Posted on 12/23/2005 5:23:41 AM PST by xzins
Employers may have to get Uncle Sam's permission to hire future workers.
That's the effect of a new requirement in the House's immigration reform bill. Two years after enactment, employers would have to submit the Social Security numbers or alien identification numbers of new hires to the federal government, which would compare these numbers to government databases. The government would then notify the employer whether the individual is eligible to work.
The provision is aimed at ending the widespread use of phony Social Security numbers by illegal immigrants looking for work in the United States.
Employers currently are required to ask prospective employees for evidence of their eligibility to work in this country, but it's often difficult to determine whether immigrants' documents are authentic.
"There are a lot of great fake IDs out there," says Kelly Knott, a lobbyist with the Associated General Contractors of America.
As a result, American businesses employ millions of illegal immigrants.
Members of Congress who want to stop the flow of illegal immigration to the United States contend that ending these foreigners' ability to find jobs here is just as important as increasing security along the nation's borders.
For employers, the proposed employee verification system "means the 'I didn't know' defense isn't going to cut it anymore," says Rep. Dan Issa, R-Calif.
System only small pilot now Business lobbyists say the employee verification system won't work. It's based on a pilot program now used by only 3,500 businesses. Making the program mandatory for all employers could cause significant problems because of the system's inability to detect identity theft, and government delays in entering and verifying data, the Government Accountability Office reports.
"Any time you take such a small program ... and expand it to millions and millions of employers, there most likely are going to be some glitches," Knott says.
Businesses are especially concerned about a requirement to check all employees' Social Security numbers -- not just new hires -- within six years. That's "an enormous undertaking," says Laura Reiff, an immigration attorney at Greenberg Traurig and co-chairwoman of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition.
The House Judiciary Committee rejected an attempt to remove this requirement from the bill. Doing so would gut the bill, says committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis. He says businesses that employ hundreds of illegal aliens are "21st century slave masters."
Business groups also are upset about what Sensenbrenner didn't include in his bill: a guest worker program or some other legal channel for businesses to employ more people from other countries.
Economic implications Cutting off the stream of illegal immigrants while providing no legal means to fill businesses' need for workers "seems like the perfect storm to cripple the economy," says Geoff Burr, director of legislative affairs for Associated Builders and Contractors.
"You're kissing away huge amounts of U.S. industries," says Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., citing agriculture, tourism, hospitality and construction in particular.
Business lobbyists say immigrants are needed to fill jobs that can't be filled by Americans.
That "isn't a lie, but it isn't the whole story," says Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., leader of the anti-immigration movement in the House. These businesses can't find workers "for what they're willing to pay," he says.
Even in construction, where immigrants make up one-fourth of the work force, the unemployment rate for native-born Americans is 11%, reports the Center for Immigration Studies, an anti-immigration research organization.
"There is quite a lot of unutilized labor in the United States," says Steven Camarota, director of research at CIS.
Construction industry lobbyists, however, say they've been trying for years to get young Americans interested in their profession but still face labor shortages despite an average wage of $19 an hour.
"A high school is not considered successful by how many people it sends to the construction industry," Knott says.
Senate may help businesses
Business lobbyists hope the Senate will include a guest worker program when it takes up immigration reform next year and they'll end up with a bill more to their liking.
That's exactly what Tancredo fears.
He predicts there will be "a lot of hoopla" about the House immigration bill, which was expected to pass by Dec. 16, but its enforcement provisions will be undermined by the Senate's demand for a guest worker program.
When the final bill emerges from a House-Senate conference, "it will be very, very ugly," he predicts. "I am very worried about it."
It's already being done. The SSA's "no match" letters for both employers and employees identify mismatches between reported W-2 data and the SSA Master Earnings File. But, that "enormous undertaking" equals big bucks for lawyers, eh?
I don't understand businesses defending such uneconomical Latino labor. Build the damn fence, put troops on the Mexican border, whatever.
Why hire five-dollar-an-hour Hispanic migrant labor when Red China has 800 million peasant citizens many of whom would work here unlimited hours for a dollar an hour and a clean place to sleep on the premises.
I thought businessmen understood economics.
Need 50 million? 100 million? Chinese workers. Just ask.
Technical workers too! The Chi-coms have millions of them. Maybe ten dollars an hour tops -- all have perfect GPAs and perfect scores on the GRE. All ten feet tall just ask Silicon Valley tech firms.
"Even in construction, where immigrants make up one-fourth of the work force, the unemployment rate for native-born Americans is 11%, reports the Center for Immigration Studies, an anti-immigration research organization."
!/4th mu eye!! In California construction jobs are close to 3/4ths illegal, thus wiping out our middle class blue collar construction workers.
You raise an excellent point: If there's a guest worker provision, what's to prevent those workers from being Chinese?
That is one reason to force a rise in the minimum wage....if a guest worker program is instituted, then make sure the company has to pay a higher minimum wage on those workers just like they would on American workers.
The bottom line is that the multi-national corps will continue to leave the US and simply import their products. Ford & GM both are closing plants and announcing new factories in other countries....almost in the same press release.
What is a CAPITALIST way of solving that problem?
ping
What makes you think that they even talked to any?
ping
Start building the fence.
It should be made a felony for Criminals who overstay their visas and Invaders.
I believe we should give amnesty to these poor CRIMINALS or INVADERS.
This should be a 2 week amnesty to get the heck out of our Country.
The ones who ignore this amnesty should be buried in a tent city jail and fined $10,000 or buried elsewhere.
All aiders and abettors of these CRIMINALS or INVADERS should get 1 year in a tent city jail and a $10,000 fine for each CRIMINAL aided.
Those in government should be the first ones charged.
So, the businesses who protest, send INS, or Border control and check for illegal aliens. We will probably find and be able to deport a lot of them.
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
That's exactly what Tancredo fears. When the final bill emerges from a House-Senate conference, "it will be very, very ugly," he predicts. "I am very worried about it."
Tancredo's fear of a "guest worker", watered down Senate version is warranted. Let's keep applying pressure to our Representatives and Senators to produce a strong, enforceable conference report on immigration.
"The SSA's "no match" letters for both employers and employees identify mismatches between reported W-2 data and the SSA Master Earnings File"
I don't know what the current rules are but it used to be a $50 penalty even for a misstyped SS# on a report. I closed my 55 year old construction co. in 1992 and a big part of the reason was I couldn't compete with the companies hiring illegals and wouldn't join their filth.
Their savings aren't just in what they pay in wages which in CA are currently $18-25/hr. cash with no deductions or comp insurance payments. A lot of them knowing that they are illegals make the deductions and pocket the money which further increases their profit.
In 92 when I shut down they were paying illegals $12-15/hr cash and my wages were costing me $23 plus $7.80 in fringe benefits which made it imposible to compete no matter what the rate of production or quality of work.
This posting hits on an aspect of the immigration debate most don't talk about: the business community is just as much a part of the problem as the politically correct crowd.
The scandal of border security is a bipartisan scandal.
"...why not have a central system confirm that valid SS nos. are being used, and that the owner has not reported identity theft?"
... and approve all hires for all businesses throughout the US in advance? (must have consistency, eh?) The idea that conservatives have so devolved as to give this federal overreach a big Hell Yea is depressing indeed.
Stop eating chicken, beef, pork, and produce.
"Construction industry lobbyists, however, say they've been trying for years to get young Americans interested in their profession but still face labor shortages despite an average wage of $19 an hour.
"A high school is not considered successful by how many people it sends to the construction industry," Knott says."
Total lies.
Go to your nearest trade tech high school and ask the kids who poses the greatest threat to them getting jobs in their chosen trades and without exception, they'll answer "illegals" .
Yeah, they're kissing away big chunks of the economy - that could be filled by American workers.. like say jobs filled for a US based lumber company who uses large numbers of mexicans to do it's inventory work. They apparently travel from job to job and seem to have One guy in the bunch that can speak any english. I ran into such a group this week in my home town of all places. When I say "ran into" I rang sales up for them. Not one of them had any visable id in their wallets. The only visable id of any kind they did have was "84 lumber" on their hats and jackets. Illegals? Mere coincidence?
In my area there are college graduates working at McDonalds...And it's not by choice...
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