Immigration is Back

I'm hearing stories about immigration reform again this week. I suppose it is inevitable and the number of angles are hard to track. In one story this morning I heard a common statement that is made in these debates. It goes basically like this: "Illegal immigrants can be exploited by employers. They can be forced to work for sub minimal wages and to work 50 or 60 hours a week. Because of this these illegals take away jobs and drive down wages of everyone else."

I'm sure on some level this is is true but how wide spread is it really? I spend more than my fair amount of time in bars. I don't get to see the books but it's pretty obvious that the cooks and bus boys are mostly Mexican. Maybe these guys are working for a couple bucks an hour and are there 80 hours a week but that's not my impression of what is happening. I've seen these guys come in to apply for a job and they bring in documentation saying it is legal for them to work. Maybe that documentation is real or maybe it is faked but these companies are putting these guys on the books as if they are legal. As such they almost certainly have to be paying them a legal (if low) wage. They would be hard pressed to force these supposedly legal workers to work excessive hours every week.

Again, I'm sure there is some degree of exploitation going on. I suspect the farming industry and the pickers is a likely industry to look at. But the impression given is that ALL illegals are exploited. I know that is not true and I have to question how wide spread the exploitation really is.