Published June 19, 2006 - Illegal immigration hits home, aka: Jobs and the Economy
If you ask any of the political candidates who are running for a state seat in this year's election, "What will be your top priority if elected?" they will tell you, "Jobs and the economy."
While the song remains the same, the dance differs from candidate to candidate. Each candidate has his or her own opinion as to what is wrong with the economy and what is needed fix it. However, I have yet to hear even one of these Lansing hopefuls say, "Illegal immigration is a serious part of our jobs problem here in Southwest Michigan."
Some people in this country would have you believe that the illegal aliens are good for our national economy. Some would have you believe that illegal aliens are all just "good people" who are not hurting anyone. Some would have you believe that illegal aliens only work in the fields or take only trivial jobs. Anyone who believes the far left when they say "illegal immigrants are only taking the jobs that American citizens won't take" is living in the land of dementia. The situation is significantly more complicated than they want you to believe.
The fact of the matter is that there are a great number of illegal aliens working right here in Southwest Michigan, preventing American citizens from supporting their families. Not only do we have illegal immigrants picking our crops and trimming our lawns, we also have them working in our stores, in our restaurants and yes, in our factories and plants. Every local job being performed by an illegal alien is one more job your out-of-work neighbor cannot have.
Why would a highly successful, local company hire such a person? The standard reasons vary from greed to ignorance. There are the disgruntled employers, who disagree with the policies of our government and deliberately hire illegals as their personal act of rebellion. There are the deviants who hire illegal aliens and pay them substandard wages, typically under the table. And of course, there are always the "don't ask, don't tell" business owners, who prefer to look the other way.
There is another reason that our highly respected, local companies hire illegal aliens. The majority of the illegal aliens in our workforce have either purchased/forged their papers or have overstayed their work visa, misleading employers into believing they are legal residents. These men and women are con artists and frauds, who have lied and cheated their way into our job market. These "good people" are literally stealing the food off of your out-of-work friend's plate.
While your neighbor is applying for unemployment and food stamps, these illegal aliens are working next to you at the local plant. While your good friend is selling his house and searching for a job in another state, these thieves are standing in line next to you at the local market. While millions of illegal aliens are being imported to the United States every year, millions of dollars are being exported from the United States every year. That's right, while Michigan sits at the bottom of the jobs scale for the entire country, these criminals are making good money and sending it back to support the economy of their native country.
Legislators in Lansing need to focus on every aspect of our jobs crisis and do a better job of protecting our law-abiding citizens from fraud in the workplace. Stiffer laws need to be written and enforced to punish employers who are deliberately or ignorantly hiring illegal aliens. Additionally, better systems should be made available for Michigan employers to conduct more thorough background searches on potential and existing employees, so as to flush out these stealthy criminals who are fraudulently stealing our jobs.
American citizens and legal residents should not have to compete with illegal aliens for any job here in Michigan. Next time you talk to a candidate for the state Legislature, ask them about their position on illegal aliens in the workplace. Next time you contact your current representative or senator, tell them how you feel about the negative impact of illegal aliens on Michigan's job market. This is not a time for procrastination. It is a time for action!
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