Immigration, Part II

I just heard another story on the immigration issue that brought to mind just a few more thoughts. The story said that illegal immigrants and activists for their cause are planning a boycott on May 1st. It seems that they feel they will bring the country to its knees if they choose not to go to work that day. One person from Guatemala said (in heavily accented English), “If I don’t go to work, who’s going to clean the toilets?” The reporter explained that the woman cleaned homes and small business offices. Well I don’t know what anyone else would do, but I think I’d just clean them myself! But that thought aside, I’m sure that the activists think the biggest impact will come to industries that routinely hire illegals anyway. My thought on that is that it should! If an American employer hires someone that doesn’t belong here because he can get away with not paying payroll taxes on the employee and he doesn’t have to report the wages or pay even a fair wage, then he SHOULD have to deal with trying to get the work done without immigrant labor.

I’m not sure why they timed it as they did, but a couple days ago, federal agents raided a company that had 1,100 illegal aliens in its employ! They also had the wisdom to arrest 7 of the company officers for allowing it and for ignoring the law. The report said that all 7 were released before nightfall and it was expected that the only people that would pay any penalty were the illegals that would be sent home. The company and its officers would probably settle out of court and take their chances that they wouldn’t get caught again for a few more years. Which means that for a few more years, workers will be hired for less than minimum wage, their wages will not be taxed, they will be served by hospitals and welfare organizations and its my wages (and yours) that will pay for it. That’s the outrage! These companies are competing unfairly with companies that try to follow the rules and pay fair wages and their proper shares of payroll taxes. They undercut the competition’s market and force honest, decent companies out of business, leaving thousands of Americans out of work. Sometimes it is a case of an American laborer not being hired because an illegal will work for less, but more often it is the companies that they work for losing market share to these illegal outfits until they have to close their doors.

So, I guess my point is this: If you care about American industry and the jobs it provides, clean your own toilet on May 1st.