It's true that there are many immigrant and undocumented workers working in America. It's true that undocumented and immigrant workers often work for less than others. But whose fault is that? I understand the difficulties that contractors and business owners face: if this group can do a job for $10,000 and another group can do the same job for $15,000, which group do you hire? The business decision is to hire the group that costs less.
That is, of course, unless you're anti-immigrant / undocumented (code for "brown-skinned Latino") worker. There are many who think the problem is this sector of the workforce - it's always the undocumented workers who are coming for "our" jobs. "They" are driving down wages. Do we ask why? My question is, why are people/ companies/ developers hiring undocumented workers who are willing to work for less?
If we as a country are serious about stabilizing our economy, and if Republicans are serious about sealing off our southern border and expelling anyone from south of that border, why are people still hiring people willing to work for less?
The problem isn't the person who is asking for less money to do a job. The problem is the person doing the hiring. Wages in our country haven't kept pace with other costs; housing, food, and transportation costs have all increased but wages have stagnated or even fallen. How is that possible? The "job creators" like to go on and on about how they create jobs out of thin air but who are they hiring?
The blame is always placed on those willing to work for less. If we want to stop giving people a reason to come to America, how about we stop hiring them?
My tone may be harsh but I'm not against immigrants or migrants coming to America to do jobs that frankly, many Americans aren't willing to do. Shoveling pig shit on some industrial farm in a plains state isn't desirable. I'm not saying it's a job anyone wants to do and I think it's worth more than $9/hour. But again, it's the business owner who should be faulted, not the person who needs the money. We should be striving to pay our workforce adequately, valuing the work that is done and the person doing the work - not the dollar attached.
So let's start asking the tough questions, especially of the politicians threatening to deport undocumented workers. Let's be honest: we need them. A reevaluation of our foreign policy along with a commitment by "job creators" and business owners to pay living wages and re-think their hiring practices is what's needed more than shipping a huge segment of our population and economy back to civil wars and poverty. But I'm not the expert, nor am I running for President.
