Americans are strongly united in opposition to illegal immigration, as from 11 million to 20 million illegal aliens in our country, many of them taking jobs that could otherwise be filled by laid-off U.S. citizens.
But opposition to illegal immigration does not mean the American people support unscrupulous treatment of illegal aliens by those who hire them.
Many so-called “day laborers” in the United States are here illegally. They often congregate near construction sites or in other places, seeking work and a paycheck. Many of the people who hire them pay them the agreed-upon wage for their work.
But researchers in Newark, N.J., among other places, have found that many day laborers are cheated out of their pay by employers who believe they can get away with that because the illegals are unlikely to report them to police.
It is unfortunate that the illegals’ own unlawful actions put them in a position to be taken advantage of that way, and it is disgusting that an employer would turn the foreigners’ vulnerability to an employer’s financial benefit.
So what is the solution? Should illegal alien workers who have no right to be in this country to begin with be given “rights” in labor disputes with exploitative employers?
No. The federal government should start by enforcing our immigration laws to reduce the illegal invasion of our country. Meanwhile, there should be adoption of clear verification procedures by which employers can know whether someone seeking a job is in the United States legally. That would dry up the availability of jobs for illegals, and many would return home voluntarily or never come here in the first place.
And finally, Americans who hire illegal aliens and then cheat them out of promised wages should be sent to prison.
We should fight both illegal immigration and employer fraud.