Thread: NC County Commission Immigrant plan attacked

10/30/2005

The Charlotte Observer




Immigrant plan meets doubt

Industry watchers say if Mecklenburg shut out firms that hire illegal aliens, it would backfire

MIKE DRUMMOND

mdrummond@charlotteobserver.com


Although well-intentioned, a plan to prohibit Mecklenburg County from contracting with companies that hire illegal immigrants would backfire, say those in industry and academia.

The proposal from three Mecklenburg commissioners comes amid mounting national debate over tougher immigration laws, and after several local incidents of illegal aliens involved in drunken driving accidents.

Yet the plan to deny contracts to companies that hire undocumented workers would drive up labor costs and increase the time it takes to finish projects, said Tony Plath, associate professor of finance at UNC Charlotte.

Overhead costs could rise if employers had to take additional time to verify work status. The labor pool, particularly for certain unskilled construction and landscaping jobs, could shrink, Plath noted.

"It's well-intentioned," he said. "But the problem is, our borders are porous. I don't think that's a county issue -- that's a federal issue."

At next week's board meeting, Republican commissioners Bill James, Dan Bishop and Jim Puckett will push their plan to discourage illegal immigrants from settling here, including denying county services.

To win county work, businesses would bear greater responsibility for verifying employee work status, said Puckett, who owns an industrial paint company.

Federal law requires employers to check the work status of prospective employees. But green cards, Social Security cards and other forms of identification can be forged.

Moreover, anti-discrimination laws prohibit companies from asking about national origin.

"Most people don't know they have illegal workers working for them," said Allen Gray, a staff coordinator for Carolinas Associated General Contractors, a construction trade association.

"Some of these documents are so well-forged you can't catch them."

Puckett wonders whether some businesses are doing enough to catch illegal aliens. He also said an employer's compliance with immigration law should be a factor when it comes to awarding public contracts.

The "only way to eliminate the lure for illegal aliens is to eliminate the lure of jobs," he said. The proposal "piggybacks nicely" with existing federal law, he said, and he doubts taking extra steps to verify immigrant status would be overly burdensome for business.

"It's not our intent for this to become a witch hunt," he added. He said he hopes to rely on whistle-blowers, competitors and the general public to alert the county to illegal immigrant hiring.

An estimated 11 million people are in the country illegally. More than half of the Carolinas' estimated 330,000 illegal immigrants hold jobs -- even though it's against the law for employers to knowingly hire them.

This week President Bush proposed a get-tough immigration plan, including beefed-up border patrols and swifter deportation.

Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, R-Charlotte, called for raising fines to $10,000 from $250 per illegal worker, and giving local law agencies a cut as an incentive to crack down. In the Carolinas, no employer has been fined in at least two years, an Observer report found this summer.

The county contracts with hundreds of companies, from AAA Parking to human resources firm Zoe Consulting.

Immigrant labor is highly visible in the construction and landscaping industries.

Todd Isaacs is a project superintendent for FN Thompson, among a half-dozen or so construction companies that contract with the county. He philosophically supports a tougher county stance on illegal immigrants.

But he said such a plan "would probably add a lot more time to get things done."

Meanwhile, N.C. Department of Labor officials suspect illegal immigrants can be found on construction sites throughout the state -- but don't care. The department's prime directive is workplace safety.

"We just want to make sure no one dies," said department spokeswoman Delores Quesenberry.

"We don't want our name tied to anything with immigration. We don't like our name even associated with it."

She and others acknowledged that it's common for Hispanic construction workers to flee when Labor inspectors show up for surprise safety checks.

Such incidents are not unique to Hispanics. Department spokeswoman Heather Crews says that an entire crew -- whites, Hispanics, blacks, you name it -- vanished from a residential construction site in Raleigh once when a safety inspector showed up.

WOWIE ZOWIE--I SUPPORT THIS 100%!

GO MECKLENBURG COUNTY COMMISSIONERS!

P. S. IT WOULD NOT BACKFIRE. If doing something legally costs more money and takes more time, then that IS THE LEGAL COST of the task and getting things done.

To say, "oh, but it will cost us more money and more time and take longer to get things done if we do it legally" is to say "oh, but if we shut down the illegal drug and smuggling trades, the economy will suffer because we won't have all that dirty money being laundered into the United States filling our banks that they loan out to us".



Their argument is illegal. Only criminals would make such an argument to begin with.

I just commented on this on another thread that was similar but my friend in Mecklenburg was talking about this yesterday and the backfire that is mentioned MIGHT be referring to those getting reelected. She has been keeping me posted on that Bill James for a year and some of the things he says that are TRUE but he STAYS in HOT WATER for speaking the truth!!!

Meanwhile, N.C. Department of Labor officials suspect illegal immigrants can be found on construction sites throughout the state -- but don't care.

I believe we all know this. Remember how that little wheel in Raleigh got his shorts all in a knot when ICE used the coffee and donuts ruse to catch the illegals at Lejeune?

She and others acknowledged that it's common for Hispanic construction workers to flee when Labor inspectors show up for surprise safety checks.

Wonder if the NCDOL would object from a couple of ICE agents tagging along on some of their surprise inspections? No reason to "flee" if the workers are legal.

Such incidents are not unique to Hispanics. Department spokeswoman Heather Crews says that an entire crew -- whites, Hispanics, blacks, you name it -- vanished from a residential construction site in Raleigh once when a safety inspector showed up.

What can I say about this statement

Well, that LAST statement is WEIRD. Why would all of those others vanish??? She's a DINGBAT. This woman is somewhere out in La La Land.

And, the ONLY way this is going to be solved is for every state to have a huge component of ICE agents that DO tag along to jobsites. What is the problem with THAT??? OR, why can't local law enforcement show up on jobsites where they KNOW this is going on??? THAT would solve the problem IF they have the resources.

The solution is to have State Immigration Police in each state which has a shortfall between the small tax payment by illegal immigrants and larger benefits they receive.

That sounds like an idea to pursue.

Illegal immigrants pay almost no tax even when they file returns. The employer withholds and sends in what they are supposed to but if illegal aliens are earning "slave wages" then they are at least being paid $5.15 an hour and if you work 2000 hours, 40 hours a week for 50 weeks, then you earn slightly over $10,000 a year. The first $10,000 of income is exempt from income tax. So all you get is a social security payment annually of around $1,300. 1/2 paid by the employer and $650 a year paid by the employee.

What will happen if EIC is thrown into the mix? A $4500-$5000 tax refund?