this post was submitted on 22 May 2024
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I can say that the vast majority of unauthorized immigrants in NY work as day laborers and in kitchens. Cash under the table. Don’t ask, don’t tell.
The story changes changes if employers face federal criminal charges and hard time for hiring unauthorized immigrant labor and if people are rewarded for reports that lead to charges.
It’s harder to crack down on moving targets. Contractors and landscapers stop at a deli, hold up four fingers, and four guys jump in the back of the truck. I see it all the time. Once in a while, ICE comes through and the guys aren’t waiting outside that spot anymore. A few months later, back to business as usual.
Your talking about targeting workers. I'm saying target the employers.
I understand your suggestion. I’m saying it’s tougher to catch an independent contractor, landscaper, or private restaurant owner that uses unauthorized immigrant labor than it would be a corporation that has a paper trail.
Personally, I’m not for targeting anyone. I think we need streamlined immigration reform to balance out our birth rate decline, rather than forcing women to have unwanted children. But what do I know. lol
Ideally it's just a matter of encouraging workers, competitors, and regular people to report noncompliant employers. Then law enforcement can show up, seize the equipment (possibly putting civil forfeiture to good use), and arrest the employer.
I think people should be allowed to move across borders mostly freely. Whether or not someone is authorized to work is a separate issue. Work permits should be issued at a rate sufficient to maintain support for the population of non-working citizens (those who are too young, too old, or too sick), but not so much as to depress wages.