Thread: Cut off the financial incentive; flood of illegals would dry

http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs ... 14/OPINION

Cut off the financial incentive; flood of illegals would dry up


The vast majority of non-Americans coming here illegally or legally do so to follow the money. That's understandable. Stop the money and the inflow will dry up.

In 1986, when Congress last wrestled with this issue, legislation was enacted requiring employers to certify that all prospective employees had produced documentation to prove legal resident status. I was an employer at that time and potential employees - native born and otherwise - had to produce proper documents.

Of course, there arose an immediate market for counterfeit documents, but that is another problem that can be resolved where there is a will. Unfortunately, there has been almost no enforcement. President Bush now says he supports stiff penalties for employer violations. His record makes that doubtful, but enforcement is the only sure solution.

Most employers comply with the law. The problem is those employers who seek illegal workers for the obvious reason: They work for less; they cannot complain about abuse and long hours; and they fear being discovered by the INS or handed over by a dissatisfied boss. These employers love the Bush-proposed Guest Worker Program.

Take Hurricane Katrina. When the waters receded and repairs began, many construction companies in the stricken area deliberately shunned local building tradesmen and women who desperately sought work. Instead, they brought in subcontractors from Mexico with their low-wage crews, taking the local jobs and siphoning off federal funds. In fact, the Bush administration encouraged these acts by suspending the federal law which required that the prevailing wage in New Orleans be paid where Federal funds were involved.

More than 100 years ago when America's coal, copper, silver and gold mines needed thousands of workers to toil underground, the mining companies brought workers from Eastern Europe to work in dangerous conditions and at low pay. When the Europeans and their fellow American miners rebelled and won decent wages and working conditions, those jobs were in demand, and there was no longer any incentive to bring in immigrants to work in the mines. Today, working in the fields and orchards and vineyards and hotels and restaurants is far less dangerous than being a miner. With the proper wages would attract tens of thousands of willing resident workers.

But, wouldn't the price of everything increase? Not as much as the ever-rising cost to our country of trying to deal with this problem in all of its social and economic ramifications. In fact, where workers in the vineyards and the strawberry fields have achieved living wages from the growers, any retail increase in the products for labor has been in pennies.

This country, built by immigrants, must continue to allow legal immigration. And, the 11 million non-documented persons already here can't be pushed out. For them, a reasoned system that will lead eventually to citizenship must be put in place. Finally, there is no need for a guest worker program, which failed miserably during the Reagan years.

No wall, no massive border army, no sky patrols or vigilantes will solve the problem. It will end only when it becomes known throughout the world there is no point in being smuggled into America. No employer would hire them and no job is to be had. There would be no way to follow the money.

Ray Denison of Port Sanilac worked in congressional relations in Washington, D.C. He is a former Times Herald community columnist.


Originally published June 8, 2006

Well, we all know that the ones pocketing the difference in wages are the employers of illegals. They don't pass much in savings from using illegaLs on to the consumer, and they wouldn't be able to overnight jack the price of strawberries, for example, and hope to sell them. People would eat something else--marginal utility. I knew economics would come in handy.