Border issue crosses over into the office
From the Houston Chronicle:
Many Americans focus on the border when they consider the fight against illegal immigration. But some experts say the real battle should be in the workplace to stop the hiring of people without work visas....
[A]cross the country, a small group of businesses is quietly testing a Department of Homeland Security program that can check immigration status with a few clicks on the Internet. The program will likely be at the heart of any federal immigration reform, even as critics say it needs improvement....
Many businesses, however, oppose making the program mandatory because it would stop them from hiring illegal workers and force them to pay higher wages, said Maria Echeveste, an immigration expert who worked as a deputy chief of staff in the Clinton White House.
"I see this as a battle over whether we are going to be hypocrites or not," she said. "If we're not ready to give up cheap labor, than we should shut up about illegal immigrants."...
Ayesha Tully hires dozens of factory workers and secretaries each week at the Staffmark temp agency office in the Orange County, Calif., city of Cypress. She prefers the pilot program to merely glancing at documents to see if they look fraudulent.
"I used to get nervous. What if I tell someone that the card they have isn't official, but what if it is?" said Tully, who began using the system earlier this year. "Now the computer checks."...
Just knowing a company uses the program can deter undocumented workers from applying.
Eliseo Flores Canales, 58, went to the Staffmark office looking for factory work. After glancing at a poster describing the firm's participation in the DHS pilot, the recently arrived Salvadoran mumbled that he didn't speak enough English and left.
Outside, Flores said he was afraid of having his illegal status discovered.
"This kind of program affects us. People come here, and a lot only have false documents," he said in Spanish....
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