These workers need help. But they won't get it from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who are promising to admit more low-skilled immigrants and more guest workers. That'll increase competition for scarce jobs and drive down workers' wages.

Fortunately, Montanans aren't entirely out of luck. Even if Biden and Harris win, a Republican Senate could thwart their plans. That's why it's so important to re-elect Sen. Steve Daines.

Biden and Harris have vowed to expand the number of green cards for family members of current cardholders and citizens. As of 2019, there were almost 3.5 million foreigners on the waiting list for a family-sponsored green card. The Biden/Harris view: bring 'em on.

Such a move would flood the United States with largely low-skilled workers. Biden and Harris also want to issue more guest worker visas, which are currently suspended thanks to President Trump's partial moratorium on importing new workers during the pandemic.

There's a reason those visas are currently on hold — they unfairly impact American workers, especially the less-skilled workers who compete most directly with immigrants for jobs.

Anyone who grasps basic economics understands why an influx of foreign workers depresses wages. A larger pool of workers means employers can pay less. Various studies have found that a 10 percent increase in the size of a labor pool causes up to a 5 percent decrease in wages.  

Ethnographic studies confirm that businesses prefer immigrants over native workers. In interviews, managers express the view that immigrants complain less about working conditions and are more willing to complete repetitive tasks. These discriminatory hiring preferences pose a problem for the 35 percent of Montanans who are over 25 years old and have a high school diploma, a GED, or less.  

Meanwhile, Montanans have a clear choice on immigration in the Senate election this year.

When he was Montana's attorney general, Democrat Steve Bullock opposed a state law that would have denied government jobs and assistance to illegal immigrants. And — glaringly — as governor in 2013 and 2019, Bullock vetoed Legislature-passed bills that would have prevented Montana cities and counties from declaring themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigrants.

In both veto messages, Bullock explained that Montana currently has no such sanctuary jurisdictions. But that's not entirely true. The City of Helena and Butte-Silver Bow County both have sanctuary resolutions — statements of governing philosophy — on their books. So Bullock lacked the foresight to recognize that enacting such bills is a way to prevent the bad policies demonstrated in other states from gaining a foothold in Montana.

His opponent, Republican incumbent Steve Daines, has a very different view. He has introduced a bill to extend President Trump's ban on immigration during the pandemic. Daines rightly said the bill would protect Montanan workers and allow them, not immigrants, to secure the jobs that will pop up as the economy recovers.    

COVID-19 has proven catastrophic for American workers. The last thing those Americans need is more competition for jobs. Montanans would do well to take that into consideration when heading to the polls this November.