The links immigration and construction are a simple matter of history.

People from many places have always found work building this nation, and today is no different. The recent national housing boom has relied heavily on the contributions of immigrants, many of whom come from Mexico and Latin America. But there is currently a major immigration bill in congress designed to overhaul the system, and many in construction are anxiously waiting to see how it turns out.

First a quick word on the xenophobia and paranoia that surrounds every debate about immigration in the United States. The current influx of immigrants, like every "new guy" incoming ethnic wave in American history, have been jeered and looked down upon by many of those who arrived before them. For various reasons those already here are often unwilling to share the experience their own parents and grandparents sought out.

And with every new generation in the U.S. there comes a small, but vocal crop of new Know-Nothings, fierce nativists who may only be second or third generation Americans themselves. It is an old cycle, but promises of a better life in the U.S. have kept it going for centuries.

But on to the real issues. Construction has always been a perennial source of jobs for people of all skill levels, recruiting from a pool of workers willing to do nearly anything for a day’s wage. Many of these hires are new immigrants, some legal and some less so, who know that if they complain loudly about unfair practices or poor working conditions they can be easily replaced. With new potential workers always arriving, contractors and others often exploit the situation. Illegal immigrants receive the worst treatment, coping with sub-minimum wages and unsafe conditions on jobsites.

This new immigration bill will supposedly change all that. Beneath the mostly symbolic gestures of increased security and a few hundred miles of wall along the border, the bill proposes a fairly radical realignment of what a newly arrived worker in the United States could expect.

The introduction of a points system, where potential immigrants are rated on their education, usefulness of occupation and English skills is the most contentious part of the bill. The president and others assert it will bring in people who are best able to contribute to the economy. Opponents of the system mockingly call it social engineering, and warn that it could backfire by bringing in overqualified people without firm guarantees of work. In construction, this may mean that educated engineers or architects will end up hauling concrete and putting up drywall in an industry unprepared to absorb them.

Of course, there is the issue of the enforcement. The bill calls for cracking down on employers who hire illegal aliens, but it is not clear how much employers are expected to know about their employees. Hiring subcontractors who then hire workers for a project is not uncommon in construction, and firms worry that they will be prosecuted for the poor judgment of subcontractors. Going after those who hire illegal aliens sounds like a clever way to tackle the problem at first, but assigning liability is not as easy as it sounds in such a complex industry.

Regardless of the bill's flaws, its authors should be commended for trying to place the eleven million illegal aliens already in this country on a path to citizenship. Many are employed and actually eager to pay taxes. To even acknowledge that the current system is broken is a tremendous step. One hopes that the desire for quick solutions doesn’t make things worse.

June 15, 2007

Please get your facts right about immigrants. You have distorted the total picture and sound like you were writing this from a democratic party cheat sheet. This is a typical piece by a wide eyed liberal that has no basis in reality. What in hades is a "somewhat less legal". Let him come to Houston and see what is going on. I don't hire them because I'm not sure of their talent, they can't follow instruction because of the cultural differences, and I don't know if they are a serious criminal with a bad background. The first thing he should get straight is the makeup of the immigrants and how many of what gender. I don't know where this person gets his backup, but it's not from the real world. It's sad that he starts to prove his point by denegrating the people that are opposed to this bill --- without any facts. It's an opinion piece and he should look at both sides of the story. I am not inclined to read these pieces if you let him get away with this type of Journalism.

Fritz Kronmiller

June 14, 2007

Mr. Rubenstone boils it down to the basics. Simplistic but accurate assessment of the reason why immigrants are here and the real nature of much of the opposition to immigrants.

John Kerss
Taylor Ohde Kitchell

June 14 , 2007

It's tough love dealing with the illegals..

Here is one point of view.. The farmers (they know who is illegal)and picking their crops. Most Americans really dont want to do this for minimum wage (or less) which the farmers can only pay. Any increase in pay wages and we will have very expensive produce... I would hate to pay the same price for gas and apples... Take construction as another example. Who wants to do the meaningless construction labor work other than the illegals?? You can get someone from a rent-a-dude employer which you might only get 4-5 hours of work for an 8 hour day from the laborer. Instead of paying the the rent-a-dude company $25/hour for Joe Useless, you can go to one of the big box supply store to pick up Tom, Jose', Pedro and Juan for the $25/hour. If the illegals aren't working, crime and over crowded jails will be a result OR manufacturing children to be born at the local hospitals with tax payers dollars..

The politicians can do the the human thing and give these guys a chance to improve their lives... Let them become citizens so they can work legally, get social security numbers to pay taxes and let them have a safe workplace. Keep them out of the over crowded jails.

But.. The real key for this program to work are the employers. They have to buy into the system and quit shortcutting everything to make an extra buck. The proposed system will fail unless we ALL participate.

Christo Verde