"on the subject of immigrants to the US from Latin America, they are definitely competing for jobs with people born in the US in the area where I live, where they comprise most of the workforce in the building and flooring trades, and other carpentry related trades. There is a lot of resentment towards these immigrants from people who feel that they are unable to get good jobs in these trades because people are coming here from other countries and working for less than what people in this country can afford to work for."

That's interesting Carol, because it reminded me of America in the late 80s, before I emigrated to the UK (definitely NOT for economic reasons!). Before I left, when the Celtic Tiger had yet to roar, many of the people I knew doing the sorts of jobs you mention, as well as restaurant and bar work, in New York, New Jersey and even LA, were illegal Irish immigrants. Actually, "immigrants" probably isn't the right word, because most of them didn't intend to stay forever - like many of the young Poles currently living in the UK, they were there for a few years, making money, and intended eventually to return home. Most did - unless they happened to meet an American girl and settle in the US. But there were so many of them in America that the Morrison Visa lottery system was introduced.

In any case, the thing that's interesting is that there was no sense of resentment in the communities where they lived, even though the jobs they were doing could undoubtedly have been done by unemployed locals. I even knew illegal Irish who owned their own businesses and employed scores of illegal Irish labour - police turning a blind eye, by any chance?

My point is that, because the local communities felt a cultural affinity to the immigrants in question, they were welcomed into the community with open arms. The resentment you speak of, I think, is at least partly rooted in the sense of "otherness" which comes from people with different language and cultural practices. It's that sense of an alien invasion of sorts which makes people resentful - it's not just economics.