ian-mstm

Maybe not so negative... it would include Donald Trump.

Ian

Leslie

Pulaski

And then there are idiotic laws like this one:
".... Most employers should not ask whether or not a job applicant is a United States citizen before making an offer of employment. .... Employers should accept any unexpired document from the Lists of Acceptable Documents so long as the document appears reasonably genuine on its face and relates to the employee."

So you're OK so long as you use good quality forged documents, AND you get to choose which document to get forged present to your new employer.

To be clear, this ridiculous piece of legislation gives the "criminals" that you would prosecute, an almost watertight defence!

Rete

That is just it. Civil violations or parking tickets or moving violations are what brings illegals to the attention of the authorities. If they were never in compliance how could they "get back into immigration" compliance? And they were once in compliance legally and stopped being so, why do they deserve a chance to rectify that while remaining in the US holding the same privileges that citizens and legal residents have?

Rete

Could never and still can't understand why an employer cannot ask to see proof that someone has the right to work, i.e. passport or birth certificate of a US citizen, green card for a resident, etc.

tom169

I'm not sure I understand as employers can ask... It's just up to the employee to furnish whatever document they want as per the I-9 instructions. I showed my EAD and that's all what was required.

I think promoting the e-verify system will help this overtime. It only takes a few minutes to check on someone... I did it on myself.

Pulaski

Yeah, but I could forge a document with your name on it and present it when I apply for a job, and because you are "legal" it will come back as a positive e-verify! .... And so long as the forgery is not something made using a potato cut, the employer cannot challenge it.

tom169

Ah, I'm following you. Yeah, to be honest any dodgy outfit that can make a fake driving licence can probably make a fake EAD/GC/whatever.

morpeth

I agree completely, in fact more resources should be thrown at the problem rather than the symptom. If employers of undocumented immigrants had greater consequences, combined with stricter border control and making it not so easy to live illegally in the USA, that would address the problem.

ICE has finite resources, should be prioritized solving the problem, so that families wouldn't be torn apart.

morpeth

There are a few common sense methods to deal with how easy it is to live as an undocumented person in the USA which would help, and technology today can be used more efficiently.

1. The IRS and Social Security Administration tend to not share basic information, nor use computer programs to identify anomalies that easily can indicate undocumented workers. For example, if under one social security number credits are being received in two different parts of he country on a regular basis, more resources in looking into this would turn up double use of social security numbers.

2. The e-verify system if I understand correctly has exemptions for businesses under 50 employees. It is not an undue burden for small businesses to submit copies of documents by email, and many small businesses use payroll services anyway, just another document to submit.(This is one of reasons why sometimes a farm or a small roofing service company as they grow form separate companies for hiring purposes).Extend e-verify to banks as well.

3. Follow-up on those over-staying their visas- I knew someone who over-stated their visa, enrolled their children in public school, rented an apartment, opened bank account, etc etc never even got a letter saying they had over-stayed.

4. Obviously more resources for border control. Paintball rifles with pepper spray not exactly a good deterrent.(Yea I know this could be fake news).Nothing wrong with a wall except will take years, cheaper and faster to add border patrol agents, and a second line of control checkpoints 10 to 25 miles in from the border.

5. As Leslie says, more effort going after employers of undocumented workers. Perhaps in addition to fines, criminal penalties for repeat offenders, that any person or business found to have employed undocumented worker deliberately that the business must pay the equivalent in wages paid to a fund to assist citizens who are the working poor- and if that person is a green card holder themselves, they face immediate deportation if convicted. And special penalties for any public official who employs household workers without paying employer taxes.

6. Remove undocumented immigrants from prison system and pay Mexico to run prisons in Mexico for them- everyone wins, USA saves money, Mexico can make a profit, and I have no doubt that if many criminals expected to end up in Mexican prison they may think twice about committing crimes in USA.

Only then ease up on deportations that create such difficulties for honest and decent families.

mrken30

This happened to me in the UK about 20 years ago and HMRC/Inland Revenue contacted me on how I could be working 2 jobs at the sametime 100 miles apart. If this could be done that long ago in one country, why is the US is so behind the curve? Maybe they do monitor this type of activity.

Leslie

Gee. I wonder why that's the case then?

nun

The US immigration system obviously has problems. However, on our original specific question, people that have not committed a criminal act (ie just over stayed a visa) and can be sponsored by a US family member for a green card should be allowed and encouraged to get back into immigration compliance.

Giantaxe

There's money to be made off the undocumented, so lobbying $$$ have successfully pushed back against any attempt to do this. Unless and until that changes, I don't see how the undocumented immigrant situation will change much.

scrubbedexpat099

As has been said designed that way to look good but do nothing, bit like Healthcare.