Thread: Md. employers fear they've hired illegal workers

Associated Press
Md. employers fear they've hired illegal workers
By CHRISSIE THOMPSON 07.11.08, 5:16 PM ET


ANNAPOLIS, Md. -

An immigration raid last week has business owners worried a crackdown could hurt employers who have unwittingly hired illegal immigrants, businesspeople and activists say.

And the only action open to Anne Arundel County businesspeople may be to urge immigration officials to take caution, said Tamar Jacoby, president of ImmigrationWorks USA, a group that advocates for immigration reform.

The raid June 30 resulted in the arrest of 45 illegal immigrants, who federal officials say were knowingly employed by Annapolis Painting Services - a company whose Web site says it has worked on the Maryland State House and facilities at the U.S. Naval Academy. Company owner Robert Bontempo Jr., 46, is suspected of money laundering portions of the immigrants' salaries, the raid affidavit said. No charges had been filed. A woman who answered the company's phone said Bontempo declined to comment.

Employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers deserve to be punished because they gain an unfair advantage, Jacoby said. But many employers try to check workers' documentation - sometimes using "unreliable" federal systems, she said - and end up unknowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

"It's hard to distinguish between guys like this and good-faith employers ... who make a mistake," she said.

That's the fear of local business owners, said Bob Burdon, president of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel Chamber of Commerce. The case has especially interested owners of businesses like construction and landscaping companies that often employ immigrant workers, he said.

Such employers have to avoid charges of discrimination in examining potential employees, Burdon said. Yet they can face trouble if they fail to screen out illegals - and some fear their businesses may come under scrutiny because of the color of their employees' skin.

"There's an element of racial stereotyping going on here, which is not appropriate," he said. "There are probably Caucasians in this county (who) are working illegally."

Often, business owners must advocate for restrained raids to protect those trying to follow the law, Jacoby said.

"There are very few local places where they're trying to come up with laws to protect people," she said. "So mostly people are trying to fight back against local crackdowns ... to try to make sure that if the feds are going to crack down, they're going to crack down in a limited way."

Widespread raids could send employers of illegal immigrants further underground for fear of losing their much-needed work force, Jacoby said, adding she thinks the current system doesn't allow enough workers to enter the country legally to keep the economy healthy.

An immigration crackdown "is going to be ineffective in the state of Maryland because it's going to be strangling the local economy," Jacoby said.

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Widespread raids could send employers of illegal immigrants further underground for fear of losing their much-needed work force, Jacoby said, adding she thinks the current system doesn't allow enough workers to enter the country legally to keep the economy healthy.

We have citizens here needing work. Try that workforce pool for a change.

It's hard to distinguish between guys like this and good-faith employers ... who make a mistake," she said.

No, it's actually not! Your first clue should have been when someone hands you a seemingly valid social security and they do not speak a word of English! Instead of looking the other way, you should have asked for additional documentation.

Furthermore, having one or two illegal invaders on the payroll out of hundreds of workers may be a legitimate mistake (will give you the benefit of the doubt). However don't blow smoke up my tail and say you didn't know, when immigration raids your business and discovers that over half of your work force was not authorized to work! Are you going to tell me you were making a "good faith" effort to hire only those who were authorized to work! BS!

Why is it when I land a new job I have to show a drivers license and also a passport or other from of identification to prove i'm legally authorized to work in this country. Maybe I'm the one being discriminated against because I have blue eyes and light hair! The burden is going to be on YOU to protect yourself and make sure you do not hire illegal invaders. If someone is questionable, error on the side of caution and do not hire them.

finally, if your so concerned that you may have hired illegal invaders, why don't you implement E-Verify at your place of business. such an effort on your part would certainly legitimize your claim you were "using good faith efforts" to hire only those authorized to work.

Well lets see - I've got 20 employees who don't speak english , who have nonsensical SS#'s and get nervous whenever they see a police car - do you think that maybe they might be illegal ? Nah.
They need to start prosecuting a lot more employers.

"There's an element of racial stereotyping going on here, which is not appropriate," he said. "There are probably Caucasians in this county (who) are working illegally."

Who ever said this was about the color of a persons skin? This entire argument gets really ridiculous when people start talking about racial profiling or stereotyping.

Common sense and E-Verify should be used.