Horrible plan.
Pay the American workers more. If it is prohibitive, there will be a natural market for automation.
We have stunted automation in ag, for example, with cheat imported labor, and also made the jobs less appealing, because illegal labor can’t complain.
There simply aren’t enough American workers willing to do labor. I just read an article the other day about the fact that pay is actually pretty good in many of these jobs (construction labor, for example) but the unemployed, both black and white, either think they’re too good for them or don’t have the work habits to show up, take orders and be safe to work around. Also, many have drug problems and if they get hired, only show up a couple of times.
I have family in construction, and believe me, they want American workers but they can’t get them. Skilled, yes, but the unskilled workers just aren’t there, or if they are, they aren’t interested in the jobs or can’t even do them. The foreign labor is motivated, doesn’t want to stay in the US but just wants to work and go home, and thus doesn’t want to get in trouble, shows up regularly, etc.
Fixing this would be great, but in the meantime, stuff still needs to be harvested, demolished, etc.