Why do Americans demand so much illegal immigrants labor?
371985
They don't. But if you could buy something for $5 or purchase that exact same item for $10 which would you choose?
299497
I don't and I don't understand it. They are hard workers and do everything they can to provide for their family's. They take jobs that "Americans" don't want. I can't find fault with them.
746895
Because we refuse to get paid 2 dollars an hours. We dint' live with 20 people under one roof so we can afford to make 2 dollars an hour. Further more the federal government would never allow employers to get away with paying us 2 dollars an hour.Because it's the law. But hey what do the illegals care about the law. They didn't obey to come into this country. \nLike it or not it's the Employers that have to be the target! They are the ones that are giving illegals the opportunity! They are the ones that need to pony up! \nI don't want to hear about how we would have to pay more and keeping the costs down.\nIf employers can't find people who want to work for minimum wage. They can either pony up the wages or file with INS to have immigrates come in legally. Where they do have to pay them minimum wages.\nWhat the government has to do is get tough on the employers who hire illegal. Be it for domestic help or manufacturing or anything in between. 10,000 fine per illegal. That would make them change their minds fast about getting illegals to work for them.\nJust an opinion! However I think it's honestly the only morally correct decision. \nIf there is no opportunity then they will soon get the message!
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@--->---
723675
Immigrants would stop coming illegally if people would stop hiring them. But the people who hire illegal immigrants are also folks who have a lot of influence with Congress because they're wealthy. They want to keep the cheap labor, and they'll pull campaign contributions for anyone who votes for real reform.
1154210
There are so many illegals coming into America that they are starting to undermine their own people. Your right...the new illegals are starting to work for even less than the ones that came last month. Wages for illegals fell by 2% as a result of them fighting for jobs between themselves.\n\nGreat point!!!
599646
there are always people that are desperate and need a job, illegal or not. there is a lot of extremely poor people in the united states.
434924
There should be restrictions on trade. Many Americans are demanding to get more benifits. If we could take things slow and not demand so much from our employers, would that help. A bit maybe. However, look at the profit of businesses and the billionares that are today. These people are stealing from the U.S. workers. Sending our jobs out just so they can make a fast buck. Is that what Americans do? So angry about greed that is going to distroy us.
692161
I'm not sick of hearing about the debate on immigration.  It is needed in America.  I agree with most of what you say.  If the American people were willing to pay more for most goods and services business could then pay their workers more and Americans would most likely do the jobs.  No one but an illegal is willing to work so hard for so little money.  The greedy business people and greedy homeowners that hire the illegal to save a few bucks should be fined heavily and maybe even given some incarceration time.
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.
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 ???????
593509
They do take jobs.  They work for less than the govt requires be paid to legals - construction right now is the worst.\n\nThe reason we worry about it so much is because almost all of the illegals are then using govt assistance, and since they are paid under the table or do not have to pay taxes.  We end up paying for them to be illegal.\n\nI worry about whether I can give my family everything I want to (and work hard to be able to) and my taxes keep going up because of the illegals.\n\nAND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HOW MANY OF THEM THEN BREAK OUR LAWS and end up in prison where I am AGAIN paying for them...\n\nWhy do you care what we worry about?  If you too are American and do not worry about it, then I suggest you write your congressman/woman and suggest that people who are in favor of illegals can pay into a fund with their earned money so the rest of us no longer have to.\n\n<< go to any govt care facility in CA - they are NOT ALLOWED TO TURN ANYONE away, SS# or NOT - they cannot even ask for immigration status! - be sure you have all your facts for EVERY state before you say something is stupid.>>
411315
I think it is a myth that U.S. citizens won't do those jobs.  It's just that it is EXPENSIVE to live in the U.S., and making $3/hr (if that), doesn't cut it.  It's not that people won't do those jobs, it's that people CANNOT PAY THEIR RENT, FOOD AND UTILITY BILLS with that kind of money.\n\nThe only reason illegal immigrants get by doing it is because a lot of them share housing here in the U.S., and don't have to pay taxes on the money they make.  Imagine making minimum wage AND having taxes taken out by the gov't and trying to live on that here in the U.S.  It's practically impossible.\n\nWe do not think we're too good.  Lots of Americans do cleaning (which is dirty work), but they get paid enough (barely) to get by.  So is being a trash worker, but people do it because they can earn a living.  If farmers only want to pay between $3 and $5/hr to a worker, they know a U.S. Citizen CANNOT get by on that kind of money here.  \n\nNot only are employers paying illegal immigrants less than minimum wage, but they are not paying employment taxes on them (which is illegal, too), and the illegal immigrants are not paying income taxes to the gov't (also illegal).  If illegal immigrants were to live and work and pay taxes in the U.S., they would NOT be happy working for $3/hr. or even $5/hr.\n\nLet's see if their kids are happy making that kind of money?  I bet not, and they shouldn't be happy making that kind of money.
1040616
Yeah the immigrantsin the U.S. don't do the jobs that the American's do because the only jobs that American's do are job's like lawyers, banker's, and judges. The jobs that illegals do are cleaning restaurant's, flipping burgers, and all those other jobs that American's don't do because the Americans don't wanna' do!
127086
Legal immigration is moving to this country by filling out the proper paperwork and being given permission to live here. Illegal immigration means entering or staying in the country illegally.\n\nNow, with regards to the economic impact. Illegal immigrants DO do work that Americans refuse to do. And that is because of the wages. Say Americans picked oranges and had to be paid $15 per hour plus medical plus benefits. Americans would be lined up outside the door to get those jobs, right? Are you willing to pay $10 or $15 for a quart of orange juice to cover those wages and benefits? I think I know the answer to that one. So, to keep your quart of orange juice at $3, orange growers have to pay illegals 2 or 3 bucks an hour to do the work.\n\nHaving "fair pay that allows economic participation home,food,clothing,auto,health care,checking and savings accounts etc" sounds all well and good, and I think MOST Americans would be in favor of that if it were feasible. You wanna pay $15 for your McDonald's combo meal? No? Then guess what, people get paid minimum wage. You wanna pay $20 for a pound of meat? No? That's why stockers and tellers get around minimum wage.\n\nMOST of the people in those jobs (tellers, fast food, etc.) tend to be teens and people in their early 20s. Do you know why? Because they don't have any experience doing anything else! Why SHOULD they have everything handed to them on a silver platter? They are unproven as employees. After a couple of years, most move on to a little better jobs with a little better pay. They prove themselves there and move on to something bigger and better.\n\nGuess what? That is the way of the world ... always has and always will. Some people don't make a decent living because they do not prepare themselves to be able to earn a decent living.\n\nWhen I got married in 1989, I worked full time and netted $110 per week. $440 per year. $5280 per year. And I worked my a$$ off for it. I chose not to go to college, but I spent ten years in the military getting skills. I never made more than $25,000 in any year. I got off of active duty and was offered a job making over a hundred grand per year almost immediately. I had sh!tty pay for a decade, but there was a payoff - and that is right now.\n\nDon't be angry at the "cheap bastards trying to play capitolist" (and it is captilalist, not capitolist). Capitalism is all about the law of supply and demand. If the supply (the workers) will work for minimum wage (the demand) why SHOULD they be paid any more? If they don't like it, they should prepare themselves for a better job.
394726
I owned a construction business, we did all phases of construction, but too many illegals made it to hard to compete. We did better work, did it faster, had better cust service, yet everything we bid we got cutthroated because the businesses we were doing work for found out that hiring illegals that were " self employed" for 40-50% of our cost was better. They are illegal, therefore don't carry the labor burden and other fixed and variable overhead. If they were gone, those jobs no one wants, will be paying more overnight. For example, with a painting service, painting houses, you could make 1600 a week depending on the size, and thats just for labor, then 15% mark-up on materials. With illegals, materials go for cost, and labor is lower cause they don't pay income taxes, and need to pay for that 1 bedroom apartment with 10 of them in it. So, they do it really really cheap. Americans want these jobs. Not everyone wants to waste time and money becoming over educated. Actually, the most stupid people I know are college educated with no common sence. A piece of paper doesn't mean your smart or properly educated!!
579467
There are no jobs that Americans won't do if they are paid at least minimum wage and are protected by American labor and employment law.\n\nCheap labor allows businesses to not hire naturalized americans and to outsource jobs.  within a generation there will be no jobs for actual american citizens and then the economy will tank because no one will be able to buy anything.\n\nWhy do people assume that illegals are only doing the manual jobs?  They are doing restaurant, hotel, construction, childcare, and any other job they are offered....not just produce pickers.\n\nif Dynacorp can hire someone for 1 dollar, why would they hire you?  or your son?  or daughter?