Immigration crackdown called devastating to economy
Immigration crackdown called devastating to economy
Comments 
201
By Devona Walker
Published: September 18, 2007
The telephone lines in Oklahoma City's Capitol Hill area were afire two weeks ago, as word spread that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had set up checkpoints on S Harvey and Robinson streets.
Advertisement
No match, no job
About 2.2 percent of all W-2 forms contain "no match” Social Security numbers or names.
"No match” notices are letters sent to U.S. businesses that have more than 11 people on their payroll whose name does not match the Social Security number the employee is using. The letters have routinely gone out over the years, but the discrepancies rarely were resolved.
In 2005, about 10.5 million "no match” letters were mailed out. This year, it has been estimated that 12.5 million letters will go out.
But this year, the "no match” letters, if they are mailed, will come with a twist: An insert from the Department of Homeland Security and a 90-day time-frame to either resolve the discrepancy or terminate the worker.
Upwards of 90 percent of "no match” discrepancies are believed to involve illegal immigrants using fraudulent documents to work in the United States.
"It's the magnet, no one disagrees with that. The reason we have so many illegal immigrants that come here is to get a job, to get hired,” Reilly said.
It is believed the letters ultimately will be used as investigative tools in future worksite enforcement investigations.
The initial mailing of the letters, scheduled to start last Friday, has been blocked until an Oct. 1 hearing.
Laws may hurt economy
The letters have been vilified by immigrant advocates, multiple industry sectors, labor unions and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce who argue they will lead to widespread labor shortages, especially in agriculture, construction and food services. They argue it forces employers to act as immigration police. They argue immigrants will not leave the country but go underground where taxes are not paid and workers are routinely exploited. Ultimately they argue it will be devastating for the economy.
"You have to create a way for employers who need immigrant workers to get those workers, otherwise you are going to choke the economy,” said Tamar Jacoby, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a "free market” think tank.
While Jacoby says shoring up the Social Security Administration database is critical to national security and immigration reform, alone it might do more harm than good.
"The ‘no match' thing is a paradox,” she said.
"Meat packers are going to go out of business. Farms are going to move to Mexico. Even if you can pay better wages, it's going to be difficult to find enough American workers to fill all those jobs,” Jacoby said. "It will be devastating for the economy.”
At Maxpollo, a Hispanic-owned restaurant on S Harvey, Tex-Mex music is played a little above conversation level. The late-afternoon lunch crowd, primarily Hispanic workers, has thinned.
"All of our customers here are Hispanic,” said Luiz Hernandez, whose father Max Hernandez owns Maxpollo. "We are going to lose a lot of business.”
While restaurant employees are not illegal, he assumes many customers are.
"Most of them, maybe, are here illegally,” Hernandez said. "It's not fair because they're just trying to make a living here.”
David Castillo, 47, is executive director of the Greater Oklahoma City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. About five years ago, the chamber conducted a survey discovering more than 250 new Hispanic-owned businesses within a 10-mile radius of the 4300 block of S Walker.
But this year, he's seeing economic depression, fear and ultimately anger.
"Some people have already closed up shop. Business has dropped tremendously,” Castillo said.
Even those here lawfully feel they are being targeted.
"It makes them feel like, ‘I'm not wanted here,'” he added.
Randy Terrill, R-Moore, co-sponsored Oklahoma's own immigration enforcement legislation — largely considered one of the toughest in the nation — set to go into effect Nov. 1.
For him, that's the point.
"We are talking about people who have entered this country illegally, and are now making demands for rights, specifically the right to pursue employment, for which they are not eligible,” Terrill said.
More laws coming
On Monday, the U.S. Congress returned to immigration, three months after it died on the Senate Floor. This time around, debates are narrower in scope and calmer in nature.
Democrats suggest giving conditional legal status to young illegal immigrants while Republicans consider overhauling the visa program for high-skilled foreign workers.
"If the administration doesn't have the resolve to do even this — reasonable enforcement of the law — I don't think the American public will have the appetite for anything else,” said Todd Gaziano, director for the center of judicial studies at the Heritage Foundation, also a conservative think tank.
Related Topics:
U.S. Government, Domestic Policy, Social Policy, Political Policy, Special Interest Groups, Politics, U.S. Congressional News, Immigration Policy, Hispanic and Latino Issues, Think Tanks, Domestic Security Policy, Immigration
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).
And start up the prison chain gangs.
How many people is ENOUGH in this country? Do we have to exceed the population of India or China? Will that still not enough? This country can't take in every single person on this earth simply because they want to come to the United States.
They don't bring anything with them except poverty.
What about natural resources? Forget it! They aren't bringing fresh air, more water, etc.....they suck up what we have left.
Yes, a Civil War is indeed in order. The people in this country are going to have to stand up and fight to protect our lives, our rights, and the Constitution of this country because our government sure as heck isn't.
To watch our government allow ILLEGALS to have more rights than American citizens, they get away with breaking our laws and then award them with amnesty is appalling.
The American people are fed up that our government is selling us out.
This government isn't interested in securing our borders.They placte to the illegals in every aspect. The problem is, Ramos and Compean and those like them stand in the way simply by doing their jobs.
Who get punished? Not those illegally crossing our boarders, not those falsifying documents or stealing social security numbers, not the drug runners. But the AMERICAN citizen doing his job.
Looks like we both agree on this subject! LOL
Mexico government publishes a guide to assist illegal border crossers. They don't want to deal with the poor in their country, they only want the rich and elite.
So, how do you make the Mexicans rich? One method, preferred by many in the Mexican government, is to export your poor laborers to America, where they can then send billions of dollars back to Mexico in the form of cash remittances to loved ones, while at the same time alleviating the strain on the welfare state and placing the strain instead on America via the American taxpayer thanks to our own government that shares an allegiance with mexico over the US citizen.
Yet Mexico will not help them except when they can help them stay here illegally and suck us DRY.
They break the law coming over here then demand amnesty. They don't assimulate, they don't speak English, they don't show allegiance to this country except for all the freebies they can take.
If AnaMaria and Carlos are so sympathetic to the needs of Illegals, why aren't they down in mexico demanding changes for the mexican people instead of critisizing Americans that are against these invaders?!
She is now even attacking God because her people are in danger of being DEPORTED.
Had they come in legal this would not even be an issue.
Illegal aliens kill 25 Americans every day!
I'm sure God is simply overjoyed with that fact Ana Marie.
E, Oklahoma City - Sep 18, 2007 6:05 PM So tell me E from Oklahoma City, just what is the percentage of illegal immigrants coming from mexico compared to illegal immigrants from other countries? If the shoe fits.
Ana Maria, Yukon - Sep 19, 2007 3:39 PM
AnaMaria,
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Ana Maria, Yukon - Sep 19, 2007 4:34 PM
Are you insane? Illegals have affected every taxpayer in this country.
Not a one of them knows what a trash can is used for.
They lie, cheat, steal, abuse our laws. They overcrowd our schools, emergency rooms, jails and congest and trash our roadways.
We pick up the tab for their anchor babies along with feeding, educating, medicating and jailing.
OBEY THE IMMIGRATION LAWS OF THIS COUNTRY.
todd, norman - Sep 19, 2007 9:24 AM"
Did you go to school to eat your lunch? Go back and read American History.
As far as I'm concerned, there ought to be two choices after rounding up the illegals.
Every man and women can choose one of two buses.
1. The bus that takes you directly to the military of their choice. Join for 5 years and earn your citizenship.
2. The bus that heads back to mexico with all the anchor babies.