The Business Cost of Immigration Enforcement

By U.S. News Staff

April 25, 2008 RSS Feed Print

Just how much will the government's crackdown on businesses' hiring of illegal immigrants cost? The Chamber of Commerce has an answer. In a new study, a former Office of Management and Budget economist estimates that the government's proposed rules would cost business an estimated $1 billion.

That should be enough for the Department of Homeland Security to re-evaluate its proposed no-match rule, the report stated. The proposed rule would require businesses to fire employees if Social Security cannot find a match between their name and social security number. Though businesses still oppose the rule, the government revised the proposal to offer safe-harbor to businesses that follow the procedures. The move came after the initial proposal was challenged in federal court.

In the past few years the feds have stepped up workplace enforcement actions. Business have hardly been pleased and many say they have suffered greatly because of them. But after the failure of the immigration reform bill last summer, Immigration and Customs Enforcment only reinforced its emphasis on workplace raids.

—Emma Schwartz

Tags:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services,
Department of Homeland Security,
immigration reform

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Who lets people come across their borders and live tax free? USA

Who assists the border jumpers when they run out of water etc. USA

Who permits illegal immigrants to file lawsuits against the government? USA

It's all a huge joke.

WE CAN'T EVEN HAVE AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE?

thanks Democrats.... thanks.

brad moser of VA 9:53AM August 31, 2008

...not illegal immigrants, a spade is a spade. An illegal comes here, usually 9 months pregnant and delivers the baby. Baby is automatically a citizen. the illegal cannot get welfare because of the criminal act of being an illegal. On the citizenship of the child the criminal moves to the top of any free public housing list, bypassing citizens old or disabled who may have been waiting years on the list. The criminal gets free welfare assistance from Federal, State, and local agencies, as well a private community agencies, off of the citizen child. In Texas the criminal will get $300.00 TANIF and $295.00 a month on food stamps. Also free daycare, where the child will be fed and diapered 5-7 days a week if the criminal desires. WIC offices often provide free formula and diapers to needy families. The criminal as well as the baby will now get Texas Medicaid (free healthcare). Well, free for them and not for the taxpaying citizen. This is on top of no expense for the hospital care of labor and delivery. It is like winning a lottery for the criminal, free housing, free childcare, free food, free utilities, free diapers, and free healthcare. When the child is old enough to go to school that will be free too because the criminal is paying no taxes. Even if the criminal is hired by a criminal in American business still no taxes on either end, not from the illegal and not from the business. The business pays no Social Security, no unemployment taxes, no worker's comp taxes, no local business taxes, no income taxes, and no Medicare taxes.

This does not delve into the realm of identity theft that many illegals do by using other's Social Security numbers. My 3 year old nephew has 11 jobs, 3 home loans, 9 car loans, and over $500,000 in various other loans for cash. All this in 6 different states over the past 2 years and nobody will do anything about it.

Two things to stop vast majority of illegal immigration is:

1: Stop automatic citizenship of children born here until it can be proven by the mother the mother is a legal resident.

2: Seize all personal and business assets of any individual or company that employs an illegal as the assets are gotten from criminal activity and tax evasion.

Take away the jackpot of having a baby here and take away the jobs and very, very few will come.

Rod Moran of TX 5:14PM July 21, 2008

1 BILLION DOLLARS! Oh my god. What a HUGE cost!!! We should definitely save that to stretch the war in Iraq for 2 more days; or to support the education and medical welfare for the illegals in 2 more cities. That is an unbearable cost!!!

Oh, I have an even better plan. Let's save multiple billions of dollars by releasing the inmates from the prison. After all, the billions savings can be used to build better schools and better hospitals, and the inmates can run the congress, the senate and the government for much lower salaries. What a HUGE saving!!!

James of CA 3:56PM April 28, 2008

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