Apparently Tom Brokaw is investing his credit as a retired NBC talking head into promoting acceptance of illegal immigration.

What a disgusting waste.

In the Shadow of the American Dream airs tomorrow evening (Dec 26th). Even The New York Times says

this is at heart a pro-immigrant program; immigrants are depicted as hard workers, and there is no suggestion that some come to the United States specifically to commit crimes or rip off the system.

Boom in Rockies for Skiers, Developers and Immigrants By Neil Genzlinger December 26 2006

The centerpiece for the program is apparently a firm called Gould Construction of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The local newspaper says that

NBC producer Soraya Gage…focused on the Roaring Fork Valley because of a series on immigration, which ran in the Post Independent last year, that featured Gould.

Local contractor featured in Brokaw Report on NBC television Post Independent Donna Gray Glenwood Springs CO Colorado December 23 2006

The fact that a local construction firm - which probably as a practical matter could not stay competitive without using illegal labor – is willing to stand still for this attention tells all that needs to be said about this program. As the NY Times admits

Mr. Brokaw’s crew has no trouble not only pinpointing which of Mr. Gould’s workers are illegal but also finding the document-forger they use. But this is no exposé.(VDARE.com emphasis)

The facts are

• The Upper Class wealth boom of the past decade has caused a huge demand for vacation homes in the Aspen/Vail area.
• Weak US Immigration control – and nothing else – has meant that much of the labor meeting this demand has come from south of the border.

The consequence of this weak immigration control has been that certain parties have benefited:

• The Hispanic workers who have entered.
• The Upper-Income groups buying these properties who are probably buying them somewhat cheaper than if they were native-born constructed.
• The builders, but to a lesser degree than one might think.

(If immigration had been properly controlled, the builders would probably been almost as profitable – demand was strong, and if no one was using illegals, no individual builders would have been disadvantaged.)

The losers are:

• The US- born worker who might have been willing to do these jobs. At the very least, wage levels were driven down. Quite probably, ethnic exclusion mechanisms make entry into these prosperous areas very difficult too – possibly dangerous.
• The Nation. Flooding the country with low grade Hispanic labor and its dependents means reeling health and education services, sprawl, and disintegration. Also adverse political consequences.

One looks for none of this to be recognized on the Brokaw show.

If VDARE.com had the resources, we would immediately refute the NBC show. Even without the resources, we would normally have been able to do something, since this is a matter the currently incapacitated Joe Guzzardi really cares about. (For the sake of his stomach, we are hoping he won’t watch.)

As it is, please send comments to VDARE.com.