Democrats say enforcing immigration laws and cutting back on visa programs would hurt the economy and make many goods and services more expensive. That’s because the lower wages typically paid to illegal immigrants and immigrants on temporary work visas have come to subsidize parts of the economy. Oftentimes, corporate America reaps the benefits. In this series, Immigrationomics, the Washington Examiner will look at where and how illegal immigrants are finding work, as well as how corporations take advantage of visa programs to import cheaper labor. Part 2 will look at how illegal immigrants are finding work.
Millions of illegal immigrants residing in the United States have managed to get jobs despite their immigration status.
The fact that 8.5 million illegal immigrants have obtained work in the country is a result of employers paying workers under the table, unknowingly hiring workers who have committed document fraud, and hiring non-U.S. citizens who the government authorizes to work temporarily.
The largest number of illegal immigrants work in construction, followed by accommodation, food services, and manufacturing.
How illegal immigrants get jobs
Immigrants who are paid under the table are the most difficult for the federal government to track because they are often employed in person-to-person gigs. These include workers hired at home improvement stores or as house cleaners who offer their services on social media marketplaces, as well as businesses such as landscaping companies and restaurants.
All employers in the U.S. are legally required to verify that new hires have completed an I-9 form, which requires the applicant’s Social Security number, proof of identity, and work authorization documentation.
Select immigrants navigating immigration proceedings in court or who are temporarily protected from deportation may be issued a Social Security card for the purpose of working legally in the U.S., but this document does not confer U.S. citizenship or lawful presence.
The Bipartisan Policy Center defended workers who are illegal immigrants and said many choose to file federal taxes on their own at the year’s end despite working off the books. In this case, workers without Social Security numbers use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number issued by the Internal Revenue Service to report income and pay taxes on what they earn.
“Many undocumented immigrants find ways to legally pay both federal income and payroll taxes even if they don’t have a Social Security number (which is normally required) and even if their income was earned by working illegally,” the BPC wrote in an analysis on illegal immigrants in the workplace.
“Though there are many undocumented immigrants who are paid ‘under the table’ for their work and do not pay taxes on their income, many others do pay in the hope that it will someday help them become citizens,” the BPC analysis stated.
Consequences of hiring illegal immigrants
The government’s focus on targeting employers has ebbed and flowed through the years based on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s and the administration’s priorities.
Employers who hire illegal immigrants may face consequences, including civil fines and criminal prosecution. Under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, employers face fines of up to $3,000 per worker and/or imprisonment for up to six months.
Fox Rothschild, a nationwide firm that advises clients on immigration matters and has offices in 28 cities, states on its website that “severe penalties for federal crimes such as aiding and abetting, harboring unauthorized workers, or knowingly hiring undocumented employees, with potential fines from $10,000 to $250,000 and prison sentences from six months up to 20 years for managers, executives and other responsible parties.”
Violations of I-9 paperwork, which is the document that workers must submit to employers, could result in a fine of $281 to $2,789.
Additionally, employers who hire illegal immigrants who are not authorized to work in the country may be fined up to $11,000 for every worker
WHERE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FIND WORK IN THE U.S.
ICE’s office, Homeland Security Investigations, regularly looks into and targets employers who are believed to be forging work documents or hiring illegal workers.
Earlier this month, ICE announced that its employees had shown up at a Louisiana shipyard to investigate suspected immigration violations and arrested 25 illegal immigrant workers from Honduras.