It's About Time... to Go After Employers for Hiring Illegals

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/w...int&adxnnlx=1186585805-ZCDHOqe9f0d7EmQoTg82yA

August 8, 2007

U.S. Readies Tough Rules on Employers of Immigrants
By JULIA PRESTON

In a new effort to crack down on illegal immigrants, federal authorities are expected to announce tough rules this week that would require employers to fire workers who use false Social Security numbers.

Officials said the rules would be backed up by stepped-up raids on workplaces across the country that employ illegal immigrants.
After first proposing the rules last year, Department of Homeland Security officials said they held off finishing them to await the outcome of the debate in Congress over a sweeping immigration bill. That measure, which was supported by President Bush, died in the Senate in June.

Now Bush administration officials are signaling that they intend to clamp down on employers of illegal immigrants even without a new immigration law. The approach is expected to play well with conservatives who have long demanded a tougher stance on illegal immigration, but could also spur a renewed legislative effort to provide legal status for the estimated six million or so unauthorized immigrants in the work force.

 

I thought this would be a hot topic.

Guess not. (shrug)

 

The usual list of suspects are already screaming bloody murder.

Even though this move may be relatively ineffective, they want it to be totally ineffective.

 

Immigration Crackdown Worries Employers

Aug 10, 6:24 PM (ET)
By JULIANA BARBASSA

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Farmers and other employers who rely heavily on immigrant labor said Friday that they could be driven out of business by the Bush administration's plans to crack down on workers whose Social Security numbers do not match their names, and businesses that hire them.

Administration officials said the stepped-up enforcement would begin in 30 days.

"Everyone's very anxious," said Paul Schlegel, director of public policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation. "We're heading into the busiest time of the year for agriculture, so you're going to see a lot of worry from farmers and employers about how you deal with this."

The industry group, which represents 75 percent of U.S. farmers, estimates at least half the nation's 1 million farm workers do not have valid Social Security numbers. Losing them would devastate the industry, particularly fruit and vegetable growers, which rely heavily on manual labor, farmers said.

Other businesses that count on large numbers of illegal workers include construction, janitorial and landscaping companies, and hotels and restaurants.

 

You're probably right, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and hope they do what they say and it works.raying:

At least, saying it out loud that you're going to address the problem is better than what we've been getting.