Yesterday's post on immigration actually triggered more response than I thought that it would. And the discussion that followed moves me to ask a question about the two statements below: 1) Illegal immigrants fill jobs that Americans aren't willing to do. 2) The H-1B visa program allows industry to recruit technical workers, because there is a shortage of them in the U.S. Now, I know that there are apparently qualified technical workers among my friends who've found it difficult to get a job following the dotcom bust, at the same time that industry is arguing that they need more H-1B workers. And I -- and others -- have wondered if it's simply a case of industry wanting more workers who will accept substandard wages and who dare not complain lest they be sent back to their home country. If I have the strong suspicion that statement 2 is a crock, why should I believe something different about statement 1? So what do you think? Is either statement true?