Immigration Crackdown Worries Employers
By JULIANA BARBASSA
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Farmers and other employers who rely heavily on immigrant labor said Friday that they could be driven out of business by the Bush administration’s plans to crack down on workers whose Social Security numbers do not match their names, and businesses that hire them.
Administration officials said the stepped-up enforcement would begin in 30 days.
“Everyone’s very anxious,” said Paul Schlegel, director of public policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation. “We’re heading into the busiest time of the year for agriculture, so you’re going to see a lot of worry from farmers and employers about how you deal with this.”
The industry group, which represents 75 percent of U.S. farmers, estimates at least half the nation’s 1 million farm workers do not have valid Social Security numbers. Losing them would devastate the industry, particularly fruit and vegetable growers, which rely heavily on manual labor, farmers said.
Other businesses that count on large numbers of illegal workers include construction, janitorial and landscaping companies, and hotels and restaurants.
For the entire article go to MyWay.com
Corra knows that the crackdown on udocumented workers will be problematic. There will be a lot of confusion deftly blended with bureaucratic mix ups. Corra has no idea how it will all iron out.
But there is one thing we do know. With this new crackdown you may be paying more for your undocumented labor than you ever anticipated. The government may suspend your business or levy heavy fines.
So do yourself a favor, run background checks. Avoid being the poster child for the new crackdowns. Corra recommends you run the Social Security Trace to validate the social security number and the verify it belongs to your candidate. We also recommend the criminal search and an MVR Driver’s Report if your candidate is going to drive for you.
Don’t be foolish. Check them out before you hire.
