Granted, sometimes it’s hard to tell if someone is legal or illegal, so that’s easier said than done…
I’m a *legal* immigrant and there’s absolutely no way I can get a job (in my field, technology) without proper documentation. I have to show my permanent resident card on the first day of employment and they’ll also do a background check on me.
My point is that it’s easy for an employer to verify correct legal status, but they actually have to give a damn.
I have sympathy with businesses that say that they *need* the labor and that “Americans just won’t do the work”, which I think is true to an extent. But if they REALLY WANTED a decent guest worker type of program they would have got it years ago. They don’t want it because ultimately it will cost them more in higher wages and taxes. If there’s one thing that’s true about government today, it’s that businesses get what they want.
What pisses me off is that they are willing for the additional cost of these illegal employees to fall on the rest of society: ER care, “under insured driver” insurance, and so on.
I suppose I should mention real-estate, so I don’t get slapped on the wrist.
SoCal is expensive.
Housing will go down.
Recession will begin.
People will lose jobs.
Etc.
