Partners in Crime

Part Three of a Series on Immigration Reform

It is a common understanding that the relationship of supply and demand governs most elements of our economy. The same is true for illegal activities such as drug trafficking, for example. Some would argue that legalization is the best approach to minimize the negative impact illicit drugs has on our society, but I am convinced that the key driver fueling the illegal drug trade lies in the demand Americans have for them. No users, no business.

In my upcoming novel, Under the Fifth Sun, I flesh out some interesting details of both the illegal drug trade and illegal immigration and their impact on Mexico and the United States. And like the illegal drug traffic, if there is no demand for the service and skills (and cheap wages) of the undocumented immigrant the activity will cease to exist. That’s right: if employers did not have the need for cheap, reliable labor then illegal immigration would disappear. Our business owners have become de facto partners in crime with the illegal immigrant.

Why hasn’t Congress put some teeth in enforcing the laws against illegal hires? In part, because going after the business sector is not politically wise. But there is another, more pragmatic reason: the Social Security Administration is the beneficiary of more than $7 billion in tax revenue paid in by illegal workers and their employers. These are funds that are kept in a type of escrow status since the number or name is bogus and there is little chance of it being claimed. As a mentor in business once asked me when I discovered an unknown source of profitability in a product formula, “What do you do when you find a gold mine?” Simple answer: exploit the opportunity and keep it to yourself.

So, our government and our businesses are complicit in reaping the benefits associated with filling low-paying, low-skill jobs using illegal workers. Wait a minute, did I say benefits? How about the American consumer who benefits from the inexpensive agricultural products, the low-cost construction for homebuilding, the affordable price for a multitude of services? And certainly, the immigrant benefits as does his home country – the recipient of tons of hard currency sent to families back home.

This is where the complicit-crime analogy breaks down. You see, in contrast to the illegal drug trade that has beneficiaries (the dealer, the trafficker, the cartel) and victims (the user, the family and friends, the healthcare sector) the business that relies on immigrant labor has an overall positive impact on the United States and many others. It is not so much that we have a runaway community of renegade business owners determined to flaunt the rules but that our Congress has failed to pass legislation that puts them on the right side of the law. And it is the hypocrisy of lawmakers who prefer to enjoy the financial windfall rather than pass intelligent immigration reform that continues to keep our business owners afoul of the law.

Next: Immigration Reform that Works