Immigrant Exploitation

re: Belaboring the Immigration Point by Jonathan David Morris

I agree with Mr. Morris point about Congress funding Day Labor Centers and teaching immigrants English and the Constitution. I would go one better and say that part of this should be payinging these immigrants to stay and learn, and not just at minimum but at a living wage (meaning if they have kids, they get extra money). This would change the labor market and force anyone who actually wants to hire an illegal immigrant to match that wage - or to hire an American for a similar wage.

Mr. Morris mentions Unions. I have to laugh. One of the two reasons immigrant labor is so attractive is that Right-to-Work laws give employers the right to bypass union wages and go for the cheapest workers. If undocumented workers had to compete for union jobs they wouldn't get them and would stop coming. There would be no percentage in hiring them, since they would quickly learn from their shop steward that complaining would not get them deported, especially if the shop steward is the one complaining. If you lifted all immigration rules you would really take the incentive away from employers to hire undocumented workers, since you could not abuse them and threaten them with deportation for complaining.

Considering the partisan affiliation of the nativists and the business owners, I would find this debate funny except for the fact that real people are being exploited.

Michael Bindner
Alexandria, Virginia