I've become more convinced that the pro-amnesty business lobby isn't necessarily pushing for legalized status per se. After all, why would they need/want legal workers who will cost exactly the same (and have the ability to sue over workplace violations, etc) as the previously employed citizens they replaced?
Rather, I think the driver is all about grandfathering-in civil lawsuit protections. These billion $ class-action lawsuits are just beginning to work their way through the system. That's why NO bill is much better than any bill for plaintiffs (ie US citizens). If the business lobby had their druthers, the amnesty bill would forgo amnesty/registration altogether, and focus purely on legal protection.
However, in order to get the deal done, they had to agree to certain compromises. OTOH, they're counting on having no enforcement so that they can once again start hiring illegals, so it's basically win-win for them.
Even legalized workers will work for less than most Americans. And it keeps the lower end of the wage scale depressed. Many of the major businesses are looking for cheaper sources of white collar labor. The current Senate bill doubles the current H1B visa numbers from 65,000 to 115,000 and then to 180,000. And the guest worker program adds another 200,000 jobs a year. So I think business does want this source of cheap, taxpayer subsidized labor.
Rather, I think the driver is all about grandfathering-in civil lawsuit protections. These billion $ class-action lawsuits are just beginning to work their way through the system. That's why NO bill is much better than any bill for plaintiffs (ie US citizens). If the business lobby had their druthers, the amnesty bill would forgo amnesty/registration altogether, and focus purely on legal protection.
Grsssroots organizations are springing up all over the country to challenge the presence of these huge numbers of illegals. Oklahoma has passed some very tough legislation. The best way to counter this opposition is to legalize the status of everyone here, which undermines most of these laws and opposition. And then there is the matter of enforcement, which no one believes will happen to any great extent, especially for small businesses.