If the United States wants to address the problem of illegal immigration, a number of constructive solutions have been proposed--including requiring the federal government to decide conclusively who is eligible to work and who is not. More secure borders might also be part of the mix. Both are within the federal government's exclusive authority.
But when Congress enacted the 1986 act, it took a significant step toward abdicating federal responsibility in this area. It will take Congress--not more enforcement against businesses--to fix that fundamental flaw. The place to start looking for that fix is at the border and within the bureaucracy, not in the boardroom.
Innovation is the product of necessity. Punish employers and they will find a way to regulate themselves. That people like the construction industry, or agriculture. are unkowingly employing illegals is pure BS. It is one thing to find an illegal in a crew of 100, and quite another to have a Tyson's Foods. I say throw the book at them; they have stolen enough from us.
This is an important point. It is totally unrealistic to put enforcement on the backs of businesses - who have no investigatory facilities, no enforcement powers and in fact are set up to do something entirely different (such as make a product!) - when even the police cannot determine somebody's real identity when they arrest him and scads of documents fall out of his pocket.
Immigration control is the responsibility of the government, not of private businesses.
What we are facing right now is the cumulative result of decades of bad, unrealistic and ideologically motivated "immigration" policy. The Dems don't want to fix it because they are afraid of losing their large illegal alien voting bloc, and the GOP doesn't want to fix it because it would mean making hard choices that might give the Dems some propaganda ammunition.
Forbes is dead wrong on this issue. I understand that they are defending their territory (the businessman) but targeting employers is the quickest way to dry up illegal immigration. That and a border fence would solve 80% of the problem.
Illegals might be beyond the long arm of the law because there are so many of them but if businesses are targeted and the jobs dry up the incentive to cross the border will be mostly gone. Not that I have any confidence at all that congress and the prez will lift even a little pinkie to do anything.
Forbes and the Wall Street Journal are all for illegal alien employment. The big business lobby's insistence that businesses bear no responsibility for hiring illegals is what will make the Republican politicians cave and propose a "guest worker" amnesty. The result will be that masses of conservatives won't vote in Nov. and then Forbes and the WSJ will whine that the Dems won the election. The big business lobby just doesn't understand that there aren't enough millionaires in the US to elect anyone.
Hitting business will reduce job offers to illegals which in turn will reduce the numbers coming in.
Same with welfare/education/driving licenses.
Reduce jobs and perks and benefits and the number will start to dwindle.
"Immigration Reform On Whose Dime? "
Who else but LEGAL tax payers!
"Tyson Foods, the world's largest meat producer, shut 5 of 9 beef plants and 4 of 6 pork plants in anticipation of widespread absences. Perdue Farms, the nation's third-largest chicken producer, closed eight processing plants in seven states. Cargill Meat Solutions, the nation's second-largest beef processor, gave more than 15,000 workers the day off and closed plants in six states."
"Most employers support rallies"
Ilana DeBare, San Francisco Chronicle
Tuesday, May 2, 2006
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/02/IMMIGWORK.TMP
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1625091/posts
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
If someone took note of the businesses that were closed Monday, those would be a good place to start. Prices WILL rise if these companies are forced to use legal employees but, in the long run, it will be better for the country.
A simple three step process to discourage illegal employment:
Step 1: When you observe a landscaper truck or construction crew that is obviously employing illegal labor, note the number on the side of the truck and the address of the homeowner who has contracted for this work.
Step 2: Call the company and ask if they can demonstrate that they employ only legal workers and US citizens. If they cannot or will not, proceed to...
Step 3: Write a letter to the happy homeowner, to inform him that he might, in effect, be the direct employer of several illegal aliens, and may be subject to the criminal penalties that can result from employing people without requring documentation.
Given the nature of casual employment, often the workers are treated as independent sub-contractors, who are paid for the work performed, but are not employees of the company that has contracted to do the work. As a result, their ultimate employment relationship is not with the company, but with the homeowner, and it is the homeowner's responsibility to perform due diligence to ensure he is employing legal labor and that taxes are collected and paid.
Now most homeowners are will look the other way, because they are getting a good deal. I would bet dollars to donuts, though, that lot's of them don't realize what they are opening themselves up to.
And, of course, there are the various insurance issues. If you are dealing with a company that is hiring employees illegally, you can bet your bottom dollar (in fact, you are!) that those employees are not covered by his liablity insurance or workman's compensation insurance. So when a worker cleaning the gutters takes a header off the ladder and will require lifelong medical care, it falls to the homeowner to duke it out with his homeowner's insurance company over whether or not this man is covered. And unless you carry excess liability umbrella coverage, the limits are so low that the money will be exhausted quickly, anyway.
The only responsible party in these transactions is the homeowner. He has the most to lose, and is in ultimate control. Homeowners have to be conditioned to demand legal labor and proof of insurance before they will contract with any service provider. He'll pay a little more up front, but will protect himself down the road.
The last time I hired a lot of people, it was back in the '80s. But back then, we had the old three-part form. It wasn't very complicated. You needed to get the documentation to fill out the form, or there was no employment contract.
They still have the same form today, OMB No. 1615-0047. It's not that complicated.
Employers who do not bother with this form are breaking the law.
Sorry, Forbes Magazine, but businesses which hire illegals are part of an unholy business/government alliance that dictates "look-the-other-way." As long as both are part of the problem and not part of the solution, the mess we have will continue.
Hah! The employers wink at fake documents, and seek out the illegals because they are subservient!
Pass the buck right back at them.