[quote=deadzone]BG, practically speaking there is no “work permit” for a Mexican national to be working in San Diego at low wage service jobs such as Burger King, Holiday Inn, etc.
The vast majority of these workers are illegal, presumably using fraudulent SSNs.[/quote]
I couldn’t find a loophole in the code for applying for a garden-variety work permit “just because” either, deadzone.
Most if not all restaurants and hotels in SD have a good percentage of border-crossing employees. It is the same situation with nursing homes and board and care homes … and even the Del Mar racetrack (recurring temp positions). All I can think of then is that many of them DO have green cards but choose to live in MX due to lower cost and family proximity.
Many of these employees have decades of seniority. At one time, it wasn’t that expensive to rent a place in SD County, especially with roommates or in a 2-family situation.
In recent years, SD County rents have gotten ridiculous so the longtime local service-sector employees who weren’t able to ever buy their own home in the intervening years could very well have moved back to MX.
And yes, a portion of these workers may be using fraudulent SSNs to work in the US but I can’t imagine a 20+ year employee at the Hotel Del, for example, willing to work under an identity which is not theirs and pay FICA out of their pay associated with that identity for that length of time, knowing that they may never see any of it in the future.
Perhaps that is okay with some workers because they otherwise wouldn’t be able to have such long, steady employment in a nice daily atmosphere where they get to share tips.
It wouldn’t be okay with me but of course, I’m an American who might be accused of taking that status for granted.
