tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321349.post2367898876087082689..comments2024-03-18T22:21:33.261-07:00Comments on The Debate Link: Guess the SpeakerDavid Schraubhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04946653376744012423noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321349.post-83886248870009950832007-05-29T07:09:00.000-07:002007-05-29T07:09:00.000-07:00I would love to see the Reagan policy of enforceme...I would love to see the Reagan policy of enforcement against employers who hire undocumented workers become the centerpiece of the current Republican (and Democratic) candidates' proposals for reform. Along with amnesty, the 1986 IRCA put in harsh sanctions against employers who hired illegal immigrants, on the theory that if sanctions were heavy and frequent enough, the cost-benefit analysis would shift and employers would no longer see hiring illegal immigrants as profitable. (The IRCA also was supposed to increase the resources for Border Control, but given that increasing border control seems to be another way to say "let's play shoot the illegal immigrant," I'm not so much a fan of that.)<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, neither side seems interested in making villains of their constituents. Given how many middle-class Americans have hired illegal immigrants for domestic work or days jobs, and how many large corporations have hired them as a necessary part of their workforce, bringing meaningful sanctions -- especially any criminal ones -- against employers isn't politically plausible. As a believer in demand-side economics on this issue (if employers aren't hiring, illegal immigrants wouldn't come to the U.S.; anyone who's here for welfare instead of work would be much better off in Canada), I see all the attempts to stem the supply of undocumented labor as futile. It's really unfortunate, because if employers had to deal with a more limited labor pool, they would become a political force for increasing the number of work visas issued. As it is, the same people who condemn illegal immigration out of one side of their mouths will hire undocumented workers to mow their lawns, clean their houses or even work on a daily basis for their companies.PGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09381347581328622706noreply@blogger.com