Loading ...In Florida there’s a law stating that obviously, it’s illegal to hire illegal immigrants. In Panama City Beach, Fla. the local sheriff’s department figured that following the law might be a good thing and came up with an obvious solution:
The sheriff’s department has developed a remarkably effective — and controversial — way of catching illegal immigrants: Deputies in patrol cars pull up to a construction site in force, and watch and see who runs.
Those who take off are chased down and arrested on charges such as trespassing, for cutting through someone else’s property, or loitering, for hiding out in someone’s yard, or reckless driving, for speeding off in a car.
U.S. immigration authorities are then given the names of those believed to be in this country illegally.
As I’m sure you can guess the sheriff’s department has come under fire for this tactic from the usual suspects. First up? The ACLU:
Immigrant advocates say the technique is repugnant, and the ACLU says its constitutionality is questionable.
[...]
Benjamin Stevenson, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in Florida, said he finds the tactic troubling.
“Why are they sending out six or seven agents to investigate a paper crime, and are they causing them to run in the first place through intimidation?” he asked.
Then of course there’s the obvious Mexican American Legal Defense Fund:
The Mexican American Legal Defense Fund is investigating the arrests because “the intimidation factor is of great concern,” said Elise Shore, regional counsel for the organization.
You catching a pattern here? Apparently intimidation is no longer kosher. So remember that the next time you pass a cop on the side of the road and see that everyone (well, except the idiot not paying attention) has slowed down because they’re afraid of getting a speeding ticket. Tell me: how is this any less intimidating?
Of course the AP has to include the obligatory heartfelt story about the trials and tribulations of the illegal immigrant worker:
Mexican illegal immigrant Jose Madrid, 28, said he has been unable to find a construction job over the past six weeks because of the crackdown, and hasn’t been able to send money to his parents and his 7-year-old son back home.
“We immigrants, we are leaving Panama City. People are afraid they will be deported,” he said. “The companies don’t want to hire illegal people. Now they’re only hiring those with papers.”
Color me not sympathetic. Yes Mr. Madrid has the right to provide for his family. Yes he’s only doing what he thinks is best. But abso-friggin-lutely no does he have the right to do it here in America. Jose Madrid and those like him need to realize one thing… the developers that hire them are simply using them as modern-day indentured servents to increase their profit margins and depress the wages of legitimate American workers. What they’re doing is illegal, plain and simple.
So why do they do it? Apparently without unskilled, cheap, illegal labor nothing could get built even in the middle of a construction boom:
Developer Louis Breland is finishing the first phase of a $750 million beach condo project.
“Subcontractors could not function without immigrant laborers for painting, rebar and steel work. They are the best workers,” he said. “Without them, the cost of construction would be 10 times as much and nothing would get built.”
Dan Morgan of NoSpeedBump.com puts this load of greedy **** to rest pretty handily:
I seem to recall that a lot of buildings got built before the boom in illegal immigration started in the 1970s. In fact, my great grandfather worked as a carpenter. His son worked as a carpenter and then a construction foreman. And my father started his career as a carpenter. He also owned a small construction company while I was growing up, and no immigrants, legal or illegal, worked for him.
It used to be that Americans could make careers for themselves as skilled construction workers such as carpenters, bricklayers, drywallers, painters, etc. In fact, in areas of the country not yet overwhelmed with illegal immigrants, this is still true.
But once an area has enough illegal immigrants to underbid Americans for construction jobs, then the jobs all go to illegal immigrants. At that time we are informed by altruistic developers that “Subcontractors could not function without immigrant laborers … They are the best workers.”
Over at the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler (vulgar language warning) they’ve got another view on things. While it may be a slightly less in-depth response to the myth that “nothing would get built without illegal labor” it’s still worth reading, if only for laughs:
As proven by the fact that no single building was built in the United States of America until around the 60s. Up until then, we all lived in tents in the wide open desert.
Labor, unlike cheap electronics or tropical food in winter buildings can’t be imported. Construction should be one of the few industries where the America worker doesn’t have to worry about competing against foreign labor to make a living. If only that were still true…
Look, skilled labor immigrants are a great thing for this nation to have. It’s one of the ways we became the premier technological nation on the planet, and by bringing in the brightest minds in the world we can continue to keep that edge. But face it, unskilled, uneducated, and illegal manual labor immigrants aren’t needed.
If the day ever comes were we run out of our own homegrown manual labor pool you’ll hear me singing a different tune, but until then all they do is artificially deflate wages. They make it harder for legitimate Americans to find jobs that will pay the bills. So remember that the next time you get into an argument over the “They have a right to provide for their family” line.
A family will get provided either way, it’s up to us as a nation to decide whether it should be one of ours or one of theirs. I know which side I’m supporting. Do you?
Other blogger reactions (Thanks in part to MemeOrandum): Freedom Folks; jurrassicpork (Welcome to Pottersville); Tiger (Observanda); Gaius (Blue Crab Boulevard); Robbie (Urban Grounds)
I have a friend who is a decent carpenter who can do more working alone than a crew of 6 semi-skilled illegals can.
The rework and costs associated with failed inspections, and screwing up the work of other trades are something that nobody talks about. The work quality is of course substandard in the vast majority of cases. The work done by illegal masons is absolutely atrocious. I would have been embarrassed to do that level of work when I was 12 years old — and I’m not a mason!
The sheetrockers routinely destroy the electricians stuff causing costly reworks.
Doesn’t surprise me at all. One of my best friends recently dropped out of training to become a carpentry apprentice when he saw what his expected wages, post illegal immigrants, were likely to be.
He took a union foundry job instead… no problems there.
LOL! I grew up (well, lived my first 21 years anyway – no one properly accuse me of growing up) in San Diego County – amidst the strawberry and tomato fields. The workers had a system worked out – when INS pulled up, several would take off running. The Migra would chase after those who ran. The runners were the ones with valid green cards. While the Migra was chasing them the others would quietly disappear, no fuss, no bother. Of course, the ones that wanted to go back home for a visit, or who had sent enough money back home for the year, would let themselves get caught and then get a free ride back home courtesy of the US taxpayer.
“Developer Louis Breland is finishing the first phase of a $750 million beach condo project.
“Subcontractors could not function without immigrant laborers for painting, rebar and steel work. They are the best workers,” he said. “Without them, the cost of construction would be 10 times as much and nothing would get built.”
Which is utter bullpuckey. Cost MIGHT go up by about 10% to 20%. Which, granted, is not chump change, but nowhere near what that joker claims.
One other thing comes to mind. Here in CA, people who get caught for drunk driving typically end up spending weekends in jail, or rather, on a weekend work furlough – cleaning up highways, painting out graffiti, etc. A local historic landmark, Mariano Vallejos Adobe in Petaluma (The Old Adobe) has had a lot of brickwork redone by illegals who spent their days in jail doing the same work they did back in Mexico – making and laying adobe bricks, or using fired red brick to lay walkways and floors. Seems that the white guys caught for DUI didn’t have any skills beyond picking up trash.
So why am I, a retired senior, providing housing for a skilled US-born painter and dry-waller whose work pleases everyone who hires him, both for speed and quality? Because the immigrant labor force has so undercut wages he can’t find regular full-time work! Makes more gathering scrap.
Then there’s my native English-speaking friend who rented a house from people who evidently speak Spanish, but the tenant can’t communicate with the owner-hired glorified grass-cutter, panics at every blade of dry grass, but can’t communicate her concerns!
I say hurray for the Panama City Beach Sheriff!
Dustin
Great post amigo. I am a complete capitalist when it comes to things economic, but this issue perfectly illustrates what happens when legal commerce meets illegal. A painter or carpenter that plays by the rules, pays taxes, yada x3… cannot compete on the same wage scale as an illegal worker. The silly notion that these folks are doing work Americans won’t do is asinine. That translates in reality to doing work at wages an American won’t work for. There is not really any doubt sheet rock will be hung and cement poured, it’s just how much the job will pay.
Now before any of GTL’s regular readers start to think I’ve gone all squishy and leftist on things economic, let me say as an employer of 25 people I would love to be able to pay 3 or 4 bucks an hour (or whatever tiny amount it is they pay our illegal hispanic brethren). That is, if I could do so LEGALLY. In that regard, my ire is directed not just at the illegal laborer’s, but also at their employers who KNOW that they are illegal. I’ve heard some of my fellow CoC members whine about “I can’t be sure they’re illegal”. If they were talking about cleverly forged documents I might some sympathy. I suggested that if you have to have the interview questions in spanish,and you’re not hiring for a position in Mexico, you probably should catch a clue.
Oh yeah, one more thing. Now which party was it that broke with their idiot leader to stop this POS? That’s right, it was the good ol’ right wing Republicans that pulled our fat from the fire. I think y’all need to have a talk with Harry, Ted and the boys. Just don’t do it over drinks if Teddy is there. He’ll bogart the whiskey and then want to drive
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