A group of House Republicans on Wednesday warned President Obama that they would reject his efforts to enact comprehensive immigration reform because, they said, it would ultimately hurt American workers already struggling with a shrinking job market and declining wages.

“So-called comprehensive immigration reform may be a good deal for big businesses that want to reduce labor costs, and it may be a good deal for progressive labor unions seeking new workers from abroad,” the 16 lawmakers wrote, “but it’s an awful deal for U.S. workers, including African-American and Hispanic communities enduring chronically high unemployment.”