Home Improvement Contractor - Licensed Contractors - Do we still have "undocumented workers" in the U.S.?

Do we still have "undocumented workers" in the U.S.?

I hear these unemployment numbers on the news and I think..ok, what about illegal aliens working here? This is one area where I have personal experience so I'm not buying any propaganda. Before you start thinking [the R word] here, I'll be straight with you. As a patriotic American..if we are in a position where we could afford to bring in 'legal' immigrants then one of my top choices would be the hard working family oriented folks from south of our border. I've worked and played with many of them and a few have become close friends. I'm not saying anything here I haven't said to their face. [and yes they got pissed at me] I'll try to make this short. I'm going to list some jobs here that (I Personally) have seen "undocumented workers" doing ..many of them..over the past 10 years and I want you to ask yourself two questions. 1) Weren't these jobs that paid a decent wage 10 to 15 years ago? 2) How has this influx of cheap 'illegal' labor effected "the living wage" in America? Here's a partial list (no bs)... Heavy Equipment Operator CNC/CAD Operator Electrician Plumber Carpenter Construction Site Project Manager Site Foreman Architectural Drawing/take-off Landscape Project Contractors and Foreman Finish Carpenter Painter Comercial Metal Building-Contractor/Foreman/Crew I could go on but you should get the point by now. Brace yourself for this next one. Two brand new multi-million dollar facilities..one for the CDC -center for disease control and another for..wait for it.. ICE -Immigration and customs enforcement! Both built from the ground up by you know who. ( If you are a racist I really don't want to hear it, thanks) dude: good point I guess that wasn't stated well. What I'm saying is whether people like it or not this country has always had 'standards' [or at least we used to] for legal immigration. One of those was the ability to support yourself and family. What I stated above is just an acknowledgment of the fact that in the past (imo) most immigrants from Mexico and So America tend to become solid contributing citizens. Not them alone, there are many others but I'm basing this on personal experience. Yes, I was just stating an 'opinion'. As far as the gang problems we have that is our own damned fault for not Forcing our elected officials to enforce the law. IMO - any anger here should be directed at our own irresponsible government! "Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law breaker, it breeds contempt for the law, it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy." -Justice Louis D. Brandeis, Olmstead v. U.S.

Public Comments

No, we don't have "illegal immigrants" or "undocumented workers" in the United States. As of 1/20/09, the new politically correct term is "potential democrat party voters".
now more than ever...every illegal should be sent out and not allowed to work here....ever! And, they should take their anchor babies with them.
Yes, we do. I don't have a problem with jobs being done by qualified people, regardless of race or nationality. I do have a problem with American citizens being unable to get jobs because undocumented workers who are illegally in the US will work for less. I think they should be deported, along with all of their children. These children should not be considered citizens. If you buy stolen property, the police will take it from you without compensation, even if you did not know it was stolen. The benefits obtained from committing a crime should not be retained by the criminal, so these children must be deported along with their parents. By the way, try going to Mexico and trying to get a job illegally there. Mexico does not treat illegal immigrants anywhere near as nicely as the US does.
As they say, "money talks, and BS walks". It is the big money in this country that influences washington to allow this travesty to continue. There is a story on the news where 700 people showed up to apply for 1 janitorial position in a school. The american people should be incensed by the jobs and taxes that illegals cost them.
Can you elaborate on what you meant by "As a patriotic American..if we are in a position where we could afford to bring in 'legal' immigrants then one of my top choices would be the hard working family oriented folks from south of our border."? Wasn't following, maybe a little but not sure. Edit: Well then I would pretty much agree with you there, considering I am the son of an immigrant (my mother). Edit 2: And with that said, I still agree with Irish Mom below.
The first two answers are exactly correct. Yes, we not only continue to be plagued by "undocumented workers", we're overrun with "undocumented NON-WORKERS." We need a "Massive Deportation Act" as much as we need a referendum calling for the present administration to step down. A sweep such as this is the only thing that will get this country back on track!
I don't have a big problem with immigrants who are willing to come here and work. I just think they need to get into the system. Get their ss#'s and start paying their taxes and supporting the country. The problem is the folks, legal or not, immigrants or citizens that are merely working the system. I don't know how many illegal workers you have but I live in Texas (as you know) and it's unbelievable how many unregistered workers there are. I've worked construction and farmed as well. Without these workers I'm not sure the work would get done. Most people are too lazy to do some of the work. Others are too "smart" and know how to work the system. If you've ever roofed a house from can to can't in the summer you'll appreciate the effort that goes into it. OR poured cement and/or laid brick etc...not too many lazy folks there. They need their citizenship and right to own property and pay taxes like other workers here. The loafers and welfare abusers need to go. Immigrants and citizens alike.
As this is a nation founded by immigrants, and has a majority of the population with an ancestry in other countries, the concept, I presume, of the modern immigrant is that this action has always been practiced and should be kept with few restrictions. To the average American, who, while attempting to make a living continues to be replaced by those which will do the same job for less money, find it difficult to compete in the job market. I once was replaced by such and after the 'immigrant' took the job, it was found that he was not capable of the quality which the job required. I was asked to return and I refused. and they ended up having to hire three more people to do to complete the job in the manner of which I could have done it alone. The cost was twice what they had been paying me. While it is true, there are some jobs in the past that an American would not take because of the low standing of the job, that job would be welcomed in today's market by anyone unafraid of physical labor. As the major companies disappear over the horizon, the lowly jobs in the fields of agriculture are starting to look better to the college graduate who can't find a job in his chosen field. I see nothing wrong with an immigrant wanting to come to our country to fill a position which others who are native would not do, but I do have a problem with those who come in to freeload off the government and tax payer money. If they come to work, pay taxes and make America their home, there is no problem.
I think building construction is probably the most guilty of hiring illegal people because of the cheap labor. They are taught to do one job well. It takes a lot of people to build a house since the people are only trained to do one special job. These people are taking food off the table off of (Americans) children. This is not right and if it continues we will have more and more unemployment.
Yes in our town we do. and nothing is said or done about it. sad isn't it. when our own are in the long lines looking for a days work. .we had a 300 job fair and 1700 showed up for it. I am mad but what can I do? I holler all the time but nobody listening.
Yes we do. Government turns its head.Employers exploit them. I am weary of hearing they do the work Americans don't do.American would do it because they did it before when they could make a living wage.Mexican live in the shadows of our society afraid to come out even when being exploited or when a victim of a crime.I have seen them refusing to get medical care for fear of being found out. Some working in dangerous situations because they are untrained.Slavery was abolished in 1865 but we have it to a lesser degree now. Thousands live on farms hidden far from the maddening crowd.The employer gets off the hook for paying workers comp,payroll taxes and insurance. Some sicko bosses act like the Lord of the Land knowing how desperate they are.Some don't know how to read Spanish let alone English.If the government really wanted to do the right thing the employer would sponsor the Mexican worker put up a bond and be responsible for them and pay them a livable wage.(No insurance on the cars they drive,I know because I was hit by one) And know who they are and where they came from.Yes they have cheapen the wages I noticed that years ago.I was told our poorest person in American is considered well to do in comparison to where they come from.Expect thousands more to flock here to escape the drug war going on in Mexico now.Yes they work as cheap labor but it was the employer that got the best of the bargain.Immigration has not got the workforce to handle the people that want to come here so many take a chance and come anyway.The ones I met are afraid to apply because they fear authority of any kind. or don't have the money for the fees.I can't stand the reality that anyone in America has to hide like a desperado just to have a job.I see a emergence of a much needed poor and poorer class for the expoliters and politicans.I do have respect for them as human beings.I don't want them to be hunted down like dogs but treated with respect and diginaty its the right thing to do.Shame on our goverement and the Exploiters.Let the politicans wack their own weeds and cut there oun grass might do them some good.
Yes but most of them are not as visible as the " undocumented worker " who has still not, to date, furnished his Original Birth Certificate despite the fact that he was inaugurated this past January.
MASSIVE DEPORTATION for UNDOCUMENTED NON-WORKERS. I've had it. I include their children here as well. I used to feel sympathy for the children, and I still do, but if THEY are the only reason cited for allowing their ILLEGAL NON-WORKING PARENTS to live here - too bad.
My Ex is a Painting contractor. Illegals just slap a sign on their vehicle and buy some paint and they are painters working for half the quote. I can not tell you how many people go for the low ball price and then ended up calling him to fix/complete the job. Generally speaking, new carpeting is not part of a complete inside paint job but the hacks splash and dash. PS E-Verify is probably the ONLY government program that actually works and it is under fire to be eliminated.
There is no debate that we have undocumented Allan's working here in the United States. Our unemployment lines show it as does the percentage of natural born and naturalized Americans being found jobless and finding it difficult to find work and support their families. Yet the very ones that we elected to help the American citizen, our own Senators and representatives are the very ones that have turned their backs on us and are using our tax dollars to support this on going illegal activity. With the use of our tax dollar our government is supplementing the poor underprivileged illegal leaches that are here with their hands out ready to take the tax dollars that we are required to pay to support our government. All we have been able to do is to watch our own government squander our contributions in the support of those who continue to break our laws. It is painful to watch those that we elected to assist and encourage criminal activity. That being those who want to come to America yet are not willing to become Americans as is required by our naturalization procedures. By providing more welfare programs and making it easier for the illegals to gain access to them while we watch own folks struggling to raise their families is unacceptable and the practice should be discontinued immediately.
Yes, we still have illegal immigrants, ie CRIMINALS in this country. In a short time it will be against YA to call them this however, we already can't call sexual deviates by the proper term..... even after they put a price on Como's head for opposing pedophilia! YA will come to the defense of the invading criminals just like then did the pedophiles.
I don't personally know any, but Obama and his aunt are the only two I know of.
No , we no longer have undocumented workers in our great nation , instead the ones who were unregistered are registering now so they can claim social security , unemployment , government housing , food stamps and any other thing that should be going to American citizens who have worked their butts off to get to retirement only to find there is no money left . The social security office told me since I was a teacher( retired ) that I could not draw my social security because that would be double dipping . I asked them what about the undocumented and the politicians . I was told instantly that those were different cases and especially the undocumented who someone had to support and pay for their kids to go to school in America . But the real back breaker with me is that not only do we still have a few undocumented still coming in , now 300 Million dollars fo the Pork bill went to help Palestinians that wanted to move to America , and another 300 million went to aid foreign countries with abortions . All this wile millions are out of work and millions are homeless because their homes have been repoed . Don't worry though those houses are for sale cheap and practically given away to those unregistered .
according to news reports, 'undocumented workers' could end up with 300,000 (15 percent) of the infrastructure construction jobs under the 'stimulus' plan...ooooops, Congress 'forgot' to include any requirement in the bill for verification of legal status