Friday, September 18, 2009

A difficult question - illegal aliens

Yesterday I was asked a really difficult question. As many might guess, I have an answer for almost everything. When I ran a networking enterprise in Denver, I was asked once, "What if you don't know the answer?" My answer was, "I'll make it up." Some would call that brainstorming; others might call it networking.

But yesterday I struggled with an answer. I received a request for help on behalf of a driver whose traffic maneuver had attracted the attention of a police officer. The officer stopped the driver and determined that he had no driver's license, and the officer arrested the driver and took him into custody. The problem? The driver doesn't just not have a license; he is in the U.S. illegally.

Traffic court judges in McHenry County warn those in court that, if they are not in the U.S. legally, then they are at risk of being detained on an immigration hold and possibly deported.

The person asking for help on behalf of the driver said, "But he's a really nice person and works hard."

The argument that illegal aliens soak up jobs that would otherwise be held by citizens of the U.S. might be true in some cases, but I suspect it's an argument that really doesn't hold much water. What "American" kid or adult will wash dishes or do lawncare work or pick fruit or work at a carwash for minimum wage? Not any that I know.

If they weren't available for those low-wage, labor-intensive jobs, would those employers be forced to pay higher wages that would attract "American" workers? And, if employers paid higher wages, would they still be able to attract workers? How high would the wages have to be to attract kids and other unemployed McHenry County residents to do the back-breaking work of lawncare or to wash cars 40 hours/week? (Now, I'm aware that "American" can include Mexicans and Canadians, who reside in North America.)

What really is the solution to the problem of undocumented people in the U.S.? Amnesty doesn't seem like the solution to me, because that seems to "approve" their illegal entry into the U.S. Mass deportation doesn't seem like the right solution. Jailing until deportation doesn't seem like the right solution.

Who knows the solution? Do you?

7 comments:

FatParalegal said...

Really nice people can make mistakes and break laws; they go to court; they are sentenced. Hard workers can make mistakes and break laws; they go to court; they are sentenced. Being in the country illegally is breaking the law; they go to court; they are sentenced. "Really nice" and "works hard" have nothing to do with it. THEY BROKE THE LAW.

Franker said...

Build a bigger fence!!! Really, I don't care how nice he is. If he's driving without a license or insurance and hits me or my family, we are screwed! That also causes your's and my insurance rates to go up! Of course if he's caught. He might get scared and leave the scene.
And our taxes go up when he breaks laws because there is so much expense (police, lawyers, jail, deportation). And Gus...this poor economy they are talking about? Yeaaah, I think many workers would take any job they can get right about now!

Anonymous said...

We need the illegales... otherwise there wont be any stock for the Salad Bars across the nation, or lawns mowed, asphalt sealed, and the like.

Note to all- TMB is an EQUAL OPPORTUNITY DISCRIMINATOR.

yagottabekidding said...

Great, a candidate for sheriff that is unclear on how to enforce the law.

Unknown said...

What about the illegal fella who was drunk and killed the motorcyclist in Mundelein last year. I'm sure he was a really nice guy! But he had no business being a nice guy behind the wheel of a car.

Gus said...

No; no question or doubt how to enforce the law.

Just like Sheriff Tom Dart didn't have any question about how to enforce evictions when tenants were forced to move out suddenly, because the landlord's building was in foreclosure.

Brittanicus said...

Nothing is a 100 percent perfect and that goes for the government application E-Verify? The answer for any irate hired worker is simple, that if the employer is not satisfied with the results of the immigration verification identity process? You take a copy of your 1-9 form to the Social security agency, to resolve the issue? YOU WILL OBVIOUSLY NOT APPEAR BEFORE AN AGENT OF THE GOVERNMENT, IF YOU HAVE NO AUTHENTIC PAPERS? This is not a complex approach to the problem, although the US Chamber of Commerce, ACLU and a multitude of detrimental businesses have tried to escalate this situation? They say categorically nothing about how to rectify the matter, owing to their main objective is to demonize the process any way they can? Even their adolescent attitude of filing some frivolous lawsuit with the courts fell through?

E-Verification--MUST--become a permanent law, not just subject to an employer’s whim? The public who savor their jobs not being appropriated by foreign workers--AS HAPPENED IN EUROPE--should demand E-Verify in every industry, every business with heavy penalties for those who rebuke the law including mandatory jail sentences. EUROPE over several decades has also been overwhelmed by legal and illegal immigrants, thats why health care across the Atlantic has become compromised? E-Verify could be easily expanded for many other uses in the US, including admittance to health care, drivers licenses, government subsidies that would include education and home mortgages? My family wants a comprehensive package of health care reform pass, then to me it's obviously important to me as well?

But we must remain vigilant as the status quo has in their influence a group of stalwart politicians. They have secretly conspired to table E-Verify in the past and will no doubt try to eradicate it's accessibility in the future. Hundreds of pariah businesses are devoid of a conscious towards the American working man or woman. They have corrupted the lawmakers in Washington, with special interest money and extravagant favors. They have already indoctrinated some of our previously honest leaders with favors and in return we have seen the weakening of 287 G police training apprehension of illegal immigrants. Already President Obama has listened to Sen.Harry Reid D-NV, California's own Nancy Pelosi and Napolitano who have weakened other enforcement laws. NO! Innocent children of illegal immigrants who were transplanted by their parents here are not to blame. Our borders have remained like sieves, thanks to some of the lawmakers whom we voted for over the years. Legislators are ultimately culpable as they make the decisions, as by inheritance of each administration who resides in the White House?

Money was wasted on building the single length border fence instead of Rep.Duncan Hunters planned two-tier barrier as in San Diego? ICE raids have been reduced and even the No-match-rescinded. More money is wasted overturning enforcement laws, instead of using the full force of these procedures in combating the illegal immigrant invasion. IF YOU HAVE SOME SOLID KNOWLEDGE OF ILLEGAL WORKERS, CONTACT ICE! ADDRESS YOUR POLITICIANS AT 202-224-3121 NO MORE COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM! IT IS NOT IN THE COUNTRIES INTEREST. USE AMENDMENTS TO RESOLVE PROBLEMS WITH THE 1986 IMMIGRATION LAWS ALREADY ENACTED. Learn facts not rhetoric or lies at NUMBERSUSA & JUDICIAL WATCH & CAPSWEB.