Thread: Bill Penalizes Firms For Hiring Migrants (illegals)

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... ott04.html


Bill penalizes firms for hiring migrants
Businesses upset; boycott promised

Elvia DÃÂ*az
The Arizona Republic
May. 4, 2005 12:00 AM

Arizona employers caught hiring undocumented immigrants could lose their business license for six months and be barred from seeking government contracts under a measure that gained preliminary approval Tuesday.

State senators tentatively agreed on the employer sanction provisions, attached to House Bills 2030 and 2592, designed to curb illegal border-crossers.

The provision, which is far from being final, drew opposition from the business community.

"That would be a death penalty for any business,"' said Farrell Quinlan, a spokesman for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce.

The flurry of immigration bills breezing through the Legislature, as well as the recent Minuteman Project along the Arizona-Mexico border, prompted some prominent Latinos to pursue an economic boycott against the state.

More than 100 Latinos, Native Americans and other leaders decided to go ahead with the boycott but said they will carry out meetings throughout the state before setting a launch date.

"We will hit them where it hurts the most: their pocketbook,"' said Salvador Reza, who is working with a California-based immigrant rights group and leaders from Arizona, Texas as well as other states to organize the boycott.

The recent anti-immigrant campaigns give Arizona a bad image, much like the state faced in the late 1980s over the lack of a holiday to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Reza said.

The plan is to ask businesses and corporations across the nation to book their events elsewhere, said Reza, who runs Phoenix's Macehualli Work Center in northeast Phoenix.

Some legislators called the planned boycott a slap in the face to Arizonans who want to put the brakes on illegal immigration.

"I don't think they can pull it off,"' said Rep. Russell Pearce, a Mesa Republican and a leading supporter of voter-approved Proposition 200 and several of the immigration bills.

The threat of a boycott didn't stop the Senate on Tuesday from tentatively embracing House Bill 2030, which denies immigrants child-care subsidies, literacy classes and other government-funded benefits.

Senators also gave the thumbs up to HB 2592, which bans cities, towns and counties from spending money on immigrants who line the Valley's streets waiting for jobs.

I'd like to ask Ms. Diaz why she won't use the term 'illegal' in reference to her article.

This could be serious business..........AZ citizens really have to step up and nip this one quickly, imo.

Can't let these "organizations" keep standing on solid ground......they have to be cut down quickly before they gain any more strength. This is a battle of wills now.

The best way to counter a boycott of this nature is to find out where they intend to gather, and go do some business at that venue.

I think the support side of the issue needs to be heard as loudly as the opposition. Is there a conservative newspaper that will get the word out to help organize that sort of anti-boycott?

I'm not in AZ but I did get this piece to someone who might have a little pull. Will wait and see what response I get from that quarter.

Here's another article about this:

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/73442.php

Measure would penalize employers of illegal immigrants

CAPITOL MEDIA SERVICES
PHOENIX - State senators approved yet another measure Tuesday designed to crack down on illegal border crossers, but with a twist: This time they also want to go after the companies that hire them.

The underlying legislation makes even more services legally off limits to illegal entrants than Proposition 200 which was approved by voters in November.

For example, if HB 2030 becomes law, only citizens and legal residents could get adult education classes and subsidized child care. And students at state universities and community colleges would have to pay the higher tuition normally charged to out-of-state residents.

But senators first tacked on a series of amendments to also deal with the other side of the equation of illegal border crossers: They would financially penalize companies that are found guilty of violating federal law by knowingly hiring people not in this country legally.

For example, an employer would be denied tax credits and state contracts. Potentially more significant, a company would lose its state license to do business for six months for a first offense - and permanently for repeat violations.

Sen. Bill Brotherton, D-Phoenix, who crafted the additions, said people cross the border for a variety of reasons. He said it would be wrong to deny that a primary one is that they know jobs are waiting.

"We should move forward in enforcement, both supply and demand, with regard to the folks who are coming here and the people employing them," Brotherton said.

"But (we should) not do it in a hypocritical manner where we're just attacking the poor immigrant who comes across and basically is being pulled across by available jobs from employers who want to break the law."

Tuesday's preliminary approval of the measure drew concern from Farrell Quinlan, spokesman for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce.

He said it is "bad policy" to base state sanctions on violations of federal law. Quinlan said that's like saying someone should be punished by the state for breaking federal environmental laws.

But Quinlan conceded that many Arizona businesses are dependent on foreign labor.

"There are many categories of jobs that it's very difficult to find American workers to fill," he said.

At a political debate last year, John Bremond, president of KB Homes, said undocumented workers are vital for his industry, which he said suffers from persistent labor shortages.

"We rely on that work force," he said.

Quinlan said the same situation exists in agriculture. He said penalizing those employers is not the answer.

"There's a labor problem in this country," Quinlan said. "And there's a solution which is immigrant labor that should be utilized with a guest worker program that makes sense."

Quinlan was particularly alarmed at the prospect a business would lose its license, even temporarily. Quinlan said that amounted to a "death penalty" for what might be a paperwork violation.

How many companies might be affected is unclear.

A spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said there were only 124 cases nationwide in 2003, the most recent figures available.

There was no immediate breakdown for Arizona.

Tuesday's vote is not the end of the matter: The House version of the legislation does not include the employer sanctions.

Rep. Tom Boone, R-Glendale, sponsor of the underlying bill, said he remains open to accepting the Senate changes.

"The concept of sanctions or fines or something for employers that have knowingly hired folks that are here illegally, I would not be opposed to looking at something like this," he said. But Boone said it might be more appropriate to have those issues voted on in separate legislation.

That option is unacceptable to Brotherton. He said that would allow business interests to pressure lawmakers to kill the bill without fear that they would be voting against cracking down on illegal entrants.

Lawmakers already have approved several other measures this session aimed at border crossers, including forbidding cities from honoring the Mexican consular ID card for municipal services and letting judges impose harsher sentences on criminals solely because they are not in this country legally.

"That would be a death penalty for any business,"' said Farrell Quinlan, a spokesman for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce.

Just like it was for Walmart?

The flurry of immigration bills breezing through the Legislature, as well as the recent Minuteman Project along the Arizona-Mexico border, prompted some prominent Latinos to pursue an economic boycott against the state.

So what? Just like their boycott's in California, they are laughable.

More than 100 Latinos, Native Americans and other leaders decided to go ahead with the boycott but said they will carry out meetings throughout the state before setting a launch date.

Most of which are probably illegal.

"We will hit them where it hurts the most: their pocketbook,"' said Salvador Reza, who is working with a California-based immigrant rights group and leaders from Arizona, Texas as well as other states to organize the boycott.

I'm sure they are quaking in their boots.

The recent anti-immigrant campaigns give Arizona a bad image, much like the state faced in the late 1980s over the lack of a holiday to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Reza said.

What does Martin Luther King Jr have to do with illegal alien law breakers?

The plan is to ask businesses and corporations across the nation to book their events elsewhere, said Reza, who runs Phoenix's Macehualli Work Center in northeast Phoenix.

Yeah and they will get laughed at tremendously.

He said it is "bad policy" to base state sanctions on violations of federal law. Quinlan said that's like saying someone should be punished by the state for breaking federal environmental laws.

Hey idiot. Ever heard of state rights? The states have every right to protect themselves and enforce federal law when the feds refuse to do their jobs.

But Quinlan conceded that many Arizona businesses are dependent on foreign labor.

Who's fault is that?

"There are many categories of jobs that it's very difficult to find American workers to fill," he said.

That's because Americans won't work for crappy third world wages.

At a political debate last year, John Bremond, president of KB Homes, said undocumented workers are vital for his industry, which he said suffers from persistent labor shortages.

That's a load of crap. There are 14 million Americans who can't find a job and your telling me you have a labor shortage? Maybe if you people would pay an American a wage above the Mendoza line then you would be able to attract them to do these jobs. I could even get Bill Clinton to mow my lawn if I paid him enough. Not only do you have 14 million Americans who can't find a job, but you have 20 million illegals in the country illegally competing for those jobs. How the hell can you say you have persistent labor shortages? Sounds like you don't want to let your intentions be known that you want the cheap labor gravy train to continue to flow at an unlimited rate. Maybe if we had a billion people like China does would these rats still be screaming labor shortage?

Quinlan said the same situation exists in agriculture. He said penalizing those employers is not the answer.

Of course you would say that if your a criminal employer who doesn't want to pay the consquences for his illegal actions. You Quinlan are nothing, but a corporate criminal who should be behind bars.

"There's a labor problem in this country," Quinlan said. "And there's a solution which is immigrant labor that should be utilized with a guest worker program that makes sense."

Quinlan was particularly alarmed at the prospect a business would lose its license, even temporarily. Quinlan said that amounted to a "death penalty" for what might be a paperwork violation.

Just remember employers much like illegal aliens need amnesty too. See again they don't want to have to pay these illegals any benefits. They want you the taxpayers to pay for them while they reap the profits. See they are so fearful of losing their cheap labor profits that any thought of a crackdown has them in extreme panic mode. They want to exploit these illegals and pay as little as possible for their work and they know the illegals won't go telling on them for fear of their own persecution. By giving illegals amnesty not only lets the illegals off the hook for their crimes, but it also gets these businesses that hire illegals off the hook for their illegal hiring practices. Then they can just simply fire the newly legalized illegals and replace them with new illegals. So what happens to the newly legalized illegals that just got fired? They simply become a bunch of bigger welfare recipients and put an even heavier burden on our system since they are now eligible for more benefits then ever before. Why do you think the OBL is loaded? Because these corporations put money into their pockets to push the big lie on America. These OBL groups are just a front for these businesses that blatantly hire illegals as well as being a front for the Mexican government.

How many companies might be affected is unclear.

Who cares? You crack down on a couple of businesses and the rest of these corporate whores would fall in line out of fear of persecution. Just like the illegal alien problem. You deport hundreds and thousands will self deport themselves out of fear of being caught. Arizona's legislature has it right. Dry up the jobs and the benefits and then the illegals will have no incentive to come, at least not in Arizona.

Lawmakers already have approved several other measures this session aimed at border crossers, including forbidding cities from honoring the Mexican consular ID card for municipal services and letting judges impose harsher sentences on criminals solely because they are not in this country legally.

That card is a worthless piece of crap. Enough said.