Do illegals do jobs that Americans don't want or have employers used illegals to supress wages for those jobs?
366906
It's true.  If a guy who doesn't pay taxes is taking that job he can typically work for less money and have a comfortable living.
315098
yes\n\n   i am not against immigration just illegal immigration i once said on here this kind of stuff has been going on since the start of time and i was told i didnt know what i was talking about heres a example \n\n:With the onset of hard economic times in the 1870s, other immigrants and European Americans began to compete for the jobs traditionally reserved for the Chinese. With economic competition came dislike and even racial suspicion and hatred. Such feelings were accompanied by anti-Chinese riots and pressure, especially in California, for the exclusion of Chinese immigrants from the United States. The result of this pressure was the Chinese Exclusion Act, passed by Congress in 1882. This Act virtually ended Chinese immigration for nearly a century. \n\n\nCurrently, millions illegal aliens commandeer jobs away from American citizens. If they don't steal those jobs, they depress the wages to the point of legalized slavery. We have an estimated one million illegal alien Chinese in this country (Source: March 2005 Forbes Magazine). At the same time, we outsource jobs to China where a billion people can't wait to make 50 cents an hour. Human smugglers bringing illegals into America make $7 billion annually according to the report. \n\nDo they work the jobs Americans won't do? False! If American doctors were paid $5.00 an hour they wouldn't be working those hospital jobs either. \n\nYou have to ask yourself if you want illegal immigrant doctors working at minimum wage to perform a by-pass heart surgery on you? Would you like an illegal immigrant lawyer defending you in court for $5.00 an hour? How about a $5.00 an hour illegal immigrant college professor teaching your kids calculus? How about an illegal alien truck driver driving down the road at 70 MPH with 80,000 pounds of steel, no ability to read English and a fifth grade education-from Mexico's educational system? \n\nMeanwhile, profits soar for corporations while the middle class of America plummets into worsening unemployment. Will America drop into Third World conditions as economist Paul Roberts predicts? At the current rate of 4.1 million legal and illegal newcomers imported into the United States annually, it's only a matter of time before, we too, manifest conditions of the Third World. You can't drown the labor market with millions of people and expect to keep your wages high when immigrants will undercut you. \n\nThat's why the pay in China or India is less than $10.00 per day. They have 2.4 billion people in those two countries. That's why they live subsistence lives. In time, that reality will manifest itself in America as the middle class vanishes. It's already happening. You need look no further than California as an example of the first Third World State of America. \n\nCall your representatives
845793
Sorry.......no.  If you're refering to illegals that take low paying jobs or bid low on jobs...then they have done it to themselves.  I knew that would be the next line of doo-do.  They came here illegally and willingly took whatever job they wanted.  No one forced them.  They volunteered their services.  If there's "segragation" it's on their part for not wanting to assimilate in this country.  They seperate themselves with their language and all the talk about "their" people.  So that trip won't fly either.
554685
no. why would we reward people for breaking the law. there are just as many people taking the time to go through the process, why take away their chances?! and to be honest, i think the reason immigrants are taking these jobs "no one else will do" is because they are less likely to require paperwork and therefor can remain in the US. Ruining our economy, taking away our healthcare, demanding spanish speaking school teachers etc. i dont care if you are mexican, irish, german, just be here legally.
1068227
Then you have first hand experience that those types of jobs are not exclusively done by illegals and that there is no such thing as a job Americans wont do.
531621
There is no job that americans, or anyone, would not do for the right price.  The markets would adjust, and the price of cheap labor would rise until people would do it.  Realize that there is not a single industry where the majority of manual labor is done by illegal immagants.  Not agriculture (where they are 24% of workers), not construction (14%), cleaning (17%) or any other recognized field.  Note that the statistics I quoted above are from the Pew Hispanic Center, not very conservative.
606087
First it is considered rude to type in all caps..........Second...........Illegal immigrants DO NOT just take the lower waged jobs. They take jobs in the construction field, plumbing field, roofing field, food service field etc. They work for less money in these fields than an American will, so they are getting hired over Americans. Americans are NOT too lazy to work the lower waged jobs, but they are too smart to work for the sub-standard wages that the Illegal Immigrants will work for because they can't stand up for themselves and demand better wages. I have had family members who did work the orchards, fields and rice fields, but they lost their jobs because the owners could hire Illegal Immigrants for less money.\n\nYou can claim they aren't Illegal that they are human, but they are still Illegally entering OUR country and taking work and other resources away from Americans. Which makes them Illegal Immigrant humans! This has nothing to do with Iraq, so that argument is ridiculous. \n\n\nQuinn..........You're right, an American won't work for "Crap Wages", but if the Illegal Immigrants weren't here these companies would be forced to pay decent wages. I am so sick of people claiming Americans won't work any job that isn't in an air conditioned office, pushing around a pencil. We aren't lazy and we aren't afraid of hard work, but we do expect to be paid a decent wage for any job we take. Thanks to Illegal Immigrants these companies won't hire Americans because they can pay slave wages to the Illegal Immigrants.\n\n\nmaat...........There is no job that is "beneath" an American! My father has worked for 35 years as a Mail Carrier, fighting the weather, crazy people, traffic, horrible working conditions and dogs. He works 6 days a week, 10-12 hours a day just to make ends meet. Don't give me the crap that Americans don't or won't work long hours in the sun! My father has worked in the snow in Illinois and the hot sun in California and the winter rains in California. You are right that we won't work for the "Crap Wages" though. The companies who hire the Illegal Immigrants would have to pay a decent wage if they couldn't hire the Illegal Immigrants instead. My family and friends have picked fruits and worked the rice fields and other fields and would do it again if the wages were decent. \n\n@--->---
583948
Well... if "real" American employers prefer to hire an "illegal" immigrant.. it must be for something.\nAsk those American employers why they hire them.
609673
Who do you think did all those jobs before illegals invaded our country?  Maybe those jobs didn't exist, or maybe farmers let their produce rot?  Your argument is illogical and self serving.  The fact of the matter is that employers want these illegals here because they can take advantage of them, and the government who looks out for the interests of the business elite, supports them in this.  They try to play Americans for fools by sending troops to the border and suggesting a guest worker program, which is just a way to ensure a permanent source of cheap labor for these greedy employers.  Illegals will work for wages that no American will work for, and as a result they take jobs from Americans and drive wages down for everybody else.  It's obvious you don't know what you are talking about when you bring up something like doing construction work for $7.50 an hour.  Construction work, just so you know, was a good job that paid a lot more than $7.50 an hour and that employed many Americans, until illegals started swarming our country and doing doing construction for shit wages.  A lot of Americans lost good paying jobs, and contruction companies increased their profits by grotesque proportions.  So don't fool yourself by thinking that illegals are essential.  The only reason they are allowed to come and stay is because they increase the profits of the business elite.  But this can only go on for so long.  At some point, Americans will get so sick of being screwed that these businessmen and their politician buddies who are selling out their counrtry for profits, will have no choice but to stop hiring illegals altogether, and these illegals will have no choice but to go home where they belong.
494615
I think this is a very valid question.  It shows how hypocritical it would be to give amnesty to those who did not follow the rules.\n\n---\n\nin response to the person above, that is not true.  They are not all "doing the work that no one else will do."  They are doing jobs U.S. citizens will do, but are doing it for such cheap wages, often lower than minimum wage, that they are getting the jobs.  They are bringing down the value of a jobs worth.
417653
"They do the jobs Americans won't do."\n\nPlease stop using that bs. Yes there was a time when americans did those jobs. Some were usually a person's first job in the workplace. Others were done by people who needed a job and didn't care what it was. Americans don't do it anymore because of the immigrant. The employer will take the immigrant over the american.
1058241
For decades, the United States has pursued a de facto policy of exploiting and abusing immigrant labor, mostly from Mexico. It is hypocritical and un-American. \n\nWhile many of us (especially those of us who are middle-class or wealthy) enjoy the benefits of low-cost labor, we have been unwilling to pass laws that make it easier for those laborers to get green cards or guest-worker visas. (If they achieved legal status, they might be unwilling to do unpleasant work for substandard wages.) \n\nNor have elected officials been willing to crack down on the businesses that hire illegal labor. Indeed, one of the reasons for our bipolar policy is that business interests pressure politicians to look the other way so they can continue to exploit cheap labor. \n\nMr. Bush's instincts on immigration tend to be progressive and forward-thinking. He told the American Society of Newspaper Editors on Thursday that he supports a policy that would put together "willing workers" and "willing employers." He also acknowledged that the backlash against immigration "encourages nativism and behavior that doesn't represent the way America should view the world." This is where racists, like many on answer.yahoo.com come in...\n\nIf business owners weren't so eager to hire undocumented workers, the workers would be less likely to run the risk of crossing the border illegally. \n\nThat is what should be done to end the problem.
482848
Illegals draw welfare by stealing people's social security numbers and identities. That means there are a lot of people being directly hurt by these people as well. Innocent people are having their credit ratings ruined, having IRS problems, and social security problems. If someone who has had their social security number stolen gets married, if either spouse dies or become disabled then they can be denied their benefits. \n\nMy family moved to the US before WWII. Those of my family that didn't make it over got killed by the death camps. Our family assimilated to the American culture. We didn't expect the Americans to change to suit us. The illegal immigrants from Mexico are not civilized like that.\n\nThey not only changed the National Anthem to Spanish, they changed the words. They already burn our flag and hang our flag upside down. They waved the Mexican flag during a lot of their protests. Some schools have stopped hanging the American flag and forbidden students from wearing clothes with any part of the American flag on their clothing all to keep from offending the Mexicans. It's nothing short of an attack of our country, not only by the illegal aliens, but those who seek to appease them. \n\nI am tired of the stereotype that Americans wouldn't do the work that illegals do. Illegals do all kinds of jobs for less than minimum wage which drives the wages down for U.S. citizens. Construction jobs are an example. There are lots of illegals doing construction jobs that Americans used to do because the companies can keep more of the profits if they pay less for the workers. All that does is make companies wealthier and Americans poorer. Illegals are stealing jobs that Americans have done for years. \n\nIf you go to a country and refuse to assimilate, continuing to speak your own language then you are really not an immigrant -- you're a colonist ... and that's what the Mexicans are doing, they're colonizing the American Southwest as part of their "reconquista" Read about mecha in the link I provided and you'll see what the Mexicans real agenda is.\n\nhttp://www.americanpatrol.com/MECHA/MEChAindex.html
934976
It is not difficult for them to find work as there as too many employers who are willing to hire them.  A lot of people believe that the immigrants are taking jobs away from Americans but that really is not true.  They are doing the jobs Americans wont do for the low pay.  Government on the state. local and federal levels needs to start being more harsh on employers who hire illegal immigrants.  A hefty fine for every illegal working would be a good start and closing down their businesses wouldnt hurt either and it is not just small businesses that hire illegals, large companies also hire them.
362428
Funny it is all us "lazy Americans" that did all those jobs before! Hmm yea I beleive its all the LEGAL IMMIGRANTS and born Americans that created this "land of Milk and honey" that the illegals run to. \n\nBush has made sure our economy has stayed rock bottom , media lies about new jobs being created when they are merely seasonal jobs or fast food. Starve them and they will come, is and has been his tactic. So our young people are forced to join the military to fight this b.s. war and run our countries debt up more. Were else will they work? \n\nTHERE ARE NO JOBS! Illegal immagrants around here are working at Taco Bell! Gas stations, Wendy's, road construction, housing construction, cleaning services, day care! We cant get government aid for ourselves and our children when we can not find any work. We can not even get a Taco Bell job now! I have dozens of friends who have built houses all over this state all their lives, and now are lucky to work one or two months a year cause illegals have their jobs. Was it because they didn't want them? NO, as a matter of fact no one even waited to ask them if they did or not. They show up for work after the ground thraws and are told to go home. And yes for the sake our kids we would work it!!! And have been for years. The truth of the matter is there are large numbers of Americans in their 30's and 40's with hs diplomia's and many with college that cannot find work now. Job statistics are and have been manipulated (lied) about for some time.\n\nThe Illegals do not come into this country and stay on the tomatoe farms... They run to any employer who will take them, and send there women to the welfare office for government aid. Destroy a large percentage of rental properties, Sell some mexican swag on the side and do not go home after harvest time in most situations. Why should they? We hand them the keys to the city! \n\nWe spend billions on medical care, food, housing, prisons. They send all their money back to Mexico. Lower our wages and work standards and are now filling job slots we Americans need, now that all American jobs worth a damn are now "outsourced" or "sized down". How can you use someone who illegaly came over here knowing all this? They arent forced to illegaly jump our boarders and come here to work. Hell they can grow tomatoes in mexico too. And do! Most of our winter produce is now Mexican grown in Mexico. Hell they now have handbooks on how to survive in America now, it's printed by the Mexican government. Very few of their employers legally withhold taxes or SS. Most are contractor type jobs. And it's time a few of you get your heads out of the clouds, cause this whole situation has been corrupt for some time. We don't abuse and use them, corrupt employers might. The illegals think what they are being offered is great! And that is why the employers also need to be punished and fined. \n\nThey come here Illegally and expect we owe them food stamps and medical care! Do we get this when visiting their countries? Hell no! Everywhere the American goes now we have "sucker" on our forheads. We can pay for it all! Lower their import taxes into our country or remove them all together. Send them food that our government won't even give to our poor, send them weapons and training. Yea we can do it all ! Now they have the nerve to march in our streets with their country's flags! Demanding they have rights here and the right to come here by whatever means they choose and act as they choose. The problem has been let to go on so long, and catered to for so long they now seem to think they are intitialed to EVERYTHING WE HAVE INCLUDING PRESSURING OUR POLITICIANS! When was the last time you picked up a product or a set of instructions without having to search for the English text? \n\nIs this just directed towards Mexicans? NO, but what other country is flooding our boarders illegally and now marc
319789
Well - gosh - I see so many "Americans" lining up to clean, cook and do yard work.  These so called jobs being taken away from Americans (ha,ha) are given to immigrants bcuz they will do them for next to nothing in pay and if YOU were to do any of these jobs you would want $50 an hour with benefits and vacations and sick time and a say in what you do and a title for your job and pay raises etc, etc. You get the drift ???????
266923
I don't think so. Whose gonna do the unwanted jobs then? Easy for some people to say yes but they wouldn't dare do the jobs these people do. Did you ever think that some of these people came here legally to be able to support their families but majority of them ended up being abused by their employers so they ended up illegals? I have heard a lot of stories and verified them. Some of the bad things that happened to them were done by by our fellow Americans and you talk of having electric fences? What's the matter with you? I bet your ancestors would love to hear your comments when they came here as immigrants too. If they'd have known what the future generation would be maybe they would have aborted you.