Thread: Bill: Hire An Illegal, Go to Jail — But Maids Are OK

Bill: Hire An Illegal, Go to Jail — But Maids Are OK
The Texas Tribune February 24, 2011
By Julian Aguilar

The latest bill addressing illegal immigration and the hiring of undocumented workers in Texas would broaden the scope of employers subject to scrutiny — and extend the penalties for violators to include possible jail time and thousands of dollars in fines. Exempt from the proposed rule? People who hire undocumented workers as domestic helpers in their family homes.

House Bill 1202, authored by state Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, would make it a state jail felony to knowingly hire undocumented workers in Texas. The bill would punish those who “intentionally, knowingly, or recklesslyâ€

[quote]There is also an exception for domestic help. People who hire or contract with someone for work “exclusively or primarily at a single-family residence" are off the hook.

English said that exception was geared toward not “stifling the economic engineâ€

I don't think there should be any aception to this law so its ok to have a maria watch the kids and clean the house or juan mow the lawn but they can't work anywhere else sounds like the guys in texas are getting lazy and using the laws just enough to keep these people down either they are allowed to be here or not. I don't agree with this guy he's wrong to make these exceptions and this is going to blow up in his face and we will loose credibillity in this movement when we have lawmakers twisting the laws to suit their own needs

You mean they didn't include Paco who mows the lawn and Juan who trims the hedges as being ok too?

It seems that way I much perfer az's no none sense aproach to this issue. Its easier to support something when you can make it a black and white the shades of gray are what lead to this even being an issue in the first place. Is this guy trying to protect america from the obligation of taking care of mexican nationals or hire a maid

Originally Posted by BillCunnane

You mean they didn't include Paco who mows the lawn and Juan who trims the hedges as being ok too?

"There is also an exception for domestic help. People who hire or contract with someone for work “exclusively or primarily at a single-family residence" are off the hook."


If "juan and paco" are trimming the hedges and mowing the lawn at a "single family residence" and are considered "domestic help" (would love to see what the definition of "domestic help" is under this law) then it looks as if under the exemption, they would also be exempt from this new law.

The only thing worse than ignoring this invasion is passing a law with an exemtion so large, that a substantial number of illegal invaders will find a way to crawl under the exemption.

Oh and that sheriff's a joke tell barny fiff to shut up and do his job if the lawmakers decide to make something a crime worthy of detaining someone its not this guys job to cry about how fast his jail fills he gets paid either way I'm sure if he dosent have anybody I his little jail for a week he still gets a pay check. Sounds like he's not one of those tough texas sheriff's he's a cry baby

The "domestic" illegal workers are so very vital to our economy so they say.
How's that when the money they make is sent back to family in Mexico?

How's that when they pay no taxes?

Originally Posted by elpasoborn

The "domestic" illegal workers are so very vital to our economy so they say.
How's that when the money they make is sent back to family in Mexico?

How's that when they pay no taxes?

I think what they meant to say is that such workers are vital to mexico's economy, since clearly, that's the only economy benefitting unless you're prepared to argue that people would have to drop out of the workforce in order to mow their lawn or clean their own home.

In El Paso, the biggest offenders of hiring illegal domestic workers are in fact rich Mexicans who have defected to the US.