Posted on 11/30/2005 8:40:01 AM PST by epow
To zap illegals, jail those who employ them
Published on: 11/30/05
On Monday, President Bush gave a speech designed to reassure his conservative base that he is serious about protecting the country from illegal immigrants.
Speaking before an invitation-only audience in Tucson, Ariz., the president didn't spend too much time talking about the valuable contributions that immigrants have made or about granting them the opportunity to become citizens. Instead, Bush focused on fences and raids and deportations. In so doing, he reached out to a disaffected Republican constituency that is increasingly hostile to immigrants — especially to those Latinos who enter the country illegally.
Bush's tough talk will certainly have widespread appeal in Georgia, where many voters have become anxious — even angry — at what they perceive as the staggering burden of illegal immigration. There is a backlash brewing — a rising tide of frustration born of resentment over schools forced to accommodate non-English speakers, hospital emergency rooms beset by uninsured patients and perceptions of higher crime rates.
Over the past decade, the immigrant population has grown faster in Georgia than in nearly all other states. Immigrants — with and without documents — find work in carpet mills in Dalton, poultry plants in Rome, farms in South Georgia and construction companies throughout metro Atlanta.
But Bush failed to call for the one policy change that would make the greatest difference in deterring illegal border crossings: harsh penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers. Most illegal immigrants, especially those who come in through the porous Mexican border, are drawn to this country by the promise of work. If jobs dried up, the torrent of illegal immigrants entering the United States would diminish to a trickle. And the best way to curb the hiring is to put employers in prison for hiring illegally.
But the president didn't say one word about harsh penalties for businesses. That's because business executives are a core GOP constituency, and Bush doesn't want to risk alienating them.
Oh, he gave the usual lip service to the idea of responsible hiring. He spoke of his plan for providing temporary permits for immigrants to work in those industries that need their labor, and he described IDs that would be tamper-proof, thwarting the common practice of using fake IDs. He announced the expansion of a program called "Basic Pilot," an automated system through which businesses may determine whether a prospective employee is authorized to work in this country. Basic Pilot is now available for use nationwide. But employers are not required to use it.
Bush didn't say anything about business owners who knowingly hire illegal immigrants because their labor comes cheap: They will work for less than minimum wage; they don't seek health insurance; they don't complain about safety violations in the workplace.
It's not difficult for employers to check on the immigration status of prospective workers. The Social Security Administration maintains a database of all Social Security numbers. It's easy enough for employers to learn whether a worker's number is valid. But many employers don't do that.
While many industries claim they can't find willing American workers, the truth is that they could find more Americans willing to do tough, dirty jobs if they paid more for their labor. Is it true that poultry plants couldn't find enough Americans to fill job openings? Or is it more likely they couldn't find enough American laborers for the wages they were willing to pay?
Of course, the higher labor prices would be passed on to consumers if the Bush administration and Congress really cracked down on illegal hiring. Homebuilders, for example, get to squeeze out a bit more profit when they use illegal workers, but they also pass some of the savings on to consumers. Houses are cheaper — and so is chicken, farm produce and lawn care, among other things — because illegal immigrants do so much of the labor. Americans who denounce illegal immigrants may not have calculated the additional costs they'd incur once that labor disappears.
It's easy to bash illegal immigrants. They are desperate; they are vulnerable; they don't vote. But they are here only because we've developed a bipolar policy that devours their cheap labor while discouraging their assimilation. If we are serious about curbing illegal immigration, the place to start is with business owners who hire illegal workers.
• Cynthia Tucker is the editorial page editor. Her column appears Wednesdays and Sundays.
Cynthis Tucker likes to pay fast and loose with the facts, doesn't she? (She's a witch with a capital B)
BS
I don't think any McDonald's hires illeagals knowingly. I'll even bet thier I-9 compliance is close to 100%. So due process would not produce the result you advocate.
The root of the problem is that our government is paying huge numbers of Americans to sit on their asses collecting "welfare", and is subsidizing huge numbers of pseudo-students to attend "college" where they party a lot and major in worthless garbage that will never get them a job. Cut off the gravy train and there will plenty of US citizens lining up for these jobs.
OK Jose Martinez, you name perfectly mathces your SS name of Leroy Smith, you are hired.
That is not even close to true. You need to do a little research on the "Basic Pilot Project". President Bush made reference to it in his speech the other day. It is available to all employers nationwide. Unfortunately it is optional and President Bush made no mention of making it mandatory which provides a pretty good clue that he is not serious about fixing this problem. The employers who should be using it, like construction companies, are the ones who are opting not to use it.
The Basic Pilot Project allows any employer to make a 60 second phone call (that is not an expensive background check) to determine if a potential employee's social security number is valid and whether the number matches the name given by the employee. I believe this service is also available through the internet. It is completely legal to deny employment on the basis of this simple and very cheap check as long as it is done in a nondiscriminatory manner. It would be discriminatory to employ white people who failed this check and deny employment to Hispanics who failed it but so long as you deny everybody employment whose name does not match their social security number it is legal.
The very simple check provided by the Basic Pilot Project would stop a great deal of illegal employment because most illegals are using fake social security cards where somebody just made up a number and they have no idea what name goes with that number or if that person is dead, retired, working or even not yet born.
If we were serious about solving this problem, employers would be held strictly liable for the legal status of their employees and the only safe harbor they would be given from prosecution if one is found in their employee is that they utilized the Basic Pilot Project when he was hired.
I think most employers are in compliace of laws therefore not maney would be fined or go to jail
Sure, send them home. No problem, but the reasoning in the article is almost to the extent that I should pay the bus fare.
Alternative fuels? Sure, possibly. Cost is obviously a big issue there, but you are not going to quickly reformulate all the herbicides and pesticides which a frequently petroleum based.
My main argument is do not burden me with more checking and compliance. We fail at the border and then its my job? Sorry, I don't think so. What about people that house them? Make them all homeless and jobless and then they'll go home. Gee, maybe that would drive up the price of housing?
Yes, you pay in taxes to subsidize, but to me it is like paying for our defense (I'm really mixed on the subsidy issue. I've never collected and would like to see them go, along with the FDA, ICC, EPA, Dept of ag and a myriad of other agencies that impede my ability to market products). Could we tool up quickly and produce our own oil, maybe (I kind of doubt it, but for the sake of argument I'll say yes). I do not think you can do the same farming and ranching - too much land and skill involved.
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
Well said. Sounds like mandatory use of the "Basic Pilot Project" or something very much like it would help significantly. It would not be perfect, but there is no "home run" here. Just lot's of incremental steps which would produce the desired result over time. Getting police to enforce immigration laws is also required (in my book).
Farmers get the benefit of illegal labor, and should pay the costs of compliance. There are ways available now (like the Basic Pilot Project) which are inexpensive. If we pay more for food, so be it. The net savings in taxes will more than make up the difference.
Dictatorship and citizen slave.
Only takes one illegal terr perp in the fields or food processing facilities to spread a deadly bio weapon.
Actually, I had a SSN number come back as belonging to a woman (Barbara), and the employee was a male hispanic. All I can legally do is tell Barbara aka Hector that his SSN didn't match. But I can't fire him. Not for that, anyway. (By the way, Hector got POed I called him Barbara and he quit)
Sure. you are right. Are you sure you trust me? And my paper work is in order.
I'll also note that another reason is not welfare, but rather the fact that people like you and me are well-paid, with enormous benefits. We're expensive.
Are you trustworty?
But if you're going to hold out illegal immigration as being a problem that needs fixing, then you need to fix the source of the problem, which is Americans paying people to cross the border illegally.
But maybe I'm mistaken about your position: do you think illegal immigration is a problem?
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