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Why Nevada protects workers here illegally
One reason cited: To avoid ‘perverse incentives’
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Callister and Bohlke Interview
A class action lawsuit has been filed against a local janitorial company used by many high-end casino restaurants. In Business talks with attorneys Matthew Callister and Brooke Bohlke who filed the lawsuit.
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A class-action lawsuit recently filed by the undocumented employees of a local cleaning company underscores that workers who are in the country illegally have many of the same workplace rights that U.S. citizens have.
That’s particularly important in Nevada because illegal immigrants make up an estimated 12.2 percent of the state’s workforce, according to a 2008 Pew Hispanic Center study.
But the idea that undocumented workers have rights is also controversial. Members of the “What part of illegal don’t you understand?” lobby have consistently expressed indignation about workers in such cases receiving anything but a deportation order.
Nevada Labor Commissioner Michael Tanchek says his agency is firmly resolved to remove what would otherwise be a “perverse incentive” for employers to hire and take advantage of undocumented workers by paying them less than the minimum wage — or nothing at all.
“We’re not going to let them play that game,” the labor commissioner says.
Tanchek points out that state law was amended in 2003 to specify that employers’ treatment of employees must comply with existing laws, no matter whether those workers are “lawfully or unlawfully employed.”
The change came about “to address the issue of undocumented immigrants,” Tanchek says.
In 2002, his predecessor had issued the landmark ruling that all workers hired on public works projects deserved prevailing wages, whether in the country legally or not.
Tanchek recalls the case of a mine worker in Elko who filed a complaint seeking about $1,200 in back wages. The worker also faced deportation. Tanchek’s staff told the worker the state agency could send the money to Mexico if the case was resolved in his favor. As it turns out, the state moved faster than the federal government and the check was cut before the worker’s flight to Mexico left the ground.
Angela Morrison is now legal director of the Nevada Immigrant Resource Project at UNLV’s Boyd School of Law, but she served as the first local trial attorney for the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, from 2006 to last year. She says her office would see cases that invoked “an intersection of state and federal laws” because the same workers would be victims of more than one type of discrimination.
“Undocumented immigrants are ... ripe for abuse by unscrupulous employers who use it (their status) as a threat,” Morrison says.
Tanchek’s agency doesn’t keep statistics on immigration status, precisely because the status doesn’t matter when it comes to resolving a complaint, the director says.
But historically, he says, immigration status has been mentioned as investigators interview workers, “enough so that we know it’s part of the reality of the job market in Nevada.”
Many more undocumented workers might not even complain. Investigators have heard workers say that their friends aren’t getting paid but are afraid to enter a government office, Tanchek says.
“We tell them, we only take claims, we don’t keep track of status,” he says.
Of course, for workers to file complaints, there need to be jobs, and recent economic trends may make this less of an issue.
Larry Dizon, chief investigator at the labor commissioner’s Las Vegas office, says he hasn’t heard complainants mention immigration in a case crossing his desk for months.
That is likely attributable to many illegal immigrant workers, especially in construction, having left the state or entered the largely invisible, part-time and occasional workforce.
Still, Morrison insists the issue won’t go away until the federal government resolves the fate of millions of undocumented immigrants. When the economy picks up, jobs will return.
Then, she says, one truth will remain: “They don’t have authorization to work, but they’re here.”
Discussion: 90 comments so far…
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HELP STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.......MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD:
http://www.numbersusa.com/content/learn/...
Angela Morrison, how can any person be discriminated against if they are not a legal citizen of our country? Did these illegal immigrants have proper work permits that authorized them to work legally here in the U.S? It's obvious they don't have proper authorization to be here in the U.S. legally.
Didn't they break our federal laws first by entering our country illegally, and second by obtaining jobs without a proper federal work visa, greencard, etc, issued by federal employment offices?
Don't federal laws supercede state laws when the Federal laws are the first to be broken? If these illegal immigrants would not have come into our country illegally these State laws would never have been broken.
It seems our state is giving Americans' rights to illegal immigrants who are breaking federal laws. Why should they be earning the rights of an American Citizen to which at this point they can use as a precident in future cases involving illegals?
No immigrant should be given the rights of an American citizen until they earn it legally. Breaking federal laws is not earning our rights legally.
"Tanchek points out that state law was amended in 2003 to specify that employers' treatment of employees must comply with existing laws, no matter whether those workers are "lawfully or unlawfully employed."
...This is ridiculous!!!! This is your Nevada Labor Commissioner contradicting himself in the same sentence. If employers complied with existing laws, they would not hire illegal aliens in the first place. DUH!!!!
"Why Nevada protects workers here illegally"
...the title of this article, could be rephrased to ask the question..."Why does Nevada protect illegal workers here?"
...the article purports to answer this question but it fails in my opinion. The true answer is to follow the money. Illegal aliens work for less, fill the jobs that most legal workers would not do, before the recession, and thus it was an economic advantage for the state of NV to break its own laws as well as the laws of this nation in regard to hiring illegal alien workers! That's why NV protects illegal alien workers!
The problem is that when the Govt, in this case the State of Nevada, picks and chooses which laws that it enforces, it creates tremendous disdain/contempt for that govt and its legal system. I am a law abiding citizen, but our govt is corrupt. We need to take back our govt. Unfortunately, as evidenced by some/most of the comments at this website, most people in this country, ie. Democrats, don't care about this country and its laws but only about themselves and what they can get out of their govt!
NOW I HAVE HEARD EVERYTHING !!! YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING?? (YES I AM SHOUTING AS THE REST OF AMERICA SHOULD BE !!!)
I have more of a heart-burn at the system for allowing this issue to continue in the first place. In the 'law and order' days, they called that an "ACCESSORY" to the crime.
"Undocumented immigrants are ... ripe for abuse by unscrupulous employers who use it (their status) as a threat," Morrison says.
Now the employer is to blame for taking advantage of a situation our government has allowed to happen? Maybe by treating them different, they might try to legalize their status? NOT!
Now Obama wants us to pay for their health care too. Of course they want to come here, they have a much better life on our dime. Some of them have left the workforce and gone home to Mexico? How many two?
Why are we changing our laws to allow this to continue? What do you think Castro does when people come into Cuban waters illegally? He sends out the gunboats!!
Calling an illegal immigrant "undocumented" is like calling a drug dealer an "Unlicensed Pharmacist".
Wait a minute, in 2008 illegals made up 12.2% of the workforce? What is the unemployment rate now, right around 13%? Wow! Anyone notice this? You go ahead and keep fighting for non-citizens' rights Angela, you too Michael. I hope you can do it with a straight face every time you see a wounded soldier or read about one who didn't make it home to preserve the rights of all AMERICAN CITIZENS. We aren't at war to preserve the rights of illegals squatting in our country.
Let's try this example... A doctor opens a practice and practices medicine for 5 years. The whole time he bills Medicare and Medicaid for procedures. After 5 years it is found that this doctor wasn't really a doctor at all, and that his credentials were fake. What do you think happens to the $$? First, every thing he has is seized, monies have to be returned to the system, and then he probably faces additional fines and criminal charges.
Now, if the government is willing to fight that hard for "their money", then why are you guys so damn eager to just give mine away because either an illegal lied about his/her status for employment purposes or a hiring company broke the law. Fine both of them, deport one, close down the other.
I like this.
This will cause businesses to see that the cost of hiring illegals will go up.
That means less of them will be hired.
Also, how about enforcing all the labor laws.
Like the one that says you have to be either a US citizen or hold a worker visa.
SSN fraud is rampant with the illegals. How about enforcing that law,too.
Okay everyone pay attention to this. If the employers were able to get away with paying illegal workers less and treating them unfairly the employers would save a ton of money. Thus enticing them to seek more illegal workers causing more US citizens to be unemployed.
Why doesn't the US govern mexico and turn it into a country people would actually want to live in. Whats a few trillion more in debt.
12% of the workforce is illegal and 12% of the workforce is unemployed. Am I missing something?
SSN fraud is rampant with the illegals
they have their own 'underground' system to get fake SS #'s across the whole country,in every State. I always wonder how do they get away with it? how can their little Mexican Mafia be so good at forging these documents? My guess its family and friends alreadyhere doing it And this keeps going on all the time,everywhere.
A better system has to be put intoplace to weed out these people, in particular, those using our health care system while those of us who are American Citizens including those who are here legally, have to pay for these criminals. And yes they are criminals. IF you or I got caught forging legal documents, we would be sent to prison. And Idon't buy anymore these ilelgals do jobs Americans won't do. Right now, THEY would do these jobs just to put food on the table.
This sure got my blodo pressure up this morning !!
funny- same percentags for illegal workforce and unemployment...... Wake up Nevada.
Our Government sucks for allowing this to happen.
That being said; so do those of us that vote for these laws allowing this and putting this regime in office.
We are either;
A. Part of the problem. or
B. Part of the solution.
Pick a side and be unwavering.
Now Obama wants us to pay for their health care too.
--------------
Please specify the exact passage in any bill he has set forth where it says that.
you can't tell me that you can't "hire" a LEGAL immigrate....oh I'm sorry...there's the matter of TAXES, health insurance...documentation = $$
something no one wants to pay for.The fact is illegals cost EVERYONE huge amount of TAXPAYERS money.Shut down those businesses breaking immigration laws...TAX them....to make up for lost revenue.
If Republicans and Democrat politicans were serious about the illegal alien plague they would do the following:
A. Require E-Verify for all workers.
B. Require all names and Social Security
numbers that do not match tax records
to be investigated. Mandate an exchange
of information between these agencys.
C. Levy huge fines on employers who hire
illegals (if you cannot find work you will
leave).
D. Cross check with immigration the names of
individuals arrested by the police and
turn the illegals over to ICE.
None of this will happen because the Democrat party is waiting for the amnesty and 12 to 20 million new voters and Republicans need the stoop labor for their business pals.
The looser as usual is is the middle class who pay the taxes..
If the illegals are coming to America to "do the work no Americans will do" and we make these illegals legal citizens of the USA who will do the work that no Americans will do?
Stop protecting illegal immigrants! If we kicked out the 12.2% of the working illegal immigrants, that would make it so 12.2% of unemployed legal American citizens could get jobs. Ones that they deserve... you know... because they are here legally!
WHY does Mr. Pratt at the LVS try to eqaute a few special interest groups, ACORN and the DNC with - WITH NEVADA?
There is a HUGE majority of NEVADANS who do not protect illegals and want action.
Don't take my word for it...just wait until 2010 and you will see what majority I speak of - and repatriation of HR to SearchLight, NV.
Lets be PC and call them what they are "Criminal Invaders".
"Now Obama wants us to pay for their health care too."
And who has been making us pay before? Please, we've been paying forever. Emergency rooms have to treat people based on laws created long before Obama was elected. And seriously, if you were a health care provider, would you really be checking for papers before providing medical care? It's not going to happen. It didn't happen under Bush and it's not ever going to happen.
"Okay everyone pay attention to this. If the employers were able to get away with paying illegal workers less and treating them unfairly the employers would save a ton of money. Thus enticing them to seek more illegal workers causing more US citizens to be unemployed."
---------------
Yeah, prosecutions of this sort work so well that we have 20 million illegal aliens in this country.
How about doing something more cost effective, like requiring employers, particularly those with government contracts, to use eVerify to check the status of workers? How about going after employers who engage in anticompetitive practices by using illegal aliens to undercut competitors? How about prosecuting illegal workers with identity theft and fraud when they commit it? How about cooperating with the federal government through 287(g) and removing illegal aliens as they're detected?
Wow Teaser you want an exact passage in a bill that Obama sets forth? How about the bill of common sense? When the children of people who are here illegally, most of which are in the prime child bearing years, have children here, who do you think pays for that? When they go to school, who pays for that? When they get sick and flood your local hospital emergency room, who pays for that? I do, that's who!!!
I'm not a lawyer, but I do know that the Bill of Rights mentions Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. It doesn't say anything about good health care. 90% of LEGAL residents already have health care. Some of the best in the world.
The government doesn't give you anything that it doesn't take from someone else---Thomas Jefferson
Again...that would be me!!!
P.S. And if you'd read any of the proposals, or could read and understand them, you'd realize that there are no provisions to provide benefits for illigal aliens - and in fact it is clearly prohibited. However, that doesn't mean emergency rooms will suddenly start checking papers before treating anyone. It just means we'll all continue to cover the treatment we're compassionate human beings who provide medical care even for criminals.
"Now Obama wants us to pay for their health care too."
And who has been making us pay before? Please, we've been paying forever. Emergency rooms have to treat people based on laws created long before Obama was elected. And seriously, if you were a health care provider, would you really be checking for papers before providing medical care? It's not going to happen. It didn't happen under Bush and it's not ever going to happen.
******************************************
Vegasstudent:
I agree we are already paying, but the democrats (aka socialist) are just making it worse. I don't know what doctor or health care provider you go to, but I've never been to one that didn't want to know where their money was coming from before you got treatment.
Emergency rooms have to treat people based on laws created long before Obama was elected
Correct, lvstudent. However the ER's and hospistals are NOT obligated to continue any further treatment beyond that initial visit. places like UMC are public hospitals and they have to treat everyone. Privately run hospitals do NOT have to treat anyone beyond that initial ER visit and there is a notice stating as such in most privately run hospitals. But most hospitals won't kick anyone out, and that includes any legal citizen without healh insurance. It'[s a catch-22.
PS. There's a law specifically written to prevent driving without a license too. Would you be shocked to learn that a few of those who are in this country illegally probably drive without one?
two years ago, I had to go to the ER of Mountain View. After several hours of tests and stuff, I had to be admitted. Within 5 minutes (and I was still in the ER) of that admittance request being done, some lady came by and wanted my co-pay from my insurance. I was in excruciating pain and I had to find my id and insurance card to show her. she took a quick look at both and then I had to pay. After that, they gave me the pain meds. She never checkd anything as far as if I was really who I said I was b ut I had that insurance card so I guess that made a diffrence.
Like it or not - the illegal immigrants are here to stay. It is prudent thinking to make laws to deal with it on a day-to-day basis.
OH COME ON.... If I opened up a stand selling what my husband is good at doing on a street corner I would be either SUED or FINED and maybe jailed.... They have stands every where.. out in drive ways,in trailer park homes in the middle of a dirt lot. Come on AMERICAN PEOPLE USA CITIZENS lets take that away from them, enough of oh poor them they will work for anything for hardly nothing they need work... WHAT ABOUT us UNITED STATE CITZENS... WE NEED WORK TOO.. My kids cant even get a simple fastfood job here,because the UNDOCUMENTED workers are taking them.... its really sicking.... We all work hard here. dont let the UNDOCUMENTED workers take it all from us...
Will you all come to my BBQ stand if I have one set up in a corner lot??? Maybe I will be arrested for that and we can get news coverage on that, "LEGAL WORKER" Gets ARRESTED for not having proper documents to sell..... HMMMM LET ME KNOW
With so many of our friends and neighbors out of work right now, why is the Governor not doing a thing to handle this issue? He has his head buried in the sand (I wish) and does not even acknowledge that THIS is why Nevada is hurting. It has nothing to do with the Legislature, it has to do with allowing casinos and others to hire illegals at a lower wage while nevada citizens can't find any work.
SHAMEFUL!
Sounds so Rancho cucomungan. I could use a job right now, myself, as much as my plight is sad, I don't see how car washers and field hands are hurting my prospects for employment. The illegals aren't doctors and pharmacists, they don't sell me insurance and houses. They aren't my bankers, they pump gas and sweep the place out at night, I think. Sure the unemployment rate is high, but would I be willing to work in the field, or car wash? I am not condoning illegals, although at least they are working, instead of commenting on newsboards, unlike me. I see them as role models, Good people whose only crime is they want to work. I don't do windows.But I will hose down your walkway and water your lawn, but I charge $50 an hour, so that would be kind of pricey for some households, but I do have a nice smile. So I am toasting one for all the car washers out there, I would love to tip them, but I am between jobs right now. Soon as I get back on my feet, I will start my olds up and get it washed, get gassed up, all by illegals, then go to a nice lunch, feel free to join me. I will be dining in the park, al fresco
I have a thought regarding a possible solution to the problem. Mexico can't seem to develop its country and bring it up to U.S. standards regardless of the fact that it has great potential. So why doesn't the U.S. do it for them? Erase the border (absorb the entire country), send talented developers in the from U.S., and make the Mexican people what they want to be --- U.S. citizens. :)
Workers' rights can be upheld by any legal jurisdiction once the illegals have been removed from American soil. It's that simple.
It's simple E-Verify is all ready up and running if the government wanted to it could require all employers to use it yesterday!
All illegals need to have assets seized and be deported. I wonder if we can make citizens arrests on these illegals? When the government fails to act it is up to the citizens to take action. We need to form groups and go door to door demanding papers and evicting these illegals from our country. Im sure I read something in the Patriot Act that allows the average citizens to do just that. We hang a few of them and the rest will get the message and stop invading our country. Viva Viva E-verify!!
Ya wanna know why illegals are getting cover?
It's 'cause the number #1 job for illegals is
HOME WORKERS (nannies)
for the pretty white "perfesshunal" girls and boys.
Next time you're at a cocktail party with your favorite lily-white-professional-office-paper-pusher friend, ask 'em what language their nanny speaks, and if they ran 'em through E-Verify.
Bet they won't be your friend for very long.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement:
(702) 388-6414 (Las Vegas)
(775) 784-5727 (Reno)
I am so enraged by this issue it is ridiculous!! This issue costs us outrageous amounts of money. Illegal workers get paid, but they don't pay taxes, and then they get to use all of the services that all of us hardworking taxpayers pay for. They drive on roads, use our hospitals, their kids get to go to our schools, they can even qualify for food stamps and aid, and lets not forget the one that is pointed out in this article they get to use our legal system to file lawsuits. The problem does start at the employer level, if the the state agencies would start doing what they used to do which is go in and do random spot checks, and if there were illegal workers, the employer was hit with a huge fine, than maybe the appeal of paying someone less money on the front end would diminish, knowing what could happen. First and foremost until there is something in place that makes it undesirable for employers to hire them to begin with than this problem will continue and the taxpayer will suffer. Every state especially here in the southwest actually has money built into the budget to pay for illegal immigrants!! And yet we can't get a decent school district to save our lives! I could go on and on about this issue but the fact remains that every election the illegal immigrant problem rates out of the top 5 for issues that people are concerned with, so it never gets addressed. Unfortunately it takes tough economic times before people start to feel the vast drain on our resources this problem causes.
Yep wiz...it's a racial thing, just like anyone who criticizes BHO is a racist
WAKE UP, AMERICA!!!
enteaser:
Nah, it's not a racial thing. It's a money thing.
BTW, BHO is a half-white guy (he calls himself a "Mutt"), who won't release his college transcripts OR his full birth certificate. Wonder why?
And, in case you didn't know: Tiger Woods is half-Thai.
Bet you don't see that one in the media or in his Buick commercials.
OK wiz, then why did you say this in your previous post?
"for the pretty white "perfesshunal" girls and boys.
Next time you're at a cocktail party with your favorite lily-white-professional-"
...and I hope you're not a betting man because you would have lost your bet. It has been well reported in our Tiger-obsessed media that Tiger refers to himself as "CABLINASIAN" CA for caucasion(12.5%), BL for Black (25%), IN for American Indian(12.5%), and Asian(Thai 50%).
'cause in my experience, it's true.
The same people who have the power and voice to change things, won't, because they have something to lose, namely, money (and lots of it).
Pick a topic, any topic. Immigration, Acorn, Stock Market, International Balance of Trade, the list goes on and on. Same story, dig deep, and it boils down to bucks.
Now, seems as though you know your stuff - how about seeing what you can do about those missing college transcipts and that elusive Hawaiian birth certificate, oh yeah, and before I forget, what about those Buick commercials...
so then it is a racial thing? But you just said it wasn't? Make up your mind and I'll be glad to respond to you!
It seems to me that if you are against illegal immigration you should be in favor of extending to undocumented workers the same workplace protections which are afforded to legal workers. Forcing employers to pay illegals equivalent to what legal workers make removes the incentive to hire illegals, thus dropping demand for them. As is, the fact that you can get away with paying illegals less or not paying them at all provides the incentive to hire them for unscrupulous employers. This demand is one of the factors which drives people across the border up here.
M O N E Y.
That's why!
Cut off the demand, and you cut off the supply.
Is that so hard? VERIFY.
(This author's note: this is why nobody talks about race. it's a quagmire. I suppose next we'll shift the discussion to sexual preference, another quagmire.)
Immigration IS about race, and it IS about money.
Money's easy, race isn't. If one is brave enough, one will talk about talk about both.
And I suggest if you know who's employing and harboring illegal aliens, turn them in. And now then, back to my original metaphorical thesis: just see how many friends you keep, after doing just that.
Food for thought:
...Who's makin' the dough offa' who? And what do they look like...?
gmag39:
Agreed.
BTW, BHO is a half-white guy (he calls himself a "Mutt"), who won't release his college transcripts OR his full birth certificate. Wonder why?
wizard
And what the hell does this have to do with the subject athand? Stay on topic. When there is a story about "BHO's" birth certificate, his college transcript, the girls he dated in high school, the car he first got lucky in etc, THEN bring it up.
NY Times/CBS Poll dated April 22-26, 2009; 65% would like to see undocumented immigrants legalized.
http://documents.nytimes.com/new-york-ti...
Pew Research Center Poll: 63% of Americans Favour Path to Legalization for Undocumented.
http://immigration.change.org/blog/view/...
An April 30, 2009 ABC News/Washington Post poll finds 61% of Americans support Path to Legalization for Undocumented
http://abcnews.go.com/images/PollingUnit...
Comptroller for the State of Texas;
"The absence of the estimated 1.4 million undocumented immigrants in Texas in fiscal 2005 would have been a loss to our gross state product of $17.7 billion. Undocumented immigrants produced $1.58 billion in state revenues, which exceeded the $1.16 billion in state services they received."
http://www.cpa.state.tx.us/specialrpt/un...
Francine J. Lipman
Professor of Law
Courses Taught: Federal Income Taxation and Corporate Tax
http://www.chapman.edu/law/faculty/lipma...
Taxing Undocumented Immigrants: Separate, Unequal and Without Representation
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?a...
The Undocumented Immigrant Tax
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?a...
The $25 billion Mexico receives in US remittances annually
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2008/07/3...
Represents 0.016% of US National Income
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATAS...
Mexico is a top source of imported US Oil, #2 or #3 depending on the month
http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petro...
Mexico = USA #2 Customer
http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/stat...
More immigrants = Less Crime?
http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/soc/faculty/s...
The graph above cuts off at 2006, so here is the FBI data for US murders in 2007 and 2008;
FBI Data on US Murders 2007;
Total -2.7
Northeast -8.6
Midwest -3.8
South +2.9
West -6.7
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/2007prelim/table2...
FBI Data on US Murders 2008;
Total -4.4
Northeast -1.2
Midwest -5.2
South -5.2
West -4.2
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/2008prelim/table_...
Crime in Los Angles was lower in 2008 than the 1960s.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jan/01/...
New York City had more murders in 1961 than 2008.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...
US Department of Justice, homicide rate 1900 - 2004; Homicide rates were higher in the 1960s than the 2000s even though the 1960s were a period of very low immigration.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/hmrt...
US Department of Justice, violent crime rates graph; Violent crime rates are now lower than 1973 - a time when there were few immigrants in the US.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/vior...
"Noncitizen men from Mexico between the ages of 18 and 40, which the study indicated were more likely to be in the country illegally, were eight times less likely to be in a "correctional setting,"
http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/cacount...
http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/images/...
Illegals "kill 25 Americans every single day"
U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-IA) in claimed in May 2006, in at least two speeches. and a press release that illegal immigrants murder 12 Americans each day and kill 13 each day as a result of drunken driving accidents, for a total of 25 deaths per
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/i...
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) misleadingly "extrapolated" figures from an April 2005 Government Accountability Office (GAO) study to formulate the questionable statistic regarding the number of deaths caused by illegal immigrants, the GAO report itself makes no such claim. The study shows that "noncitizens convicted of crimes while in this country legally or illegally" comprise approximately 27 percent of the United States federal prison population.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05337r.pdf...
http://blogs.chron.com/bluebayou/2006/11...
http://colorado.mediamatters.org/items/2...
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelrepo...
"30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens"
A 2005 report by the nonpartisan General Accounting Office says that immigrants -- both documented and undocumented -- constitute 27% of federal prisoners, many there on immigration related charges only. But fewer than 13% of incarcerated people in America are in federal prisons, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. When both federal and state prisoners are counted, about 6% are non-citizens; that is actually less than expected, because documented and undocumented immigrants make up roughly 8% of adults residing in the U.S.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05337r.pdf...
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/pim...
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05646r.pdf...
"240,000 illegal alien sex offenders...105 sex offenders cross the border each day"
http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/insideice/art...
http://colorado.mediamatters.org/items/2...
http://www.drdsk.com/articles.html#Illeg...
http://www.drdsk.com/articles.html
"95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens"
http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/200...
On Sunday, April 19, 2009, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary JANET NAPOLITANO went on CNN's "State of the Union" and proclaimed that crossing the border is not a crime.
"crossing the border is not a crime"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTqim4Se7...
Former US Attorney for the NY region Rudy Giuliani;
"Glenn, being an illegal immigrant, the 400,000 were not prosecuted for crimes by the federal government, nor could they be. I was U.S. attorney in the southern district of New York. So believe me, I know this. In fact, when you throw an immigrant out of the country, it's not a criminal proceeding. It's a civil proceeding."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDo-ZVK4d...
Former U.S. Attorney Serving the District of New Jersey and current GOP nominee for Governor of New New Jersey, Christopher Christie;
"Being in this country without proper documentation is not a crime," Christie told more than 60 residents and town officials. "The whole phrase of 'illegal immigrant' connotes that the person, by just being here, is committing a crime."
Being undocumented may be a civil wrong, but it's not a criminal act, Christie said.
"Don't let people make you believe that that's a crime that the U.S. Attorney's Office should be doing something about," he added of entering the country illegally. "It is not."
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04...
"While an illegal alien is subject to deportation, that person's ongoing presence in the United States in and of itself is not a crime, unless that person had been previously deported and regained illegal entry into this country."
http://www.kscourts.org/Cases-and-Opinio...
"I'm not a lawyer, but I do know that the Bill of Rights mentions Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
Fail. Wrong document my friend.
I would rather pay more money for everything as opposed to the country being destroyed! Let me guess, I'm a racist bigot blah blah blah blah......
Get rid of the illegals, the problem with diminishing benefits for citizens improves drastically.
"Undocumented immigrants are ... ripe for abuse by unscrupulous employers who use it (their status) as a threat,"
Are you kidding me? Theyre not even supposed to be a Topic,,MY GOD
Undocumented = Illegal. What a moronic State,Nevada is!!!
It sure would be interesting to know just how many jobs that 12.2% of the Nevada work force that percentage really means.
It also would be interesting to know whether that percentage counts the jobs of people who are paid under the table.
There are no published numbers for Nevada, but California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says that California taxpayers pay $1 Billion per year for public services to illegal aliens, over and above the state taxes those illegal aliens pay.
Sunrise Hospital recently laid off 100 workers (all probably citizens or legally in the USA) because Sunrise never gets reimbursed for the emergency room medical care which emergency rooms are forced, by current Federal law, to deliver to these "uninsured individuals". And no President Obama, that law is not being changed in your health care bill.
I've been watching the Mexican drug cartels bring their gangs across the border and commit crimes in California since 1996 (read the San Diego newspapers archives). Now we have both Mexican drug king pins and Mexican law enforcement officials setting up homes for their families in Phoenix, with each group trying to wack the other on our soverign soil. Now the State of Arizona south of the Tucson suburb called Green Valley is a heavily militarized zone where Americans are afraid to live, and are leaving in droves because of fear of the Mexican drug cartels and their gang members operating on a wide swath of American soil. It's no wonder the normal Mexican person is terrified and wants to come to the United States, with lawful entry documents or not.
The number of undocumented workers in the United States is going to increase dramatically as the drug cartels take over more and more of the Mexican Federal, state, city and local governments. Short of a coast to coast border fence, like the Berlin Wall, complete with machine gun turrents, I don't know what the United States is going to do.
While two successive presidential administrations fritter away our tax dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan, our country is being invaded from the South by both nice ordinary people and drug cartel gangsters.
Russia's preeminent foreign affairs scholar, sort of their Henry Kissinger, predicts that in 10 years the United States will no longer exist and we Nevadans, as well as Arizonans and Californians will be part of a separate country run by people who are ethnically Mexican. He doesn't predict whether that new government will be made up of honorable people, or gangsters like those who now run many of the former Soviet satellite states in Eastern Europe. His opinion kind of makes you think about where you want to live 10 years from now.
Dejanos vivir agui. Trabajomos sin papeles y manajamos sin licencia. Mandamos dinero a neustras familias para sostener un gobierno corrupto.
Better yet, why don't we ask for a dozen northern Mexican States And trade with our assuming Mexico's National Debt. Win Win for everyone, More land to make all those Desalinization Plants for farming and trading water. New places for Tourist to access. Build new cities and farmland from the ground up. Develop all the workforce that was once illegals, now fully American Citizens, and give them a voice from out of the shadows.
Human league. Maybe you should read the links you have posted. One link had Christoper Christie claiming it is not illegal to enter this country, yet in the link below it to the Kansas courts decision on a case clearly states that it is illegal to sneak into this country. Looking at some of the other links some are very old and basically have little documented facts while others are of dubious nature. Get some hard evidence instead of trying to overwhelm the discussion with what is essentially opinions and outright fiction.
It is fiction that Americans will not do the work the illegals do. There are too many documented cases where whites have been fired to make room for slave waged no bennie immigrants. As far as the drug war, there wouldn't be one if millions of people in this country weren't getting stoned. Some say legalizing drugs would make the drug problem go away. Not really. Being legal means there will be millions more looking to get stoned creating even more demand. For every border guard we fire, we will have hire a bunch of high priced drug councelors. We can put Americans to work building the rehab centers. Just as we need American employers to clean up their hiring act, our citizens need to face life sober instead of stoned or drunk. This country is going down the tubes and we have our fellow citizens to thank for it. Mexico can thank those same upstanding citizens for turning their country into a deadly combat zone.
A year ago Alexandra Berzon wrote an article"Carpenters' jobs hit hard"(Aug. 23,2008) explaining how carpenters from around our U.S. were coming into L.V. looking for work. Marc Furman, President of the Southwest Regional council of Carpenters, told Alexandra that L.V. was saturated with carpenters at that time and he was sending letters to all of the locals to not send any more members to L.V. I was a little upset because before and up to that time all of the major big construction jobs were hiring bilinguals as foremen and giving them a crew of 10 illegals to work under them. I mentioned this to her and she told me she didn't do stories on illegal immigration and gave me another reporters name to talk to .
I finally got in touch with this young sounding male reporter and after I told him what was going on he remarked "How do you know these workers were illegals?" I asked him,"How could anyone prove they're not?"
I asked him why does a reporter write a story and get people to believe one side of that story,but when another person comes up with a different slant on that subject his side is bogus? He told me that if I didn't have any proof the story could not be written. So now we have to depend on the truth, the whole truth only to come from the print of reporters? There are 2 sides and more to every story. Believe half of what you hear, and nothing of what you read. Sound familiar Tim?
Everyone is so concerned with all of these human beings who are missing a piece of paper issued by a bureaucrat. Do you get so angry at "law breakers" when the registration on their car goes out as well? It is really the same thing.
This is the same thing they used to say about the Irish and my-oh-my look how that turned out.
It'll be fine.
We are living in Northern Mexico. If you don't like it leave it. It is all part of the plan of Reconquista. The Mexicans are taking their country back and we ain't gonna get a penny for it. Like I always say The Late Great United States.
Fremmasmind -- The point I was making in that phone call is that a reporter can't just express an opinion -- "construction workers are illegal immigrants" -- he or she has to substantiate a newsworthy point with facts. And that's all I was saying to you. However, months later, after spending months documenting what the situation has been in construction in LV, I wrote a long story on that very point. It appears you missed that story.
If you'd like to call me at 259-8828 I can point you to it and would be glad to discuss the issue further.
Regards,
Tim
To those of you who claim the "Bible says you must obey the laws of the land" I ask;
What if the "law of the land" is APARTHEID as in South Africa?
What if the "law of the land" sanctions slavery?
It was "illegal" to aid and abet the UNDERGROUND RAILROAD!
It was "illegal" for women to vote not that long ago!
It was "illegal" for Rosa Parks to refus to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus the day she ignited a REVOLUTION!
All these illegals are like a plague and they are destroying our country.
Good Point Phargo, Mexico Del Norte. Why don't we make all citizen from Mexico into US Citizen from that Logic. Now we'd have and excuse to raid some druglords house in Tijuana.
Same response to all of these articles.. get rid of Obama, Harry, Nancy, and illegal Mexicans and we'll all be fine. Oh and Kanye as well.
As usual the opponents of any kind of restriction on the illegal immigration, is playing the race card? It's a forgone conclusion that the benefactors of promoting a mass invasion of our shores, such as religious groups, unions, ACLU, radical ethnic caucuses and even our own US Chamber of Commerce, will mouth epithets that doesn't benefit big business that doesn't advocate a continuous force of illegal cheap labor. Now they are really livid because their objection to E-Verify was thrown out of court. Now all federal contractors and subcontractors must adhere to the law. They have conspired against the American worker and people for too long, and now we are fighting back ourselves against corrupt politicians and other elected officials nationwide,
Rep.Joe Wilson was actually telling the truth at the time, and now Democrats have placed restrictive language in the Health care reform package as a reluctant afterthought by public demand. This was nothing to do about bigotry or racism, but the American workers and family survival. None of the business community who hire them wants their labor, but forces the taxpayer to carry the financial load. The US labor force should not have to be in competition, with people from other countries. Businesses have already offshore American jobs, because it's cheaper? So every illegal foreign national and family member should be exempt from government run health care, jobs and all the billions of taxpayer dollars secretly allocated to pay for their support. Twenty million plus illegal people compromised themselves, when they entered a sovereign nation without permission. Find out the truth at NUMBERSUSA, JUDICIAL WATCH and contact your politician at 202-224-3121 demanding no weakening conditions to E-Verify or any other law authored by Congress.
this stuff really makes me angrier,i'm a vietnam vet and i can't get a job even in afast food resteraunt because all the workers there do not speak 1 word of english.I have not worked in 8 months,and have no money coming in and havebeen turned down for govt. assistance as well, because i am a white american male, but if iwas brown skinned and spoke no english there would beno problem.Some country we live in.I worked for 40 years for nothing.
Can't we just make it illegal to employ illegal immigrants? Then this whole issue would be resolved, right? Oh wait, the Republicans for 8 years didn't deal with this issue. Why? Because it benefits them also! They get cheap labor to work for their crappy minimum wage jobs. If Americans didn't have illegals, the minimum wage would go up because Americans don't work for peanuts, whereas foreigners do.
Double standard here . . .
This country needs to go back to the days where undocumented workers were only allowed to be migrant farm workers.We got this country fair and square when we won the war with mexico, and our govt. needs to remember that, and follow the laws that were established after we won.
Wow. People just dont get it. If you can't compete with a person with no education and no language skills what does that say about you?
The same fools that go to tea bagger parties. You don't want top pay for healthcare yet expect employers to pay whatever the cost climb to. Approx $14,000 per family now. Any wonder why employers want to hire non-citizens.
It is unaffordable to hire you for low end jobs. Pouring ice tea at a casino does not entitle you to a car and a 2 story house. Wake up!
I hire "undocumented" all the time. Its a global economy. You don't lose sleep buying rugs at Walmart made by 10 year olds but if its Ice Tea pouring suddenly you need a real American for that job. Gimme a break.
Oh Nick, you wrote, "The same fools that go to tea bagger parties."
In case you don't know, it's "Tea Parties."
But on the other hand, why should you care. You admit that you "...hire undocumented" all the time."
So obviously, you do not care about saying or doing what's right.
It's all about you, Saint Nick...
Its not about me or you. Its a global economy. Get educated. We all will have more competition in the workplace going forward.
Pouring ice tea will not be a job to raise a family or even to be a single adult.
You can always learn spanish and move south. But then again you do not seem eager to learn.
The economy will recover but the free lunch days are ending for low skill labor.
Embrace the future or you will be a casualty next.
There still is a silent majority, I would bet all that the percentage of highest unemployed people are LEGAL citizens. Why fault the business when the state made it OK to hire them in the first place. The fact is, many, including me would be happy to get a job, any job, but no, I have to speak spanish. This is nothing more than the rectal excrement known as our representives want these people for votes. Like the business people needing more consumers, the politicians need more voters. Out the anus speak most of those in power. Send them all home.PERIOD. Let them build their own country. This is totally screwed up. Went to the DMV today and noticed how many of the workers all looked like they needed health care, I guess I have to be fat, stupid, dumb, type with one finger to be employed by them, at the fast food drive through, I can't understand what the hell they are saying. This is all BS unless we get these pigs out of our fields. Good luck to our children, they will inherit a truck load of crap given us by the ACLU, lawyers and other low life bottom feeders.
Reality is:
Unless US citizens want to pick fruits & vegetables, clean up garbage, and do all of those low-wage high-labor work (which I know it would not happen), US needs illegal folks.
LA MIGRA, LA MIGRA.
Deport the "Undocumented" workers or take them all on boat trips to lake mead!!!
Undocumented workers? Really? How kind. Illegal workers, illegal immigrants, lawbreaking non-citizens: don't pull punches. Sure, law enforcement has not been able to find and deport enough of these people, but my question is directed to the so-called unions. Why is it that we rarely, if ever, hear anything from SEIU, UFCW, and other unions about protecting Legal American Worker's jobs? When unions step up to speak out against illegal workers, then maybe some action can be taken against illegals in the workplace. After all, the Democrat party listens to unions and the liberal press would do actual reporting of the problems caused by illegal immigrants.
OldSailor: It's not that law enforcement has not been able to find illegal immigrants. Local law enforcement officials in many major cities are prohibited from informing Federal Immigration Enforcement that they have an illegal alien in custody or to relay information to the Feds about a possible illegal alien.
ono17jpjp: Where do I sign up for one of them there jobs? You might be surprised how many of us citizens, would like to have the opportunity for some work even if it is labor extensive.
Can we get free medical like the illegals?
Illiegal aliens SHOULD be threatened by their status...very threatened...they are criminals on the run from the law. What do people not understand about that? If they don't like the way they are being treated in the USA, then split...on your own, don't make me pay for your plane/bus ride back. Selective law enforcement is such BS...and if we're going to "select" I'd hope our own enforcement officers don't favor foreign nationals...we do pay their salary right?
For years, this country looked the other way when illegal immigrants crossed it's borders looking for a better life. This county gave to the illegal immigrants as only this country could.
But, this is a different country today then it was just a few years ago. It's citizens and legal residents are losing their jobs, unemployment is at a near record high. Many of these citizens and legal residents are without health care. Unpaid illegal immigrants' medical bills at hospitals have caused medical costs to skyrocket. Jails and prisons are flooded with illegals who came to this country without permission and did not obey the laws of this land.
This country is at a crossroads. Do we continue straight and continue as in the past, or do we turn the corner and make some difficult changes to sustain and better the lives of our countrymen?