people working for me could be illegal too but really there’s no one else to do the work. the real crime is that native poor won’t work in any useful sense. and don’t expect emloyers to be doing the government’s job, eg. verifying immigration status.

shleppy on November 17, 2005 at 3:07 pm

Shlep,
That’s probably THE lamest excuse I’ve heard yet in order to justify breaking the law by knowingly hiring illgal aliens.
That excuse that “no one else will do the labor” is a patent falsehood. Let me ask you something; Before we were flooded with illegal aliens (during the last 15 years), then, who may I ask, did all the work in this country? You mean to tell me that before 1985 – 1990 we didn’t have any landscapers, McDonalds/Burger King cashiers, painters, roofers, laborers, etc.? Who did all the work in this country since the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock to 1985?
No, you hire them because you can exploit them for their cheap labor. You, and millions like you, want to put more money in your pocket, but you lose sight of the fact that it’s the REST of us who have to pay higher taxes to for their hospitalization, the social programs they apply for, their kids’ education, etc., not to mention the destruction of our culture through non-assimilation. And, most of these illegals don’t pay ANY taxes on the cash that they earn, which results in the rest of us having to pay those taxes. They also send most of the money they earn back to their home countries so they aren’t contributing to the U.S. economy. Additionally, approximately 30% of the inmates in this country are illegal aliens, which means that MORE of my tax money goes to house them in prison.
I’m also tired of reading the police blotters in my area about how these illegals are always driving drunk, without a license, without a registration, and without insurance – which means that if they run into me or my property, I can’t recover any damages because they have no insurance or assets. They then flee to another part of America, and I’m left holding the bag.
As far as requiring employers to verify that the people they hire are legal, well, in case you didn’t know it, IT’S THE LAW. It’s not the GOVERNMENT’S job to determine their immigration status before YOU hire them – it is YOUR responsibilty. And, employers are subject to fines if they get caught not doing so.
So, enjoy putting a few more bucks in your pocket at the expense of everyone else. What a great American!

Thee_Bruno on November 17, 2005 at 4:17 pm

Shlep – You are foolish if you believe what you just said.
Bruno – I agree, it isn’t the government’s job to determine the immigration status of a potential worker. You are absolutely right that it is the employers responsibility.
The bigger problem is that the government needs to spend more money on 2 key areas…enforcement of the laws on employing illegal immigrants and random sweeps of businesses and subcontractors in industries most likely to hire illegal and undocumented workers.
Once the government realizes that enforcement of our own companies is as a priori as enforcement of porn in Miami by FBI, then maybe we can start getting somewhere on this whole illegal immigration thing.

DetroitWonk on November 17, 2005 at 8:18 pm

120 Illegal Aliens Busted At Wal-Mart Construction Site

Well here’s no surprise. 120 suspected illegal aliens — half of the construction company’s staff — were busted at the construction site of a new Wal-Mart distribution center. WNEP On Thursday morning, agents from the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigra…

Diggers Realm on November 18, 2005 at 6:24 am

The same lame bs excuses were used by slave owners.
Was in Maine this summer. Saw NO hispanics doing jobs “no American” will do.
Americans will do the work – when theiving criminal contractors start paying relevant wages. They are charging 2005 prices, after all.
In 1985, a carpenter in Virginia made about 14.00 an hour. An average house cost 75,000. Today illegals posing as carpenters make 14.00 an hour and the average price of a home is what 500,000?
But Americans won’t do the work, right? These people make me sick.
Demand American labor. Demand American products.

george on November 18, 2005 at 7:19 am

Well, you are partly right but corporate suits are much more subtle when structuring contracts. There is not a word to indicate anyone should hire illegals. Here’s how it works: WalMart is a cost cutter to the extreme. They put a job out for bids and demand the low bidder do the job exactly as promised. They know that the winner will be employing the lowest wage people available, paying the least benefits, and only paying thirty days after completion of the work. You can imagine that anyone bidding on the job does not have a union workforce, does not pay any benefits whatsoever, and may not even pay overtime; they also may pay their people in cash, thus saving the costs of bookeeping and FICA deductions paperwork. That’s what you have to do to land a WalMart contract. They are brutal on costs. Now anyone looking at the process can’t accuse them of doing “anything wrong” because nothing illegal is ever mentioned, in fact part of the contract may even stipulate that the bidder will obey all laws etc. Everybody knows what the real deal is. Trust me. I’m a right wing guy but lots of my friends are involved in WalMart contracts and their goals seem to be to get successful enough so they don’t need WalMart any more.

Duke on November 18, 2005 at 12:33 pm

Duke:
WRONG! You need to read my original Wal-Mart post which is linked in this one. We documented how Wal-Mart executives EXPRESSLY demanded illegals. It’s on tape, in a transcript, and in an affidavit from an ICE agent. Illegals are not only MENTIONED, they are INSISTED UPON.
Debbie Schlussel

Debbie Schlussel on November 18, 2005 at 1:17 pm

If I were stopped for speeding and told the police, “Gee, my speedometer is broken and I didn’t know I was speeding,” would that get me out of a ticket? Not on your life! It ought not be a mea culpa for Wal-Mart Executives, either, to say they “didn’t know.”
The solution to all this is to stop illegal immigration and fine and/or jail people who, knowingly or “unknowingly,” hire illegals. National Review several months ago ran an article about another nation that has been through this. When the supply of illegals dried up, employers raised wages and benefits and citizens took the jobs. Yes, the cost of goods and services rose, but the attendant costs of illegals’ medical care, educating illegals’ kids and crime on/by illegals dropped tremendously, as well. Americans cannot have their cake and eat it, too. We need to stop whining and act.

Bachbone on November 18, 2005 at 2:55 pm

A real reason to boycott Wal-Mart

The documentarian Robert Greenwald made a film about Wal-Mart recently that may have attacked them for offering low-wages. But if Wal-Mart is being openly honest about their benefits, then that’s not what’s wrong with them. No, what IS wrong with Wal…

Tel-Chai Nation on November 20, 2005 at 12:35 am

Yes, employer fines and prosecution are the answer. I would suggest a way to compute the appropriate fine is the particular state’s minimum wage, computed full time for one year, for each illegal arrested. In a state with an $8 minimum wage, that would be a fine of more than $16,000 per employee. A definite deterrent.

Centauri-A4 on November 30, 2005 at 2:03 am

i think that is very sad that Walmart had to make such decision towards immigration reform…in houston texas people have already experienced such horror..is it families fault to have to see this kind of action towards people who are hard working people who have helped the united states to prosper…

diana on March 14, 2010 at 7:52 pm