Identity theft and protection measures

Immigration Law and Policy: An Argument in Favor of More Stringent Immigration Enforcement

Immigration is often presented as an issue of bias: opponents of liberal immigration policies are depicted in the media as prejudiced against legal and illegal immigrants because of immigrants' 'alien' or foreign status. But there are serious implications for all Americans of all ethnicities of 'open door' immigration policies, or worse, laws that allow employers to look the other way regarding an employee's illegal status. A steady influx of low-wage undocumented workers will cause disproportionate economic harm to American workers who are struggling to find jobs that pay a decent living. A seemingly "self-evident premise -- that more job seekers from abroad mean fewer opportunities, or lower wages, for native workers" has become clouded by issues of cultural and political correctness (Lowenstein, 2006, p.1). While some undocumented workers have paid taxes and made positive contributions to their communities, illegal immigration is not the solution to the United States or the developing world's economic woes ("Responsible reform," AFL-CIO, 2006).

Lax immigration policies allow immigrants to be exploited for their cheap labor. "The broken immigration system has allowed employers to create an underclass of workers, which has effectively reduced working standards for all workers. Immigrant workers are over-represented in the highest risk, lowest paid jobs" of the meat-processing, restaurant, and landscaping industries ("Responsible reform," AFL-CIO, 2006). The U.S. Department of Labor found that American poultry processing plants were 100% non-compliant with federal wage and hour laws. The presence of illegal workers in these industries has effectively created a workforce that is inclined to tolerate often horrific abuses of safety and sanitary precautions, as well as 'missed' paychecks or unpaid overtime. Furthermore, "the Department of Labor also estimated more than half of the country's garment factories violate wage and hour laws, and more than 75% violate health and safety laws" ("Responsible reform," AFL-CIO, 2006). Workplaces that are dangerous for immigrant workers are equally dangerous for their U.S.-born counterparts who work beside illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants may come to U.S. shores with the aim of bettering their lives, but instead find themselves in poorly-paid, dead end, and unsafe jobs without access to legal recourse or health insurance -- and increasingly, U.S. workers are finding themselves in the same position.