http://www.journal-news.com/news/conten ... IDS_s.html

Homebuilders back sheriff in illegal hiring crackdown

By Chris Dumond

Staff Writer

HAMILTON — In spite of concerns raised by some homebuilders, local building contractors Thursday lauded Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones’ pursuit of those who hire illegal immigrants.

The contractors said they hope raids by the sheriff’s office will make the market more competitive for employers who play by the rules. At least one man said he’s already seeing better pay because of it.

“We support him 125 percent,” Benchmark Masonry Contractors owner Steve Hester said. “We who do things right, who have drug testing and check papers and have benefits, we can’t compete with those who aren’t.”

The Middletown businessman said larger contractors who bring illegal workers to the job site often hire them indirectly as subcontractors, thereby dodging their responsibility to ensure the workers are here legally, paying workers compensation and collecting taxes.

“We always check documents and Social Security cards,” Hester said. “We have had people in the past where we found out they were fakes and we got rid of them.”

The reaction comes in the wake of Wednesday’s raid of Carmona Construction in Fairfield Township by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. Documents, a computer and computer data storage devices were taken from the search, according to sheriff’s officials.

“The search warrant resulted from information that was received from the incident that happened (May 1 on Wendy Meadows Drive,” said Sgt. Nick Fisher of the BCSO.

Authorities were called to that Wayne Township home building site on a report of a dispute between two construction crews. When deputies arrived, they found nearly 20 Hispanic workers suspected of being here illegally.

The suspects were loaded on a bus and taken to the sheriff’s office, where they were detained, questioned and released later in the night.

The sheriff’s office’s crackdown is good for his business and for taxpayers in general, said Hoelle Construction & Maintenance owner Darren Hoelle.

“If they’re here illegally, chances are they’re not paying income tax, which means that’s more coming out of my wallet,” Hoelle said. “I don’t use illegal help, so this may help me get work since my competitors who do may be having a harder time.”

At Valley Drywall Service in Liberty Township, Tom McMahon said the issue hits particularly close to home since his wife works in immigration law. While Valley Drywall doesn’t hire illegal immigrants, McMahon said the local crackdown could result in a labor shortage in the construction industry. On the other hand, though, he said the business has been held down for years by cheap immigrant labor.

“With all this attention it’s getting, I got my first raise in 20 years,” he said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2025 or cdumond@coxohio.com. Staff Writer Ken-Yon Hardy contributed to this report.