s 7.4 unemployment rate.

“Chronic unemployment causes enormous social harm – to schools, to families, to communities. Do we really want a society with a large, growing block of Americans who are permanently out of work?” Sessions said. “ A swift amnesty and a permanent surge in low-skill immigration may make sense for some business interests – but it makes no sense for a nation that is currently struggling with exploding welfare rolls, falling wages and chronic unemployment.”

Sessions concluded that Congress “must halt this misguided immigration plan and focus on strengthening the economy to better serve the interests of all Americans.”