The Lure of the Job

Amy Taylor

The Lure of the Job

We've heard a lot of talk these days about the immigrants who sneak across the border and "break the rules." Sure, it is widely understood that immigrant workers are crossing the border to earn money here that they cannot earn at home. The economic conditions in their home countries are a strong "push factor" for immigration to the U.S. But there are forces going unrecognized that help "pull" immigrant workers here too --for example, big business. Many workers are lured into this country by companies in need of a compliant labor pool willing to accept wages unsatisfactory to most American workers.

In 2000, managers at Nebraska Beef were arrested for luring undocumented workers to its plant from Texas and Mexico with promises of well-paid jobs and free housing. The case was dismissed when all of the potential witnesses were deported. It is common practice for slaughterhouses to run radio advertisements across Latin America to lure workers to jobs. These companies not only promise jobs but will actually bus workers from Mexico straight to the Midwestern states were the plants are located. Tyson, the world's largest meat producer, was indicted in 2001 for human trafficking in a scheme to bring undocumented workers into the U.S. to its plants. In 2005, Wal-Mart settled a suit with 345 undocumented janitorial workers who had been denied overtime pay and injury compensation. Some of the workers, who were all deported, were lured to the Wal-Mart jobs from a website promising well-paid jobs in the United States.

The House of Representatives has gotten busy in Washington working on legislation to secure the border without any effort to address the situation of the 12 million undocumented immigrants who already live here. This type of legislation disregards the fact that there are many complex forces that have brought about the current situation besides the "lawbreakers." The House of Representative's latest efforts around immigration reform are a mere band-aid to the real broken system in this country. Surely any comprehensive plan must include border control, but any plan that leaves out the workers already living here, and those who will be lured here in the future, will fix nothing. Companies will continue to lure in this low-wage workforce necessary to hold up our economy unless we pass real immigration reform.

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Posted at 11:02 AM, Sep 20, 2006 in Immigration | Labor
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Another pull factor is the knowledge that there are people in the U.S. (what we call "liberals") who use euphemisms like "undocumented workers" when what they're actually refering to are illegal aliens. These "liberals" in effect provide protection for those illegal aliens beyond those in the Constitution. And, they also thereby provide protection to those who employ those illegal aliens.

Prospective illegal aliens - and the oligarchies in the sending countries - know that, for instance, every time we try to do workplace enforcement these "liberals" will complain. That in effect helps the companies that employ those illegal aliens, and it also helps said oligarchies. In fact, there are at two far-left groups that are openly working with the Mexican government, and several more have links to that government.

And, another pull factor will be the news that the U.S. has an open immigration policy and that we grant amnesty on a regular basis. If the currently proposed massive amnesty passes, that news will reach even the furthest corners of the Earth very quickly. That will let the world know that we've got a great big "Welcome, we don't care how you came here" sign out, and the world will comply.

If you really want to reduce illegal immigration, you should recognize and work against all the pull factors, not just some.

In 1996 Congress passed some of the most draconian immigration laws ever to be passed in this country. Immigrant workers have continued to come here for jobs at astounding rates despite the difficulties they must face both in getting here and in staying here. Contrary to a popular myth, most immigrants are not eligible for most public benefit programs and as a result of this, and their hard work, are a net fiscal gain for the economy. The National Research Council and National Academy of Sciences reported that immigrants are net fiscal contributors to the economy (1997). The average immigrant pays $1,800 more in taxes than she receives in government benefits. That is something that most Americans, in today's economy, might appreciate.

Despite increased finding for border control in the past decade and increased border patrol, the undocumented population has increased. Immigrants are coming here to fill jobs. Because these workers do not have legal means to stay here and work with authorization, they are forced underground and become exploited by many employers who profit from their precarious status.

Whether you believe their cause is just or not should not matter. What matters is that they are here -- 12 million of them-- supporting our economy. If we simply focus on sealing the border, they will still be here.

Regarding the NAS study, I'd suggest reading these:
tinyurl.com/j7ndp (FAIR)
tinyurl.com/zmfkc (NR)
Regarding the impact on consumer prices:
tinyurl.com/n8f54 (Seattle Times)

As for the laws, there's a difference between passing laws and actually enforcing them. The latter is where the problem is, and that's what prospective illegal aliens key off. They realize that even though we have tough laws, they aren't enforced.

And, that points out one of the major costs of illegal immigration: political corruption. Politicians don't do their jobs, they try to work around doing their jobs. Some of them do that because they receive donations from illegal alien employers, others do it for even less savory reasons.

As for 12 million foreign citizens being here inside the U.S., what would happen if we started mass deportations? Whether you think mass deportations are good or bad, as a sovereign country we have every right to deport foreign citizens who are here illegally as long as we do it lawfully.

If we have no such right, then we have no sovereignty.

Think that one through. Would you suggest that one of the reasons to avoid mass deportations is to avoid civil disturbances? If so, then you've admitted that we've been invaded and have no choice but to surrender.

Any program of mass deportation targeting 12 million people would be very costly -- even assuming that 20% would leave voluntarily, would cost at least $206 billion [Goyle & Jaeger, ?Deporting the Undocumented: A Cost Assessment,? Center for American Progress, July 2005]

It also would not, as I mentioned earlier, get at the real roots of why people come here so as to affect future flow.

If we lost 12 million immigrants who support our economy as workers, consumers, taxpayers and entrepeneurs, our nations as a whole would suffer more than it would benefit. Immigrants are net contributors and this loss would be felt all through the country.