Democratic strategist Dick Morris has warned that President Barack Obama’s amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants will result in "a disaster of unparalleled magnitude" due to the Obamacare employer mandate.
In a
commentary for The Hill, Morris says that blue-collar employees in large companies could eventually be replaced by undocumented immigrants because employers will not have to pay their healthcare insurance.
"Those granted amnesty will not be eligible for Obamacare," he wrote. "The amnesty will merely keep them safe from deportation. It won’t make them legal. And Obamacare can only go to citizens and legal noncitizens living in the U.S."
The political analyst, who was an adviser to former Mississippi Republican Sen. Trent Lott and former President Bill Clinton, noted that the employer mandate in Obamacare requires big companies to offer insurance to their full-time workers or pay a large fine to the government.
"Combine these two programs and you have a huge incentive for employers to dismiss any blue-collar workers on their payroll and replace them with illegal immigrants covered by amnesty.
"These folks are allowed to work but not to get Obamacare. An employer can’t be fined for failing to offer Obamacare to employees who are ineligible to receive it. It’s an employer’s dream."
Morris dismissed the suggestion that anti-discrimination provision of Obamacare prevent employers from giving health insurance to some workers (citizens and legal immigrants) and not to others (illegal immigrants).
"That argument seems far-fetched, because the illegal immigrants cannot enroll in Obamacare," wrote Morris, author of 17 books, including his latest, "
Power Grab: Obama’s Dangerous Plan for a One Party Nation."
Morris says that by having one pool of legal workers who can receive Obamacare, and another pool of illegal works with amnesty who cannot receive healthcare insurance will give employers the incentive to replace citizens with illegal immigrants.
"If you think Democrats are bemoaning the loss of the blue-collar whites who voted with Republicans in the midterm elections now, wait 'til the amnesty/Obamacare mandate combo kicks in. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!" he said.
"As the 2016 elections approach, this conflict between amnesty and the employer mandate will likely become a major campaign issue. It calls into question the two hallmarks of the Obama presidency and puts them on a collision course."
Morris noted that Census Bureau figures show three out of four new jobs, or 6 million out of 8 million jobs created since Obama took office in 2008, went to "non-native-born Americans," a term which covers legal and illegal immigrants as well as naturalized U.S. citizens.
He concluded by saying, "The desire of employers to find a way out from under the expensive mandate in Obamacare will accelerate the process.
"It will be a great line to feature on your resume that you came here illegally and are not eligible for Obamacare. It will go a long way toward guaranteeing a job."