1960brookwood

Many are and come back to work for the same families year after year. It's a great thing for the local schools because blueberry harvest is during head count for annual funding and then they move on after the frost hits--"Migrant workers in Michigan are paid $12.75 an hour and work a minimum of 35 hours. They are subject to state and federal income tax."

If you hire Juan to build your house without a license, insurance, or permits you deserve whatever you get!

ttuton

I’m not worried about any unskilled labor. The people that hire me are looking for a high quality finished product, not a hack job! Unfortunately I don’t believe that either party has any interest in stopping illegal immigration! All the people I have met that employ illegal immigrants have been Republicans.

Shotgunn

Having given up a roofing business in the late 90's and and walking away from a flooring business in 2010, both due to illegal immigration, I have some firsthand real experience with the topic of illegal immigration. Roofing... could not even break even trying to match a bid with a contractor that used illegals. I had to carry liability insurance and workmans comp on my LEGAL employees. I paid dump fees in plated and insured trucks and trailers, I had to pay taxes and employment tax again on my LEGAL employees. I had to give state benefits to my full time workers and I treated them very fairly. The contractor that used illegals, did NONE of this. He talked a great pitch as he spoke with clients in his fancy clothes, driving his new escalade. The client was none the wiser till 12 illegals attacked his house and the roof tore off before the homeowner knew what happened... then it was too late. Did he(the contractor) get a bad rep? Yep. And about every year he changed his business name and started right where he left off. When I left that trade there was not a contractor left in Denver that used legal employees. Their defense was the "sub" that I used is legal, I did not hire any illegals. The "sub's" legality was usually a fraudulent name and social security number, and a semi grasp on the english language, and that "sub" had scores of illegals working for him. Same story with Flooring except you contracted through Fancy stores, the consumer never would think a bunch of jauns and jose's would be invading their homes, again till it was too late. I could have hired illegals and been a whole lot better off financially, as in much newer boat with three or four engines. But as a wise man said My hypocrisy only goes so far. I am fortunate enough to have other skills that I fallen back on.

hoodoo

Shotgunn

Sure glad I am getting up at 5am, commuting 45miles, working 50hrs a week so the government can spend a quarter of my paycheck on that.

PA.WOODCHUCK

So the problem is compounded by American companies hiring the illegals? My opinion, it's the same reason china "owns" the USA because years ago American companies built plants in china to have products made and sent back home because it increased profits on each widget made? Are there any products or power tools that still say "made in USA"?

1960brookwood

https://www.toolbarn.com/usa-made-tools

Some have a disclaimer that may read like from "Globally sourced components". The company I retired from bought components that were delivered in 40' shipping containers.We made a small connector and stamped it made in USA so the customer assumed the entire assembly was a domestic product.

hoodoo

Absolutely.
When Rick Scott became FL gov he had every intention of instituting e verify. The Ag community came out really big against it and he backed off. Ironically the Ag producers have now had enough of the illegals BS and have largely gone to h2a visa workers. We realized it was well worth the expense to have a stable, extremely eager work force vs the riff raff we have had to deal with for decades. And NO Mexico doesn’t send their best as my favorite ex pres would say.
But if you are willing to deal with DOL, USCIS, pay all travel expenses, construct approved housing and provide transportation, you can bring in a very able, polite workforce that won’t steal every friggin thing that isn’t welded down. Most have found it to be well worth the effort. Airplanes/buses drop them off at the houses and then takes them back to Mexico when the work is over. They go home with more $$ than they’ve ever seen and are blowing up the phone about returning next year.

And unlike H2b, H2a has No federal cap of the # of workers, so at least for farm work, there is reason to ever hire an illegal.

Wildman_grafix

And for more then a decade they have been outsourcing engineering to china and India,,,,,,, Issue is when someones job gets outsourced the person doesn't disappear.

Wildman_grafix

LOL, years ago we were doing some competitive testing of other products and this assembly came in with "made in the USA" all over it. Basically someone in the US put 4 screws in as a last step. BS.