Yep, and in states with lots of illegal immigration the actual price of "labor" is heavily depressed since they're willing to work for basically anything.

If it's depressed it's because business owners who hire undocumented immigrants (often knowingly, even assisting with GC/visa fraud to pass I9 verification) are never, ever fined or punished.

Enforcement is a farce.

I bartended at a Mexican restaurant in USA around the Great Recession. The owners absolutely knowingly employed illegal immigrants.

Interestingly, the illegal immigrants generally got paid way more per hour (~30% higher) and also generally paid taxes via ITIN number. Eventually our restaurant got “raided” and the owners called around to find them new jobs at other places around town.

One guy lived with me for awhile. He eventually went back to Mexico because he saved a bunch of money and wanted to spend it on a real degree/career. The universities in our area told him they’d take his money and let him audit classes but wouldn’t be able to give him any proper documentation like a transcript or degree.

Enforcement isn't a farce, its just focused on workers because employers are powerful and workers aren't.

The reason republicans are so hardline on immigration is because "illegal" workers are really easy to coerce and exploit.

They don't call the health department when you make them shit in a hole in the field. They don't call OSHA when you deny them access to water out in the field. They don't call the attorney general when you pay them by what they pick, or only start counting their hours after they've walked half an hour to the field they're picking, and stop paying them the second they stop picking instead of when they get back to their vehicle...because you're too cheap to provide a truck or bus and they'll walk for free. They don't call the police when one of the supervisors smacks them around for accidentally damaging some equipment. Etc.

> Enforcement isn't a farce, its just focused on workers because employers are powerful and workers aren't.

I don't think many companies are powerful against ICE, especially small restaurants... there are probably political reasons why they choose to target employees and not employers.

Completely agree, this is why where I grew up in TX many of the business owners who are stout conservatives are basically complete hypocrites since they hire illegals! Tbh I strongly advocate to grant citizenship or work visas to people from other countries who want to work, however the democrats still benefit year after year by kicking the dreamers down the road and never actually changing the immigration system.

If we replaced every millenial deadbeat who complains about how hard it is to be a barista with a hard working immigrant our country would be better off!