The final nail in Labor's coffin thankfully was bent and broken over the past few days, but likely will be replaced shortly with a shiny new one. Labor, the one group with the most to lose, has been pre-empted from voicing it's concerns publicly, as the congress acting shamelessly on behalf of business, has sought to give blanket amnesty to employers... for its long and costly rap sheet, built up over more than two decades...
As business has violated LABOR, TAX and INSURANCE LAWS to employ desperate people eager to compete with one another to work for a pittance, not to mention, below par working conditions, American business has prospered.
As government turned a blind eye to the exploding illegal employment of, (from the standpoint of having any legal recourse secondary to their illegal presence in the country), "indentured" workers, American Labor has lost influence. "Every American worker... no matter be they the janitor who sweeps the floor, or the surgeon who opens your chest or your head in the operating room... their shared though agreed unequal leverage, is likewise diminished, adversely effecting each and every American worker. Below is my immigration plan published in early 2006. Your comments are invited.
Home > The Issues > Immigration
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Illegal immigration has evolved into a vexing problem for the United States. It is at once a National Security issue as well as an Economic and Labor issue. Firstly, any discussion of this topic must distinguish between LEGAL... and ILLEGAL immigration.... The discussion that follows focuses on ILLEGAL immigration... its costs... and suggested solutions. Also while the most notable and widely publicized concerns revolve around the problems of our southern border, perhaps of still greater concern relative to National Security is the very open nature of our border with Canada.
We must have a balanced approach to border security that includes concerns about unknown persons crossing the border in any number of relatively un-monitored areas on the U.S. Canadian border while we deal with our southern states crisis as well. The chief question concerning immigration on the whole is whether or not America will have control over its borders through a logical and workable overall immigration policy... LEGAL IMMIGRATION... OR... Will America continue a paradigm of uncontrolled ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ceding our National Security and the wellbeing of our people to forces that we choose not to control in order to serve the need for a desperate labor force willing to work for third world wages in order to maximize benefit to the corporate employers who flagrantly violate the laws of our land for their own profit.
Beginning slowly in the 1970's central American and Mexican laborers would come to the U. S. to work in the fields of the southern states mostly on a temporary basis. There was in fact a guest worker plan in the 1980's that led to thousands of these workers becoming American citizens, but in so doing they abandoned in large numbers their work in the fields.
The President likes to characterize the work that illegal immigrants perform is work that American citizens will not do. I submit that the work is not work that Americans are unwilling to perform but rather work that Americans will not perform at the price that the employers of these illegal workers prefer to pay!
Fundamentally the illegal immigrants ARE NOT the criminals in this matter. The illegal workers have no true legitimate voice and the fact that they are illegally present here leaves them little recourse if they wish to avoid deportation. The reason that these people come here from ALL parts of Central America and Mexico is that their governments collectively offer them no hope of economic opportunity or sustenance but merely the most meager lives of subsistence in a third world environment.
In Honduras for example the typical worker can earn about $3.00 per day. So the lure of that wage and more on an hourly basis is attractive enough to risk life and death crossing the desert to work in the U. S.
Employers find this kind of desperation very appealing in their potential workforce and economically desirable as well. American employers who exploit/employ these illegal workers are in violation of State and Federal Labor, Tax and insurance laws and may in the process commit acts of fraud as well. There are currently laws on the books to combat these illegal acts but with little resources to enforce these laws employers of illegal workers have little to fear.
U.S. workers, mostly those with low skill sets are the people most economically harmed by this practice. In truth the more that this practice is allowed to continue, incrementally ALL workers are harmed by a decreasing degree of leverage against the "employer" as the increased aggregate supply of labor works its way up the ladder throughout the economy.
The recent house bill while purporting to crack down on employers of illegal immigrants, was contaminated by the "poison pill" tainting the immigrants as felons, while also prosecuting health care providers and social service agencies for rendering humanitarian care etc. This I believe to be as wrong as it is intentional in order to prevent the practical aspects of the bill such as sanctioning employers from being passed!
I submit that for America to regain control of its borders we must crack down on employers of illegal immigrants. The attraction after all largely is the opportunity to earn in one hour what in their home country the illegal immigrants can earn in one day. The advantage for the employers is the opportunity to "exploit" a group of desperate people with few choices for employment.
The illegal immigrants of course also are attracted by access to health care and education for their children, so our emergency rooms are jammed and their children attend our schools, taxing local budgets and school systems as well. The natural attraction is as I have just described. The motivation to voluntarily return to their home countries can be likewise encouraged by the following.
Border Security
Border security particularly on our southern border has become a huge issue as thousands of people attempt to illegally enter this country every day. We know that some of those entering the U.S. in this manner may have criminal intentions and could be terrorists. That is why it is imperative that while reinforcing our physical border security is important, improving surveillance and physical barriers with an increased border police presence, improved fencing and unmanned aerial vehicles will be of little consequence unless the volume of violators is greatly diminished. The goal of decreasing violator attempts/demand for crossing the border will only be achieved through implementation of policy measures that limit the availability of jobs for illegal immigrants on a national scale. Decreased employment prospects for illegal immigrants will only be achieved through the enforcement of laws that penalize businesses that violate Insurance, Tax and Labor laws and in some instances also commit fraud in the employment of these people.
Fundamentally the greater the volume of people illegally attempting to cross the border... the more difficult it is to filter out those who would be more inclined to do harm to America, our citizens and our way of life. I do stand in support of strengthening our physical border security not only on our southern borders but on the northern border as well. It is a simple matter to cross from Canada into the U.S. in remote areas, in some cases relying on what might best be characterized as an "honor" system. However, unless we take measures to markedly alter the risk/reward ratio that motivates those who in large numbers seek to enter our country from Mexico, South and Central America by the thousands every day and every month then we will never be able to solve this problem. My position is to advocate a comprehensive policy as I have described in my proposal that will when enacted maximize the effectiveness of the physical security assets as described above.
Suggested Solutions
* Encourage employers to adhere to State and Federal Labor, Insurance and Tax laws by instituting a set period of time to "Get Legal" by reviewing their workforce for legal proof of citizenship which would permit no excuses after the proscribed time period expired.
* In line with the above, illegal immigrants who together with their employers are able to document through work records, rent receipts, mailing addresses and other verifiable public records, proof of continuous employment for a significant period of time ranging in my estimation from 5 to 10 or more years in duration... (the acceptable timeframe being predicated on a quantitatively reliable estimate of the impact to the U.S. economy being tolerable, based on the total number of illegal workers and their allowable family members that would be eligible to remain), have no criminal record, and are literate in English would be offered a temporary work permit after meeting other specified conditions.
* Other conditions that I would propose would be paying 1/2 of all back and unpaid taxes as well as a fine of some nominal specified amount, perhaps $250 for prior violations of the law. This sum could be paid back over a period of time so as to be affordable for the worker. The employer would be charged with a misdemeanor violation and fined a specified amount as well if he chooses to keep the worker which would also require the employer paying back 1/2 of all taxes avoided/evaded previously. I would submit that the fine paid by the employer should exceed that of the illegal worker, as it was the employer who was most at fault in choosing to use illegal workers.
* If illegal immigrants are deficient in their language ability we may provide a mechanism for assisting them to become literate should they desire to stay. Illegal immigrant family members would be subject to the same requirements. The requirements denoted above I believe to be fair given the tremendous costs that illegal immigration has placed on this country and the illegal profits gained by employers violation of Tax, Labor and Insurance laws in using these workers rather than American citizens all in the quest to shave dollars off their bottom line.
PENALTIES FOR EMPLOYERS
* Penalties for those employers found to be employing/exploiting illegal immigrants after the "Get Legal" time period had expired would face escalating fines starting at $1,000 per worker and which would increase by increments of $1,000 per month per worker found to be employed up to a total of $12,000 per worker after 12 months had elapsed since the end of the "Get Legal" period.
* Individuals found to be employing contractors who employed illegal workers would be liable for a civil penalty as well thus encouraging vigilance on the part of those in need of contracting service.
* Companies found to be in compliance would earn the All American Labor seal for their documented compliance with all applicable Insurance, Labor and Tax laws.
* Encourage the Federal Government, State Department and the President to open discussions with Central American leaders as well as Mexican President Calderone encouraging them to broaden their respective economies, making them more attractive to their own people, thus making America less attractive as an alternative to remaining in their home countries.
"Guest Workers"
* I oppose inalterably the Presidents' so-called "Guest Worker" program which if instituted is projected to swell our population over the next 20 years to in excess of 420 million people, overwhelming our health care and social service network with millions of mostly unskilled workers. Allowed to go forward, in 20 years America will have fully and completely transitioned to a third world country where a very select few "haves" dominate the huddled masses of "have-nots" as is the case with those who seek escape from countries where today freedom is an unknown commodity and guerilla forces battle the government and hold citizens at bay.
Benefits of this Policy
* Illegal immigrants will react by returning to their home countries as employment opportunities dry up due to employer compliance with labor, Insurance and tax laws resulting from increased enforcement and penalties for violations.
* American Labor will be strengthened relative to its leverage for wages, working conditions and benefits vs their employer.
* While the price for labor will rise in the aggregate, prices for the commodities associated with the labor pool should rise only modestly as price elasticity factors into the equation to moderate the price increases for products. Commodity producers will probably see their profits diminished somewhat but this may be only temporary as new efficiencies may be gained through innovations in equipment spurned by rising labor costs.
* Health care and educational facilities will see decreases in demand as illegal immigrants return to their home countries thus lowering costs for taxpayers.
* U.S. workers will see increased job opportunity with increased earning potential as they are no longer forced to compete with illegal workers who have much lower expectations for wages and working conditions. Increased quality and quantity of employment opportunity will be particularly apparent for workers with lower skill sets as well as minority workers.
* National Security will be enhanced as what is now a "flood" of illegal immigrants flocking for employment opportunities in the U. S. will be reduced to a trickle. This will allow a much more focused approach for law enforcement and border security personnel resulting in a much more effective operation overall.
* Control over illegal immigration must coincide with more efficient and effective avenues for Legal Immigration. America must not shut out those who play by the rules and who are working to assimilate into society.
* The result of the decreased demand resulting from the diminished availability of employment for illegal workers would significantly decreased the willingness of foreigners particularly at our southern border to risk life and limb to cross the desert and the border into America. The added benefit of this plan would be to make our southern border considerably more manageable from a security standpoint with a greatly diminished flow of people attempting to enter the U.S. illegally. Thus resources employed would likely be much more effective making America more secure as those attempting to cross the border would be much more easily discernible from those merely attempting to through whatever means secure better employment opportunities.