Thread: Federal crackdown on illegal workers could cripple building,

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/ ... -headlines

By Ruth Morris
Staff Writer
Posted December 20 2005


Since slipping across the Mexican border and making his way to Lake Worth, Ramiro has tried his hand at dry walling and yard work, and even spent a few months stooped over pepper plants as a harvester. But whatever the task at hand, there has been one constant during his 18 months of employment: His bosses have never asked to see identification.

"They never ask us for papers, in any job," said Ramiro, who asked to be identified by his first name only because of his illegal status. "Even if you give them a false document, they put you to work."

Conservative legislators are seeking to address this legal blind spot with tough new sanctions on employers who hire undocumented workers. But labor and industry groups worry that an undisciplined crackdown could jeopardize key sectors that depend on the immigrant work force.

A bill passed in the House of Representatives on Friday night drastically increases the penalties for employers found to have undocumented workers on their payrolls. The most sweeping provision of the bill would require that all employers in the country, more than 7 million, confirm the authenticity of employees' Social Security numbers against a national database of legitimate numbers or face stiff new fines of as much as $25,000 per violation.

While a Senate version of the bill likely will take a softer approach when it is considered in February, including a temporary worker plan, analysts characterized the House bill as an opening salvo, and Florida employers were quick to take note.

Flying low, and largely uncomplaining, about 8 million illegal immigrants currently work in the United States under employers who either neglect to verify their workers' immigration status or unquestioningly accept false documents. While the congressional debate focuses mainly on the Southwest, the impact of reform would be significant in Florida, home to an estimated 850,000 illegal immigrants, the third-largest number behind California and New York.

The workers do much of the heavy lifting in Florida's construction industry and pick much of the produce in Florida fields.

"Without some way to temporarily legalize that work force, this could have a devastating effect rather quickly," said Walter Kates, director of labor relations for the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association in Maitland.

While exact numbers are impossible to come by, Kates estimated up to 90 percent of the farm workers in some parts of Florida are here illegally, and he warned that prices would surge on everything from tomatoes to grapefruit to celery stalks if employers were cut off from that labor pool.

Those supporting tougher employer sanctions say it's high time employers were brought to task. Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants are deported every year, they say, while only a smattering of companies feels the heat. Supporters also hope to eliminate the "jobs magnet" that brings more than 500,000 immigrants scrambling across U.S. borders without documents every year.

Current law states that employers cannot knowingly hire illegal immigrants, but it stops short of enforcing the kinds of document checks that would put employers in the know. A pilot program run by the Department of Homeland Security helps employers to identify false documents, such as Social Security cards, but the checks are voluntary and rely on a database with a wide margin of error.

Not all workers tell the Social Security Administration when they get married and change their name, for example, which might prompt an alert. Other parts of the House bill called for tighter border security and extended federal immigration enforcement authority to local police.

"We think a lot of workers, including U.S. citizens, would lose their jobs, and that this would really disrupt the workplace," said Michelle Waslin, a spokeswoman for the National Council of La Raza civil rights group, which lobbied against the bill. "Employers would be fearful of hiring anyone who looks or sounds foreign."

Outside the agriculture sector, experts said, landscaping contractors, nurseries and restaurants could be hit with higher labor costs as they compete for a smaller group of potential employees. Representatives of the construction industry said they were already facing labor shortages after Florida was battered by several home-wrecking hurricanes this season, and fluctuations in the work force could easily push construction costs higher. That, in turn, could translate into higher prices for homes.

Edie Ousley, a spokeswoman for the Florida Home Builders Association, said the state's construction industry has 14,000 vacancies for roofers, electricians and other workers. She said the association is in favor of bolstering border security, but she referred to the employer verification push as "an aggressive mandate on employers in an unworkable time frame."

Other employers said they would support immigration reform that included a temporary worker program in line with a vague proposal by President Bush. The plan would bring more immigrants to the United States legally, collect taxes from them and track their crossings. Critics charge the plan amounts to a blanket amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Greg Schell, managing attorney for the Migrant Farmworker Justice Project in Lake Worth, said regardless of what happens in coming weeks and months, employer sanctions signal an important shift in sentiment toward enforcement-heavy policies.

"This is not a good time to be an immigrant," he said. But, he added, "This is disastrous for employers. If the engine is deprived of fuel, the car grinds to a halt."

So what?

How long do you think it would be until those houses were sprouting up like mushrooms?

Americans would be trained to build them, you don't think so?

All the money would stay in America, and we wouldn't have to shell out for transfer payments for foreigners.

The developers might have to pay labor what it is worth.

So what? cheers glenn

"We think a lot of workers, including U.S. citizens, would lose their jobs, and that this would really disrupt the workplace," said Michelle Waslin, a spokeswoman for the National Council of La Raza civil rights group, which lobbied against the bill. "Employers would be fearful of hiring anyone who looks or sounds foreign."

Yeah Lobbied against it with Tax Payers money. I can't wait for the Tax payers to catch wind of this. Say good bye to your grants NCLR. NO more MOON Missions for NCLR.

While a Senate version of the bill likely will take a softer approach when it is considered in February, including a temporary worker plan, analysts characterized the House bill as an opening salvo, and Florida employers were quick to take note.

"Softer approach"? Is this like being "soft on crime"? Is this like being a Mushy Politician? Is this like "getting your Puffs out and cryin' over your lost illegal profits?" Is this like bein' a PANSY? Is this like being a SENATE SISSY? Throw the Girlie-Men Out of the Senate and get US SOME REAL MEN AND WOMEN IN THERE!!

The workers do much of the heavy lifting in Florida's construction industry and pick much of the produce in Florida fields.

Pleeease. I can lift more than most of them.....because I'm Five Foot 8. And what are they "lifting" exactly in the "construction industry" that wouldn't be better handled by a little piece of equipment called a FORKLIFT!! Who are you tryin' to con here, Mister.

While exact numbers are impossible to come by, Kates estimated up to 90 percent of the farm workers in some parts of Florida are here illegally, and he warned that prices would surge on everything from tomatoes to grapefruit to celery stalks if employers were cut off from that labor pool.

Well then bring it on. It's about time SOMETHING SURGED in the United States beside the foreign birth rate, illegal population, and national debt. Lets get us some high-priced tomato, grapefuit and celery stalks. Bring it on. We can handle it. In fact, WE WANT HIGHER PRICED AMERICAN-PICKED TOMATO, GRAPEFRUIT AND CELERY STALK PRICES and WE WANT THEM NOW!!

See folks....these people are pansy-asses tryin' to scare us with "heavy lifting" and higher prices for "celery stalks". I'm not afraid. Are you?



We are the Americans in the Land of the Free and the HOME OF THE BRAVE.

I could give a damn about our economy collapsing because of a sudden deportation process involving millions of illegals. I'm ready to tuff it out. I know we would recover..recover with American citizens as the workers who replaced the illegal workers. Business would scramble to hire anyone looking for work. Workers would scramble at the opportunities. Problem is the globalists keep telling us that immigrants (never specify legal status) are needed for our economy. I say if we have to hire criminals to help with the work, then there are too many businesses and we live in a bogus nation. IF A BUSINESS CANNOT USE LEGAL WORKERS AND STILL MAKE MONEY..THEY HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING IN BUSINESS.

What's that, you want to start a business? Here, let us help you because business is more important than any law that we have. So, go right ahead and do anything you need to do in order to make money. We won't say a thing! If you need help, let us know and we will either ignore our laws or change them to suit the needs of any businesses you may have, legal or not!

Heads should roll for this mentality.

wow now illegal workers are a magic talisman that protects the united states economy from imminent collaspe-

must be they black beans

or is that more fear based hog wash ??????
because the invasion started here in oregon around the 80s and we've had two depressions since then - all those low wage pedros and marias havent protected or helped the living standards here at all-
also I think the construction industry - a notorious one at that- just does not want to hire middle-aged men or women who might want these jobs - age discrimination- if we weren't hearing about the race card all the time we might hear more about that-

Right on Rockfish and thelma...who cares if our economy collapses? It's our economy in our country. If it collapses enforcing our will, fine, we'll rebuild it our way with Americans with high pay and huge benefits and we'll buy up all those collapsed companies for 15 cents on the dolla.

Golly darn, in fact, I can hardly wait until it collapses. We're gonna all be RICH!! Everyone!! We'll have no poverty because we won't have any FAT CATS to feed. We'll have make big wages and big salaries because we won't have CROOKED POLITICIANS suckin' up our money. We'll have Savings and ZERO DEBT, because all those CREDIT PREDATORS went broke! Everyone will have a second chance at new life, a better life, through bankruptcy because we know everyone gets kicked in the teeth with disease and illness and tragedies and other things they didn't anticipate because there won't be any FAT CATS, CROOKED POLITICIANS or CREDIT PREDATORS in the United States trying manipulate ownership of our properties and assests through the BACK DOOR.

You want to make a secured loan at 7%? Then make one creditors.

You want to make an unsecured loan at 23%? Then find you some customers.

But if you want to make an unsecured loan and charge 23% interest, then by God it stays unsecured. Got it? Hey FAT CATS and CREDIT PREDATORS NO converting an unsecured loan, collecting 23% interest into a secured loan through the CROOKED POLITICIANS and a change to the federal bankruptcy law. You all are devious thieves and illicit humans not worthy to walk the streets of the United States so pack your bags because what you plan.....will never happen in the United States.

That law is going to be repealed. Mark my Words and then start runnin' because we're going to investigate who you paid to get that law changed, including the President who made this disgusting act of treason a prideful part of his second term agenda and SuperGlue all your butts to big fat orange jumpsuits for CORRUPTION AND RACKETEERING in the United States Congress.

OH yes...there is absolutely no reason why doing "bidness" with the US Congress would be exempt from organized crime laws.

I mean afterall, isn't that where most of it originates? Why, yes, it is.

Shocked? Why would you be? Unless you made the fatal error of assuming we were all stupid.

The fact is: None of US are stupid. We've just let you roll and toll far too long. In other words, you no longer bore US, you intrigue US, you enrage US, you have OUR FULL FOCUS NOW. In otherwords, you went too far.



And we're gonna nail you to the wall and throw tomatoes and not wipe your faces. Ever tried to scratch dried tomatoes off something?

Oooh, this is gonna be fun!!

I'm with Rockfish on this. I've been saying for years that I'm willing to put it to a test!. I've noticed a recent frequently used spin lately too is stating that Mexicans will feel slighted for all they've done for the US economy. What a bunch of whooey! I bet there isn't a single illegal alien that is thinking of nothing but himself. He doesn't give a damn about the US economy. He doesn't even comprende what the words "US economy" means.

I also loved what the guy quoted in the article had to say, "They never ask us for papers, in any job," said Ramiro. And all the employers claim ignorance that they didn't know they were illegal.

It's the employers responsibility to know. Claming they didn't know doesn't work.

Rockfish said:

IF A BUSINESS CANNOT USE LEGAL WORKERS AND STILL MAKE MONEY..THEY HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING IN BUSINESS.

YEP! I am sick of business owners that falsely claim they couldnt survive without "immigrant" (illegal of course) labor! The majority of these companies, especially those in the building trades (framing, roofing, drywall, paving, and so on...) were thriving BEFORE this flood of illegals hit my area in the northeast U.S. Yes, thriving...while they were paying Americans a fair wage AND paying payroll taxes to the IRS. Now, the difference from the latter is simply being stuffed into their ever deepening pockets.

So who, exactly, is paying for the "free" healthcare, food stamps, WIC, and schooling costs that are being snapped up by these "off the book" illegal workers and their familes? The hard working American that USED to have "a better life". Thats who!