Brown wants to exclude illegal immigrants from wage abuse cases

The Milford Daily News (MA) ^ | January 6, 2010 | Staff

[keepitreal]

FRAMINGHAM — State Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, today filed legislation that would require the state Attorney General to receive and document proof of citizenship or right to work in the United States for wage enforcement cases.

Historically, the Attorney General’s office has adopted a policy of not asking about immigration status of employees when proceeding with a wage enforcement case against an employer.

Under the bill filed by Brown, who is also a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, wage enforcement cases would require valid proof of citizenship or immigration status before proceeding.

“This is a responsible and effective immigration reform that prevents those who are here illegally from receiving the same benefits as taxpaying Massachusetts citizens,” said Brown in a press release. “It also cracks down on employers who hire illegal immigrants at lower wages by communicating with federal authorities and holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

[pnh102]

Thats probably the fastest and cheapest way to end the illegal immigrant problem,make it a felony punishable by 5 to 10 years in a hardcore Federal prison for the responsible person in human resources AND a fine of around 50 percent of the companies assets for hiring anyone who doesn`t have verifiable documentation of legal residency or citizenship.

That's exactly the way to do it. The updated fines posted above are chump change for any major business.

[Cathy]

No, No, No.

What you are proposing is to take care of the illegal immigration on the back end by tackling the co’s that hire them after the fact. That is backasswards.

#1 - It is absolutely correct to not allow illegal immigrants complaints in court when they are being hired illegally.

#2 - Logic dictates that if you take care of the problem up front, we won’t have to worry about these cases.

Now, you may be thinking I am living in la-la land, but giving illegals solutions to their illegal hiring is absolutely crazy. Take care of the illegal hiring and the wage disputes will not exist. I hope the soon-to-be Senator extrapilates his reasoning to this degree and does not get hounded by those that want to operate the system (of dealing with illegals) as it is, which is non-existant!

[nomad]

I don`t know about that,would you like to do 5 to 10 in a federal prison for your boss?Or lose half of your company`s assets,I`m not just talikng about a cash fine,I mean the doors are closed and the property seized along with all capital assets, machinery, inventory, associated properties and ALL bank assets.Half of EVERYTHING,gone!And that could be for every single illegal hired,how many are there?10, well then thats 10*10=100 years in the joint for whoever hired them, plus 50% then 50% of whats left and 50% more,so on and so on, till there's virtually nothing left.I think the greed of the statists would win out over pandering to the illegal`s community organizers.

[kamikaze2000]

Employers should face real consequences for the “wink wink, nudge nudge” they engage in. I think serious jail time and forfeiture of the business assets for business owners or hiring managers who are convicted of knowingly hiring illegals is a good start.

On the other hand, why should illegals have any recourse in court for being underpaid? Drug dealers can’t sue their employers for being underpaid...at least not that I know of. If illegal immigration weren’t rewarded and encouraged by the government, it wouldn’t still be happening to the degree it is now.

[gubamyster]

ping

[RebelTXRose]

You are SO right! I stand corrected!

[RebelTXRose]

Yep - and the workers comp ins carriers should be able to ask for all papers for workers before paying ONE PENNY toward a work related accident. If that type of “on the hook” liability existed directly to these employers, they just might not hire them.

I know of an EXPENSIVE work comp claim for an illegal that isnt’ costing the employer much past the premium.

[Little Ray]

(psst: If they cost more, employers are less likely to hire illegals. If you combine that with enforcement of sanctions against employers hiring illegal aliens, you might be able to shut the employment market to them altogether...)

[greatplains]

Bingo! It’s not rocket science. The company where I work is required to confirm citizenship status. If you are here legally, no prob. If not, sorry, no job for you. Next?

[RebelTXRose]

So how much paper has been wasted on I-9’s? I know I have to complete one... in fact I’m a little miffed that the new parent company says I don’t have one when I know there is one in my paper file!

[C210N]

I think I like this guy !

For those not able to meet and greet Scott in person, here he is at a gathering of supporters at the Colonial Inn, Concord MA (a few minutes walk to the Olde North Bridge and other historic sites) this past Monday:

Part 1 Part 2

[Little Ray]

Just went through the same thing. Had to retrieve my SS card from the safe deposit box.
Why that little piece of pasteboard qualifies as ID, I’ll never know...

[ZULU]

Employers who knowing hire illegals should be put out of business, their assets should be liquidated and the returns on those assets employed to defray the cost of apprehanding, incarcerating and repatriating illegals.

Fines can be written off as mere business expenses if the profits realized are great enough.