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  1. #1
    Administrator Jean's Avatar
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    TN: Group proposes rule that Hamblen Co. contractors hire on

    Group proposes rule that Hamblen Co. contractors hire only legal residents
    By Marti Davis
    Saturday, September 20, 2008

    A group of Hamblen County residents wants to be certain none of its school construction dollars or other contract money ends up in the pockets of illegal immigrants.

    Members of Tennesseans for Immigration Reform and Enforcement, or T-FIRE, asked the Hamblen County Commission this week to require that contractors commit to hiring only U.S. citizens or legal residents, certifying them through a federal identification system called E-verify.

    The city of Morristown has already approved a similar policy.

    A major school construction program is "in the pipeline," said Hamblen County Commission Chairman Stancil Ford, estimating that expenditures could range from $80 million to $90 million. The request was referred to a local committee that will hammer out the details before bringing it to the commission for a vote, he said.

    T-FIRE member Tom Lowe said some contractors try to save money by hiring undocumented workers.

    "They're undercutting the American construction worker when they hire illegals. We want to put that tax money to work to help American citizens out. Anybody that draws wages from taxpayer dollars should be a legal citizen of the United States," Lowe added.

    Another member of T-FIRE, Wayne Dollar, said "members of T-FIRE and the citizens of Hamblen County are gravely concerned about the high numbers of illegal aliens using stolen or falsified Social Security numbers to gain employment in the county."

    He noted that the local sheriff and FBI have recently raided "document mills" that were producing fake IDs for use by illegal immigrants.

    Hamblen County has one of the highest concentrations of Hispanics in the state. Dollar thinks that has had an impact on local wages of county residents, which dropped from $27,000 to $26,000 annually over the past several years, he said.

    T-FIRE members said they'll attend the committee meetings. Dollar said the group didn't suggest penalties for violation of the proposed hiring rule, but is leaving that to the county commission, hoping it will adopt a penalty that would serve as a "real deterrent."

    www.knoxnews.com
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  2. #2
    Senior Member FedUpinFarmersBranch's Avatar
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    County considers blocking construction jobs from undocumente

    County considers blocking construction jobs from undocumented workers
    Jake Jost Updated: 9/19/2008 7:44:27 PM Posted: 9/19/2008 2:24:30 PM
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    It seems only fitting that Jeff Hunter and his construction crew spent Friday working on a new funeral parlor in Morristown.

    For the past year or so, he'll tell you, the construction business has been just about dead.

    "Well it seems like it's awful slow," Hunter said.

    One group in Hamblen County says part of that economic pain could find some relief if companies would hire legal citizens like Hunter instead of undocumented workers.

    "I don't know that that's the answer," Hunter said. "It's not so much companies that are at fault in my eyes. It's more of our government that's allowing it to happen."

    "It's not fair for these people to compete with United States citizens, it's just not," Wayne Dollar, a spokesman for the group Tennesseans for Immigration Reform and Education (T-FIRE) said.

    T-FIRE is urging Hamblen County to take care of the small piece of economy they have power over: the projects they pay for with tax dollars.

    Thursday night they presented a resolution that the commission has now taken into committee consideration. It says the county will no longer do business with construction companies or contractors who won't verify their employees are legal citizens. Dollar says the city of Morristown has already adopted a similar policy.

    The plan calls for companies to use the program E-Verify to confirm a worker's citizenship and status.

    Many groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and immigrants' rights groups say the program has many flaws that lead to more harm than good. They argue E-Verify has tested as unreliable and in some cases, a false background check has cost a legal citizen their job.

    Still, some states like Arizona have adopted the program.

    ""We'd like to see the fine significant enough, even with the threat of canceling a contract to make it a deterrent," Dollar said. "If these people find it hard to find jobs in this country, you don't have to load buses up and deport them. They will self-deport."

    One construction company owner who spoke on the condition of anonymity says it all comes back to the issue of available workers. He said the county does not have an ample supply of workers and it'll be tough to find workers.

    T-FIRE argues if the jobs paid well enough, there would be a line at that construction companies door.

    "The wages are low and the costs are still there and we're paying it. Hamblen County citizens are paying it."

    T-FIRE says the extra costs of having the undocumented workers is taking it's toll on everyone.

    According the US Census, the hispanic population in Hamblen County has multiplied by nearly 30 over the past two decades. Census takers don't ask about citizenship status so there is no way to tell how many of the hispanic population are documented citizens.

    While Hunter doesn't know if T-FIRE's local plan is the answer, he does say take issue with some of the undocumented workers who are here illegally.

    "You're going to punish businesses for hiring illegals when a lot of their documentation is so authentic, we don't have the training and stuff like a federal agent to pick up on that," Hunter said. "It does take away jobs from those of us who are here trying to do the right thing and I don't see how they get all this aid and help when they're here illegally."

    http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.as ... ovider=top
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