Hiring and Working Illegal Aliens: What’s Next?
We have all heard the stories of employers hiring illegal immigrants who sneak over the border from Mexico to look for work. For employers, it looks like a sweet deal because they can pay them below minimum wage and not have to worry about the workers complaining to the authorities.
Of course, this is totally illegal for all parties involved, especially the employer. If they get caught doing this kind of thing, they will likely get prison time for it. The illegal workers would likely be deported or forced to go to immigration court. But, it is the employer that will endure the worse punishment because they are guilty of numerous crimes besides hiring illegal immigrants.
For example, if an employer runs a farm and pays an immigrant worker $2 per hour to harvest crops, then they are breaking both the state and federal minimum wage laws. This could mean that they will get punished in both courts and endure two prison sentences for each one. Sometimes the state court will just hand it over to the federal court, but not always. There have been cases where the state court prosecutes somebody first, and then the federal court prosecutes them afterwards. It usually depends on the extent of the crime at both federal and local levels.
As for the question, “Is it safe to hire illegal immigrants?” The answer is “no.” Sure, it can be very profitable for their business, but it sure won’t be profitable if they get caught. It is simply not worth the risk because legal fees are bound to bankrupt your business, especially if they are so cheap that they need to cut corners by hiring illegal immigrants in the first place. The Obama administration has issued an order for 34 million work permits to be printed for illegal immigrants who qualify, even though congress has denied the motion to offer them. What does this mean for workers on both sides of the issue? The fact is, even with out the permits there are laws in CA that prevent the mistreatment and threatening of assumed immigrant workers.
There are over one million estimated unemployed Americans living just in California who desperately need the work. Just think about all the tax credits employers will be entitled to if they hire Americans. In fact, Governor Jerry Brown just announced that $750 million in tax credits are being spent to encourage out-of-state companies to move to California and start hiring American workers here. If they were hiring illegal immigrants, they would not be entitled to any of these tax credits. So, there are advantages to being honest and doing a good deed by employing legal American workers.
If you are facing mistreatment by an employer you have rights. Call UELG TODAY.
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