Study Gives Snapshot Of Day Laborers

WBBM.COM ^ | 01-23-2006 | AP

[Flyer]

The native of Mexico has been in the United States seven years

Seven years and still doing day labor. It must suit him well. Maybe he doesn't like rigid schedules or having to dress to please an employer. He can take off any day he wants and turn down work he doesn't like.

This man wants to be a day laborer. He could get hired at a conventional job today.

[Mike Darancette]

Now if no payment was made for workers comp (or unemployment insurance for that matter), the employee should not collect for either illegals or citizens.

Employers are required to pay those amounts, but I don't imagine those amounts are being paid for people being picked up at street corners.

If an illegal gets injured on your property while working for you, he could sue you. If the government has to pay for the illegals medical bills through Medicaid, they can probably sue you (why should the taxpayers subsidize cheap labor). Since you are ostensibly breaking the law by hiring an illegal not to mention not withholding, your homeowners may not cover it.

[M. Dodge Thomas]

The expenses for living in the U.S. are far higher than living in Mexico and if they have substantial settings enough in Mexico (and wherever else) to actually HAVE "families" (a wife and children), it seems to me that they are very likely to also already have established homes in Mexico (and wherever) and, sneaking into the U.S. and remaining here for years on end illegally certainly does not seem realistic, nor responsible, for anyone who DOES have a wife and children.

IMO, it's hard for many Americans to appreciate how poor much of Mexico is; by comparison the economic prospects of a illegal worker in the US sending money home can look pretty attractive - and not only can such workers do this, large numbers in fact actually actually do so.

As a group Mexicans living and working illegally in the US not only manage to pay their living expenses but also manage to send around 15% of their total earnings back to Mexico, the Pew Trust study estimates this flow at around $10,000,000,000 a year - a pretty vivid demonstration that such work is a common and realistic way to support family members remaining in Mexico.

Given that this is a contribution to the Mexican economy at least as large as total earnings from tourism, such numbers suggest that not only individual Mexican families but the Mexican economy as a whole derives a significant portion of its activity from the savings of Mexicans working illegally in the US.

To stop illegal immigration of such workers by penalizing the workers rather than their employers you not only have to make their lives unpleasant, you have to make it more unpleasant than at home - which if home is Mexican poverty and unemployment is pretty tough to do.

So IMO if you wan to slow illegal immigration for economic gain you have to penalize someone who actully has someting something to lose... that is, their employers.

[norton]

What the study conveniently ignores is that these 'community minded' stand arounds do not contribute to OUR community. They maintain their own - latin american - society isolated from the rest of us.
Do most of them go to church, of course, out here the Catholic church provides freebies, food programs, safe haven, and political support for illegals from the south. The Churches they attend in California are populated by people just like them and use familiar rites and language.
If you want proof, try talking to a hand full of them; seven or more years in the US and it still takes a translator.

Oh, did I mention that their kids have no reason whatever to accept what they are GIVEN in school and have no respect for the general community...and that no one expects it from them.

[VOA]

IIRC, some professor at Pepperdine U. did a study of Los Angeles day laborers.
He found that they did NOT want to be given legitimate governmental status.
Even these refugees from Mexico recognize the benefits of not being
tangled in our taxation and "social security" system.

[arizonarachel]

I don't know about the employee having money deducted for workers comp - because they are illigals, they are paid generally cash under the table and the employees aren't reported by the employer. Like the study said, most of the people who hire the illigals are homeowners to do work around the house, and homeowners don't usually carry workman's comp.

[seastay]

"Doesn't seem any worse than the native born welfare and housing project trash who I have dealt with."

isnt any better either is it? This is supposed to be our standard? We might as will let bank robbers go free; after all they stole no more money than the last guy! Seriously I find the description of this type of activity great additions to our community, and that it is no worse than it gets saddening to say the least!

[dalereed]

"if the employee had money deducted for workers comp insurance"

That isn't a deductable item, it's totally the expense of the employer.

[dalereed]

Homeowners that hire them should be arrested!

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

A 178-unit public-housing project for 'low-income Latinos' opened in my neighborhood last year and almost immediately the graffiti started showing up.

Same thing has happened in Green Bay.

Illegal aliens have taken over an apt complex and reduced the adjacent properties in value.

[Bulldaddy]

bump