Thanks for posting.
There are a number of things that people (like the grandma in the story) do not consider, when hiring a crew of cheaper but “undocumented” workers.
1. Contractors who hire them to save money, are prolly doing other things to save money, too. Namely, skimp on insurance and bonding. This makes the homeowner liable for any injuries on the job. Courts across the US have ruled on this repeatedly. Some amigos who have been seriously injured have won multi-million dollar judgments from HOMEOWNERS.
2. Contrary to popular thought, construction is SKILLED, and not unskilled labor. Hiring someone who possibly completed sixth grade in Mexico (but likely dropped out in the fourth grade) to be a pair of hands is cheap, but foolish. Wait until the next “big one” hits CA, and you’ll see what unfettered illegal immigration costs, in terms of workmanship. It will be measured in how many homes simply collapse out of shortcuts in skilled labor, materials, and building regulations. Just watch. And because they don’t speak English, and are barely fluent in proper Spanish, btw, they cannot understand instructions!
3. Being undocumented also means this: you have no idea of the true identity or background of this worker. Meaning: this kind grandma (who may be living alone) has hired a worker who now knows that there is this elderly, trusting little ol’ lady, living at 123 Main Street. And this worker, who may be the salt of the earth, has friends and family, who may not be the same. People talk. IMO, this lady has been exposed as a possible soft target for crime. For all she knows, this guy could have been a wanted rapist back home. That is what UNDOCUMENTED means...you have no official identity or record!
When my sister, who is a lawyer, had her home built, she kindly informed ALL contractors: Your employees had better all be legal to work in the US or else. She also warned them that she reserved the right to check the “papers” of their crew, and to call ICE if necessary. Because she did that, she put food on the tables of some Americans. Instead of enabling some amigo to work under the table and send a good chunk of that to Mexico, while the US taxpayers are supporting his family with benefits.
Amen. I have heard about shoddy work by illegals over and over. I watched a crew of tree trimmers, contracted by the local utility, cut the trees in my back yard. ALL of them spoke broken English-no one can convince me that they are all here legally. Eight Americans could be doing that work. I do not want to here the BS that Americans will not do that work.
When a governor of a border state finally cracks down on these companies that hire illegals and takes away the welfare and benefits from illegals, they illegals will self-deport. That will demonstrate a significant decrease in crime, emergency services, classroom size, welfare enrollment, etc. It will demonstrate that each and every illegal is costing each and every American way too much. The new math will read illegal + immigrants = lost $$$$
Being half of a Hispanic, people frequently ask me to find them “a good Mexican” concrete man, carpenter, roofer, whatever.
Not wanting to get into a scolding session, I always tell them: yes, I have lots of Mexican customers but they are the LEGAL variety (as a mortgage broker my first question is, “Do you have a social security card? Let’s copy that and your drivers license”).
When they find out that I only have contacts who are US born or here legally, they seem to lose interest quick.
Sad. Everybody wants to get away cheap. Without thinking about the consequences long-term.
When I have work done on my house I do the same thing your sis does. I tell anyone I ask for a bid that I do NOT have illegal aliens on my property for any reason. Where I live I have had many of them simply not call back.