Posted on 10/27/2005 2:05:23 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
From anti-immigration and civilian militia bills being introduced in Congress to some of my colleagues welcoming the Minutemen to Texas, I have watched as the all-too-familiar political posturing about undocumented immigrants has become increasingly negative.
I am troubled by the hostility and hateful rhetoric aimed at undocumented immigrants, but I am even more disturbed that these anti-immigrant groups appear to be more interested in gaining a political advantage than doing anything to stem illegal immigration.
I am not advocating open borders or special treatment for those who enter this country illegally. Everyone who wants to immigrate should follow the rules and enter legally. I am a steadfast believer in the need to protect our borders, especially with increased security concerns, and I support increased funding and aggressive measures to protect our borders.
That said, tightly securing the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border has proven impossible, and it is absurd to suggest, and dangerous to encourage, a group of amateur vigilantes such as the Minutemen to undertake such a task.
The truth is illegal immigration is on the rise not because it is possible to get across our border, but because employers on the U.S. side continue to rely on, exploit, attract and, in some cases, recruit cheap and illegal labor. After all, immigrants don't come for the weather; they come here for a paycheck.
Anti-immigration groups have to look no further than businesses in their own backyards to see who is truly undermining national security interests. Knowing there is an employer willing to violate U.S. law and hire an undocumented immigrant only serves as an incentive to cross the border. No matter how many individuals we deport, as long as that employer is hiring illegal aliens, they will keep coming across the border.
We are seeing this same situation in areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Reports are surfacing about companies hiring undocumented immigrants to do work for wages well below what is paid to American workers. It does not help that this administration, in suspending Davis-Bacon Act requirements for employers in the region, practically gave license to hire illegal aliens. In fact, with the Department of Homeland Security issuing a notice to employers that it will not enforce employment eligibility requirements of the Immigration and Naturalization Act for 45 days, employers now have an "official" excuse to hire undocumented workers for as long as DHS is looking the other way.
To this end, I have introduced legislation, H.R. 4038, which would impose a fine against employers of $50,000 per undocumented worker. States would keep 75 percent of the fines to help reimburse them for the costs that undocumented immigration places on local hospitals and sheriffs departments. I will include whistleblower provisions to further aid in enforcement and close loopholes that encourage unscrupulous employers to exploit workers and drive down wages.
While preparing this legislation, I was shocked to discover how abysmal worksite enforcement efforts are. For instance, last year, of an estimated 10 million illegal workers, only three employers were cited for knowingly hiring unauthorized workers. The number of man-hours spent going after employers is 25 percent of what it was five years ago, and only $212,000 in fines was collected in 2003.
One argument we often hear is that undocumented workers take low-paying jobs Americans refuse to do. However, the reality is that if the jobs paid a living wage, more Americans would do them. If we are successful in putting an end to unscrupulous employers exploiting illegal labor and driving down wages, there will be better paying jobs for more Americans.
Increasing penalties for employers violating the law will lead to a more level playing field for workers who enter the country legally and especially for Americans who have been undercut by cheap, undocumented workers.
If anti-immigration groups, such as the Minutemen, are serious about stemming the flow of illegal immigration, they should refocus their efforts and picket or boycott the worksites and employers who encourage illegal immigration by hiring undocumented immigrants. Ultimately, if you reduce the employment opportunities, you will remove the incentive for the vast majority of people who decide to come here illegally.
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Rep. Charles A. Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Gonzales is attempting to bait a "do nothing" plan because he knows full well the most positive method to ID an illegal alien is to actually witness them crossing the border. To accost someone you THINK is an illegal alien can land you a lawsuit - courtesy Gonzales' cohorts. He's just as much to fault for protecting them once they're here with undue "rights" his and the Legislators have put in place.
"Terrorists are not going to come in through the Southern border and haven't." ~ justshutupandtakeit 10/27/05
Thanks, I can sleep a lot better now./s
Uh, No! Nothing wrong with a neighborhood watch along the border.
employers
Yes. When I would see these guys gather in my nabe in New York, I would see locally based contractors picking them up and hiring them. Its time to enforce sanctions against employers!
Happy to be of service. Good sleep is conducive to clear thought.
"If anti- illegal immigration groups, such as the Minutemen, are serious about stemming the flow of illegal immigration, they should refocus their efforts and picket or boycott the worksites and employers who encourage illegal immigration by hiring undocumented immigrants."
Operation Spotlight:
http://www.minutemanhq.com/project/
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
Gonzalez's La Raza membership card just fell out of his wallet for all to see.
What does this clown think the Minutemen, et al. are doing?
He describes some good ideas (a fine against employers of $50,000 per undocumented worker) to deal with the problem but he sounds like some pip-squeak political hack who will not extend to anti-ILLEGAL immigration groups the courtesy of acknowledging that their concern is ILLEGAL immigration not traditional immigration.
He obviously has no personal honesty to first see what anti-ILLEGAL immigrant folks are doing before having some tax-payer paid office flunky type in his splutterings.
He's a Democrat, for sure. Thus, is he really telling the truth about the fines?
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