The High Price of Cheap Labor - Immigration's darker side

NRO ^ | 0122/04 | Jack Dunphy

[gubamyster]

January 22, 2004, 9:06 a.m.

Heather Mac Donald is stirring up trouble again.

A petite, unassuming woman, Mac Donald is not one who on first acquaintance gives the impression of a rabble-rouser. But recall the dustup that greeted the publication of her last book, Are Cops Racist? How the War Against the Police Harms Black Americans, which I reviewed in this space a year ago. Now, just when the hate mail engendered by the book has begun to taper off, she returns with the makings for another, perhaps even larger, controversy, one especially ill timed for the Bush administration.

Her latest article for the Manhattan Institute's quarterly, City Journal, is called "The Illegal Alien Crime Wave," and it presents some inconvenient facts for those inclined toward a less restrictive immigration policy. She points out that among the tempest-tost arriving at our golden door are not just the poor, the tired, and the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, but the killers, rapists, and assorted thugs who take gleeful advantage of our already schizophrenic attitudes on border enforcement. Consider some of the statistics Mac Donald cites:

In Los Angeles, 95 percent of the outstanding murder warrants are for illegal aliens, as are perhaps two-thirds of the 17,000 outstanding felony warrants.

Southern California's largest Hispanic street gang, 18th Street, has some 20,000 members, roughly 60 percent of whom are illegal aliens. (The LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, by comparison, have a combined strength of about 17,000 officers.)

In 2000, nearly 30 percent of federal prisoners were foreign-born.

These numbers are troubling to our friends at the Wall Street Journal, who quite naturally see the world with a view toward the corporate bottom line. In a January 9 editorial titled "Immigrant Realities," the Journal cites the wide disparity in per-capita income between the United States ($32,000) and Mexico ($3,679) as the primary attraction for the estimated eight million illegal immigrants currently living here. (Eight million is the Journal's number; others put it as high as twelve million.) Granted, the grass is far greener on our side of the fence, but this "reality" is no more real than those cited by Mac Donald, who reminds us that all that cheap labor comes at a price that may not be so cheap, most especially to the victims of crimes perpetrated by illegal aliens. The New York Post reported last week on the sentencing of one Victor Cruz for the December 2002 attack in which he and four codefendants kidnapped and raped a Queens woman near Shea Stadium, a crime the sentencing judge described as "one of blood-chilling inhumanity." All of the attackers but one were illegal aliens, a fact that, as Bill O'Reilly noted on his television program Friday, was overlooked by the New York Times, the Daily News, and Newsday. Only the Post, which ran the story under the headline "Evil Rape 'Savages,'" took note of the perpetrators' immigration status.

Mac Donald reports that NYPD officers previously had arrested three of these illegals for such crimes as assault, attempted robbery, possession of firearms, and drug offenses, but, following department policy, the officers never reported any of these arrests to the INS, a step that may have resulted in the men being deported and thereby sparing the unfortunate woman her life-altering ordeal. In New York, as in Los Angeles and many other cities, locally enacted sanctuary laws prohibit police officers from inquiring into a person's immigration status except in extraordinary circumstances. In Los Angeles, this prohibition goes to the laughable extreme of protecting even those who have already been deported after being convicted of a felony and serving time in a California prison. Thus, as I have experienced, if a police officer is driving down the street and spots a man whom he has arrested in the past, and who he knows has been sent to prison and then deported, he is constrained from making an arrest or even a detention, this despite the fact that re-entry into the United States under such circumstances is a federal felony. And on those occasions when I have arrested previously deported aliens for misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies (drug dealing, for instance), immigration officials have told me they would not pursue federal charges unless the underlying local charge was more serious. In fact, it is frustratingly common for police officers to find on an arrestee's rap sheet the notation "deportation proceedings initiated," prompting the question: Well, then, why is he here?

He is here because we have been unwilling to stop him, even now with the nation under threat of attack. The men and women of the Border Patrol, who at the Mexican border work under some of the harshest conditions in law enforcement, know they are fighting a war that some here at home would just as soon see them lose. Imagine risking your life day after day at the border, in extreme weather and over treacherous terrain, then driving to Los Angeles to see entire neighborhoods teeming with people who not only evaded your efforts but who seem to have little fear of being apprehended. It is clear that with our thousands of miles of international borders and open coastline it would be impossible to prevent anyone possessed of sufficient initiative from coming here if he chooses, but must it be as easy as it is today? In its editorial, the Wall Street Journal says smugly, "We could always next build a Berlin Wall along the 2,000 miles of U.S.-Mexican border, or deploy the 101st Airborne, but we doubt Americans would be morally comfortable with either." Perhaps this is so, but I suspect Americans are even less morally comfortable with the Journal's analogizing the recognized border of this freest of all nations with that stark symbol of Communist tyranny, a barrier erected to keep people in, not out.

We are still, as President Bush said in announcing his immigration proposal, a welcoming country. May we always be. But can't we demand that our guests cross the welcome mat at the front door and not come like a thief through the back window? Can't we expect them to mind their manners while they're here? And can't we above all choose whom to welcome and whom to turn away?

— Jack Dunphy is an officer in the Los Angeles Police Department. "Jack Dunphy" is the author's nom de cyber. The opinions expressed are his own and almost certainly do not reflect those of the LAPD management.

[jeremiah]

(In arrogant whiny Michael Medved voice) deep sigh, followed by chuckle Get in the real world, we are NOT going to deport these people, they are here, it is a reality, you MUST get over it. This plan by President Bush, is not perfect but it is a start. This country will not deport these illegals, so we need to get about the business of making them legal...of course this isn't amnesty, look it up in the dictionary.....blah blah blah

Does anyone doubt the influence of the NWO and their goals? OK, I'm sure there are more disbelievers than believers, but doesn't it seem odd that the world is being moved inexorably towards a one world system, when all logic dictates that it will be a disaster on a scale not measurable by mans knowledge.

With that said, you can listen to the comments on talk radio, read the papers and watch the news programs, and hear nary a word about immigration, except to either bash Bush, or support even more open borders.

[taxed2death]

Well, I feel for you. I've been stating the same here on FR for months.....the illegals are completely decimating legit businesses in my state of CT. A-hole Lieberman will not even acknowedge this. All my States Reps are a-holes regarding this problem....each and every one of them.........I cannot tell you exactly how many hundreds of small businesses ...1 or 2 or 10 man operations have been driven under by this invasion. I know personally of 5 contractors who have been driven out of business....just because they will not hire illegals while their competitors have... The funny part is, these day workers...or week workers or month workers are a funny bunch...there are hundreds of lawsuits now pending (yes hundreds...I've spoken to many lawyers who are my customers)
regarding shoddy work....the only "good" point in this is that the idiot scumbags who hire illegals usually get their asses handed to them in court for peddling shoddy work, by unskilled cheap labor.
Think about the thousands of high school grads from Tech schools....who have trained for 4 years in carpentry, heating HVAC, electrical work, plumbing, Auto Body repair...they graduate and have no jobs, because the jobs are taken by illegals....so these kids must get "mcJobs" or check out jobs.....so, you tell me, are illegals really "needed".....do they take the jobs that "Americans don't want"...

Think again GWB.

[taxed2death]

Good luck!!

Read my post #42. Be VERY careful what trade you pick to work in!..If you chose to be a business owner, say a Plumber, by trade, you will not survive unless you hire illegals, because you'll find that 95% of your competitors will under bid you. Same with electrician...you'll find out that if you need "helpers"....in order to stay in business, you won't be able to afford the kid who wants a job and needs a job out of tech high school....you will only be able to afford an illegal....either that or watch your business go down the tubes!!!


So, just beware!!!


Want a "somewhat" safe trade? Do what I do...I'm a hi-end airbrush artist in the MC industry.....

I'm fortunate enough to have a 3 or 4 month backlog, since 1992. But who knows what the future will bring...I left the "Autobody" trade over 10 years ago, because illegals were working so cheaply, that I could not afford to lower my wages to "compete" with them....and I've had 4 years of trade schooling in my field, followed up by 8000 hours of on the job training, which entitled my to a State granted "journeymans" license in AutoBody repair. All for naught....if I want to work for 12 bucks an hour, great, but I don't want to sleep on park benches!!! Who knows, have I become an "American who will not do the jobs an illegal would do"?

Perhaps, but why the hell should I work for 12 bucks an hour when I can charge $70.00 an hour doing what I do now.. I'm lucky in that I "saw the writing on the wall".....long before it became popular to question immigration (invasion) policy...

[taxed2death]

hmmmmm...GWB has no plan. As long as 4000 illegals stream across Cochise county every 24 hours....how can you call GWB's BS proposal, a plan?

[PersonalLiberties]

I understand. I moved to TN from Florida. I made more than my husband there, but hated every minute of what I did. I tried to find similar work here, but the pay is so low, it does not justify daycare, taxes, etc. for me to go back to that. They really don't use paralegals here but just secretaries. And as one person said $15/hr for an office manager in Washington State with its high cost of living, no way, someone could do decent on that. And I can say that here I would probably do any legal job that would even pay $15.

I too have an AS plus 2 years at a university, but not a BA. I don't want to go that route, too much money to learn nonsense. Then get out and still make less than a trade. So, I am still looking. But I appreciate your advice. I figure for my husband, becoming an electrician is a good route, b/c it does take a long time to learn, so he will be hard to replace.

[jeremiah]

How many illegals are actually in the country? Isn't it closer to 20 million than 10? Or is it politically easier to speak of a smaller number.

[PersonalLiberties]

Well I read a few days ago an article on Freeper that states that so far, this year, the border patrol has intercepted over 18,000. So think how many more made it in? In less than one month.

[dennisw]

I'm a hi-end airbrush artist in the MC industry .......

What the heck is the MC industry??? And you are right about all trades being vulnerable to decimation by immigration. Legal and illegal.

[Wallace T.]

I'm not sure the one world tendencies, the so-called New World Order, even qualify as a conspiracy, inasmuch as its advocates are more or less open as to their goals. President Bush took a political hit in advocating what amounts to amnesty for illegals, yet there he stood, the chief representative of a political party that is utterly dependent on white, middle class voters who mostly oppose open borders. So-called free trade advocates are now promoting that NAFTA be expanded hemisphere-wide.

This year, David Rockefeller and Henry Kissinger, the betes noir of 1970s era conspiracy literature, will be 89 and 81, respectively. Actuarial tables indicate that they will not be around to dominate any world government of the future.

Most secretive groups, like the Mafia or the Communist Party, focus on benefiting those at the top, an Al Capone or a Joseph Stalin. The Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, et. al., continue to plug along, even as their past leaders, such as Rockefeller and Kissinger, enter their dotage. These organizations are not conspiracies, but advocacy groups. Rather than a conspiracy, the idea of world government is more of a consensus among the wealthy and influential men of the world, those who, to quote Psalm 2: "...set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." The only question left is who will get to be top dog.

As a Christian, I know how the story ends. The good guys win, the bad guys lose, as the Book of Revelation indicates. The rest is just details, depressing ones at times, but still details.

[taxed2death]

MC = motorcycle....

[Rytwyng]

A man could make enough to live by the sweat of his brow, but couldn't afford to pay someone else to do his chores. Thus it was customary even in well-to-do homes for people to cut their own grass, do their own laundry, and fix their own cars.

There's certainly a partial truth to that, but there's another aspect as well. When I was a kid, we (meaning my family and most of our neighbors) did some of our own yard work, but there were also a lot of white teenagers who cut grass and raked leaves for other people to earn a few bucks on the side. I don't recall any immigrant labor at all -- all the outside help was all local kids a little older than me.

By the time I was a teenager myself, this was starting to change. Insensitive to trends, however, I took an odd job or 2 in the neighborhood as well as a summer job (minimum wage) at my high school's maintenace department. One of the proudest moments of my young life was when, at the end of the summer when the job was over, the boss told my Dad that I had out-worked the Mexicans. I was prouder of being called a "hard worker" than I was of my National Merit scholarship.

Not so today. Gone are the white teenagers willing to get their hands dirty for gas and date money -- they are all spoiled with huge allowances and getting fat in front of the TV or nintendo game. Mexican immigrants (legal or not) do all the work the white teenagers used to do.

The solution: White fathers need to take away the $$$ allowance, whip the kids in the a$$, and send them out to work.

[Jason_b]

"to bad people cannot pool together and purchase the border land.."

They can. Land can be donated too. It is called a land trust. And folks who like the country feel of a place are doing it to prevent sprawl. It should be just as effective to place private lands between the US and May hee coe. I don't know about policing it though. I have no doubt the rights of the owners, but government will interfere.

Sad it has come to this.

[marron]

I agree. I was one of those kids too. When I was really little I would take my little wagon up and down the street collecting newspapers; when our garage was full we would haul the papers down and for a huge load get $2, which I would spend at the Army Navy surplus store on really neat stuff.

When I was old enough to have a bicycle, I started hawking TV Guides door to door, and greeting cards. That was an education, peeking through people's doors into their homes and lives, and actually venturing off my street.

When I was old enough to push a lawn mower, I started going door to door looking for customers, I had a couple of regulars. Standard yard I charged $2.50. Kept $2 and gave my sister 50 cents for helping me. Bigger yards we got $3, and she got a whole dollar for helping me. She hates me to this day. (Just kidding). Doesn't sound like much but to a little kid 10 years old, it was big bucks.

Started working a regular job before I was 16, washed a lot of dishes. Thats how I bought my Levis, my mom preferred the KMart brands so if I wanted better I had to pay for it myself. Left home and started paying my own rent working a man's job when I was 18. Its funny now to see 30 year olds still living with mom.

[EagleMamaMT]

Good post! My brothers, who live near Tulsa, had to let their workers go. They've always only worked American citizens. Now, just the two of them are doing any little job they can find just to pay their bills and keep food on the table. They've been doing concrete work since they were kids - my oldest brother since he was 15 (working summers with my late father) and my youngest brother started helping out in the business when he was 8. That's all they know.

This illegal aliens/offshoring stuff hits real close to home with me. My oldest son is not college material. He's a "work with your hands" type of kid, not too good at school work. I really worry about what type of job he's going to be able to find when he graduates. I do have a little bit of hope because right around the area I live in (sort of No Man's Land in Southwestern Missouri) the illegals don't come here. All the work gets done, too, but it's being done by American citizens - not illegals. I guess we're a poor area and don't have enough public transportation or federally-funded housing to appeal to illegals.

I heard on the radio today that the INS raided a restaurant in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and rounded up several illegals who were working there and being paid under the table by the restaurant owners. There were 7 Eastern Europeans (I believe) and 2 Hispanics. The restaurant was only fined $39,000.00. If I lived in that town, I'd be trying to get people to boycott the place. If people begin boycotting businesses that work illegals, the businesses will "see the light", so to speak, in a hurry!

[Rytwyng]

Its funny now to see 30 year olds still living with mom.

Sometimes that's a rational economic decision. I moved home when my Dad's final illness began -- I was badly needed them. He died a year and a half later, but, every job I've had since then has been "local", so there was no compelling reason to move out again. I (and Mom) reasoned, I could either get an apartment 2 miles away and put close to a thousand dollars a month (California prices) down a rat-hole... or live for free in the house I'm going to inherit anyway, and BANK (not blow) that money. It worked out pretty well as long as I was single.

But neither Dad nor Mom would have tolerated it, if I hadn't been doing "a man's job", as you put it, plus pulling my weight around the house as well. Neither they nor I could ever stand "momma's boys" who can't (or won't) hold a job, pay their bills, handle money, cook, clean, do their own laundry, etc. It's been my misfortune to make the acquaintance of several such individuals... they are utterly pathetic. And they don't understand why they can't get a date!

[Rytwyng]

to bad people cannot pool together and purchase the border land, and police it themselves since the govt. doesn't want the hassle

Privately defending the borderlands: RANCH RESCUE

[marron]

I have seen some of the same thing in my own family. In some cases its pathetic, and in some cases its welcome, it reminds me of the extended families of another era, its warm, its fun, its chaotic, and you wonder why more people don't do it.

My remark was meant more to point out the differences in generations, when I was 18 everyone either left home and got a job, or went in the service, or went to college... no one stuck around home.

Its different now. In part its economic, I think, jobs don't pay as well in relation to the price of housing. I moved out making $2.50 an hour, but my apartment only cost $60. You can figure the equivalent starting salaries and the equivalent cost of housing and if you're in California, or any major urban area, its much tougher now. Its true that kids have higher expectations but even if they didn't, it is financially much tougher now.

Consequently, when my boy came home from the service, he lived with us for a while, and only recently bought his house and is starting his separate life, at about 30. My daughter, on the other hand, is home now with kids in tow, and it is wonderful, loud, and a lot of fun. My wife's sisters have all lived with us at one time or other and now live within a few blocks and my house is party central... I can never find a place to park on my street and I'm sure the neighbors are ticked... but again its a lot of fun. The Mexican guy across the street told me, you guys remind me of Mexicans...

At one time or other we also raised some of our young relatives who, like Kramer on Seinfeld think they have the right to come in and help themselves to the milk in the refrigerator... and I guess they do. Another son who left home early came back home for a while and got some training before moving back out again.

[Rytwyng]

the upper classes, the lawyers, the politicians are too "faggy" to know and do manual labor and work with their hands

Well said.

[independentmind]

Great post!

BTW, it's always been the rule of thumb in my mother's house to help yourself as long as it's:

1) good for you
2) already open.

[PersonalLiberties]

MC=motorcycle

Thanks for the tip. That sounds real fun.