Construction work by illegals is also dangerous.
Years ago at a Bloomberg meeting, someone asked why the city allows it. Bloomberg: We can’t control it.
Surely that is not true! Real reason: Legitimate construction companies are too expensive for cheap landlords to use.
Side effect of nonlicensed construction companies is prejudice in hiring. Only Mexicans allowed.
Correct, but I’m not saying we should hire temporary foreign workers for construction. Those jobs are reserved for citizens or people with legitimated green cards awaiting citizenship.
I think it comes down to the following: If you paid enough, would you get Americans to do the work? I do believe this true for construction work of all kinds. If your wages are too low to get Americans to do the work, but an increased reasonable wage would, you still can’t violate the law by hiring illegals. Follow the law! We’re all REQUIRED to.
I’m not so sure about farm work. Picking vegetables, fruit, etc. is just something most people won’t do.
Of course, everyone has their price, no?
But how much would have to pay AMERICAN farm hands to pick lettuce? If you did, food prices go up. Since these kinds of jobs are also seasonal, I don’t know if anyone looking for a career would want them. Construction and other work is always going on. A general contractor who doesn’t always have project currently going on is probably not going to make it anyway.
But a farm?
And even so, I’m not opposed to these jobs being citizen only, but I’m not sure we can find them. Yes, they used to do it. And there’s a lot to be said for hard work outdoors, fresh air, build strong bodies etc., but I think the Millennials and Generation (? current new one) are too lazy or not motivated enough.
Again, I could see giving temporary seasonal agricultural visas to Mexicans that the employer needs to guarantee to assist return to Mexico when done, or legally transfer contract to another farmer, say, further North whose crop is now ready for harvest.