Illegal immigration a contentious issue for small business
Small-business owners seem to agree on this much: Illegal immigration is a serious problem.
According to a new survey by the National Federation of Independent Business, 70 percent classify it as "very serious" or "serious," and 86 percent say it should have a "very high" or "high" priority for Congress and the Bush administration. But after that, the issue gets a bit murkier.
Asked for the main reason that illegal immigration was a problem, 47 percent cited the cost to taxpayers, while 23 percent said national security and the threat of terrorism. Yet just 10 percent pointed to perceived job losses or depressed wages for Americans, reasons often given by many Americans as the main problems with illegal immigration.
One possible explanation for that discrepancy is that many business owners—in the landscaping and construction industries, for instance—often see illegal immigrants filling jobs that native Americans won't do, at least for the same wages. Many favor looser immigration rules for this reason. At the same time, increasing penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens was supported by 78 percent of the small-business owners surveyed. In addition, 63 percent oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants if they only need to prove that they have been living in the United States for at least three years.
Small-business owners are split on amnesty—45 percent to 45 percent—if illegal immigrants are employed and not dependent on government services.