If Illegals are allowed \nto stay & provide cheap \nlabor, should their kids be allowed to work in sweatshops?
483591
sweetheart the gov't would not allow that.  the gov't will make those illegal kids go to school.
809665
Yes, definitely this employer should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.  This is one of the things I don't understand about supporters of illegal immigration - they are actually advocating the abuse of the people they claim to be in support of!  Who, in their right mind, would be "all for" allowing people to be used by unscrupulous employers who can force them to work for less than minimum wage, for far more hours than allowed in our employment laws, and if the employer decides to cheat them of wages, they have no where to turn?  Where is the reason in this?\n\nWow!  I just read Andy's response (from Sweden) and I wish the USA could copy the way Sweden handles illegal immigration!
269401
Send the illegal immigrants back to their countries. That's where many of our child workers come from, right? I also think we need stricter penalties for abusing child labor. i.e. boss who keeps 16 year old past his working limit should be fined.
503042
if they are illegal then they should go and before they go be forced to pay back taxes on any and all wages that they recieved while working in the US. All companies found hiring illegal immigrants should have their business licenses revoked and the actual business sold off at auction. Seriously fight the businesses who hire and the problem will go away.
217306
circumstances dictate how this question is answered. But I do believe that road gangs and hard labor should be used to help pay for the cost of keeping them in prison.  I also think that if they are in prison then they should only have the necessities provided not any luxuries after all it is supposed to be punishment.
588537
Si, mi amigo, yo consento con usted. But at the same time the people that hire the illegals are sonegating taxes and taking the opportunities of those there are legal, the employers know that they can pay these people under minimum wage and they have not to pay benefits. I understand that their respective countries are not the best thing in the planet, but you know what, they are DEMANDING things(protests and isultingactions) from the government, and I am sorry it is not the U.S.' job to be the babysitter of the planet. I also agree that they wnat to better their lives, but there is a Legal way to do so, hentz  immigration laws and procedures.I had to do itthe legal way so can they!!\n\np.s.: It is unconceivable to think that in a country with 240+ million people you will not be able to fill up the jobs of those 19+ milion that right now are illegal here! \nLets use an example: 50 years ago before there were so many illegal immigrants in the country some of those jobs done by them right now had to be done by americans. And you know what? there are no reports of people complaining about the prices of vegetables , landscaping- illegals work construction- (which I may say, real state is overvalued right now, but that is a different argument).And more, the employers hire illegals so that they can maxime their marginal revenue, not because they want to charge less money from you.
366865
yes !!! illegal is illegal............... we have laws and they need to be enforced and respected !!! if we let them stay ,that is just a slap in the face of everyone that had to wait years to get here, they had to spend money they really couldnt afford,but they thought it was all worth it!! they did it the legal way..so why should we allow the illegals to stay just because they think they have that right... they have no rights !!!!!!!! they are illegal ............ enough said?
488461
There wouldn't be any children left behind if a) they were all legal and b) they all spoke english. As it is, we've got such a cross of languages spoken in schools (english, spanish, ebonics) and a plethora of illegal students clogging up the works. \n\nGreat point, glad to see you've put it out there. Personally, I'm fine with illegals, as long as they aren't using my police and fire, hospitals, schools, roads, or welfare funds.\n\nHey Isacha: These aren't innocent children... they're still ILLEGAL. Their parents brought them here knowing it was wrong and didn't care. That's some great parenting right there. Regardless of whether they are children or adults, all illegals are leaches of the system.
1010970
What you obviously dont understand is that the companies that hire these people for minimum wage COULD NOT do this if they were forced to pay higher wages.  By having these illegal immigrants working for these low wages, it brings down the entire middle class.  There are very few places that pay much more than the minimum wage but in Texas where I live, it is a common thing to see most jobs paying $7-$10 an hour.  How is a person to live?  Not everyone is cut out to go to college.  What you dont acknowledge is that these illegals are also being exploited.  And it is a matter of time before they too will decide that the profits that these companies are raking in are going to the CEO's and not trickling down to the people who are actually doing the bulk of the work.  And along with that are the numerous jobs that have added to it that you must be bi-lingual.......
369332
It's called child sweat shops... we are so greedy to get money, we expliot any other nation we can paying as low as possible to do it, so we can have even more money. \nThey work up to 12 hours a day, for pennies, while the U.S. company sells their products for a huge profit.\nBut, according to Republican's they should just be happy to have jobs... hahaha... nice excuse to expliot a people.
479742
Yes, and I certaintly hope so.  They are illegal because gaining lawful citizianship, or even temp. visas are time consuming and expensive.  Lets face it, the reason these people are here illegally is becasue they need money, so what sence does it make for the fees to be so high?  its almost as if the Government WANTS the illegals because without them we would be in a sad shape.  everyone can moan and groan about it, but bottom line is, Americans are to proud and some too lazy to work in a field all day picking vegtables or cotton for pennies a bushal.  Without them, our ecomony would improve?  Doubt it.  Without them more jobs?  Perhaps, but the jobs they will/would leave are ones Americans simpily dont want.  These people come here to support their families back home, and really if it came down to it, shoe on other foot I would do the same.  we would all do whats best for our children, even if it was illegal I think.  Exp.  If my baby needed milk and I had no money or no one to help, I would steal it!  Bottom line, and thats all theya re doing to.  REFORM IMMIGRATION, changes laws to help them become legal (even temp.) but dont just ship em' off they need us and we them.
929978
Employer!  The worker is just trying for a better life while the employer is looking to exploit low wage workers.  If you pay lousy, and all your workers are immigrant, well, you can probably figure they're all illegal; so don't give me this "but I thought they had papers..." story.\n\nBUT having said that...we have been tacitly giving the ok to this behaviour for 20 or 30 years, can we all of a sudden say, well, it was ok to violate the law yesterday and I know you have kids and a house and a family, but now we decided to enforce the rules so go home or go to jail???  That is not moral or ethical behavior.
1080761
I wonder how many nurses, teachers, or high-tech workers would work for $8 an hour. Wait, you didn't know that Bush's "guest worker" plan would be open to those people too?\nThat's what they have in mind. And, there would be no wage-related restrictions on it other than the minimum wage. So, employers could offer a teaching job for $8 an hour. American teachers would either take that rate or, more likely, they wouldn't. So, the employer could hire that "guest" worker from Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi would consider that a king's ransom. All the requirements of Bush's plan had been met: there wasn't an American willing to do the job.\nBush's plan would force millions of previously higher-wage jobs down near the minimum wage. What phrase would most Americans use to describe such a plan?\n\nWhat exactly does he mean by "families"? Will their immediate family come with them or not? If not, are we going to be able to split up families? Not all people coming here would be Mexicans or from the parts of Mexico near the border. Is Bush going to require men to travel hundreds of miles to see their immediate family?\nIf, however, they're bringing their immediate family with them, there will no doubt be hundreds of thousands of children born, and those children will be U.S. citizens. Who's going to be able to make them go home after they've had a U.S. citizen child? And, won't most "guest" workers intentionally have children here so it will be harder to make them go home?\nAnd, given that, doesn't this plan consist not just of an amnesty, but as a massive incentive for a huge chunk of Mexico's population to come here? Was any thought put into the consequences of this plan at all?\nNo, no guestworker program should take the place of following the law! This still allows the law-breaking illegals to go to the head of the line and disrupts the ability of legal immigrants to get their chance! Until such time as all able-bodied welfare recipients are put to work, all homeless people, all college and high school students have the chance to work, we don't need to import anyone to take our jobs! Stop pandering, stop giving handouts and stop lying to the American people!\n\nhow can an American be expected to do a job that has had the wage undercut by cheap illegal labor from Mexico? How will legalizing this cheap labor change that situation? Of course, it will not. In fact, it will only encourage more border crossing, which will result in more Mexican citizens and others living in the United States and having children who are U.S. citizens, and who are thus harder to deport when their “temporary” guest worker visas expire. Given the fraud, incompetence, and bureaucratic lethargy that mark most government programs, how can the public have any faith that such a plan would work even remotely as advertised? \n\n\n\n\nAll of these illegals will eventually stay, become voters, if the DNC has their way, their population will continue to grow and they will become a voting block that has NO interest in our language, history, military, or patriotism, only the $$$$ that are available will be the main interest.\nThat scenario is not totally here yet, but it is lingering in the future if our national course of extreme liberalism continues to erode the very fabric of our nation.\n\n\nWe only "need" illegal immigrants if we "need" to maintain a peasant class in the United States. I would strenuously argue that we don't - even if it means that a few amoral capitalists will be driven out of business and we have to pay a few cents more for our strawberries
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.>>
582297
They can't!!! They will NOT work for minimum wages forever, and their kids SURE WON"T!!!! They will get an education,paid for by YOU,the TAXPAYERS. And THEN, they will get themselves in postions of power,so that they can help THEIR people!!! The black people work to help their own people, the mexican people work to help their own people,the white people get screwed over by everyone!!
934320
Guest worker problem is dodging issue yet again.  I also take exception to those two statements\n\n1) "They only take jobs Americans won't do" is not true.  They take jobs Americans won't do for THE LOW PAY!!  Companies are just saving money and paying minimum wage (if that).  Americans can't live on minimum wage.  Illegals can, cause they don't pay taxes, don't contribute to Social Security,or don't have to pay health benefits.\n\n2) "Deport all illegals and Americans will pay higher prices" is true but will never happen.  Unfortunately we have no way to track all the illegals in this country now and I highly doubt that if we do have a guest worker program that all illegals will come forward.  Employers will have to pay higher costs in wages and taxes thereby making us pay more for their product/service.\n\nI've said it once, I'll say it again -- I have no problems with people coming into this country to get a better life if they adapt to the American way of life, learn to speak English and become US Citizens like the millions of other immigrants who came to the US have!!\n2)
381032
we wont fall apart, at first some weirdness would go on. lets be real who did those jobs before the illegals came? and some of the evil companies that are using them will probably fall apart the others will survive. and if they become legal they will ask for money so that argument if they leave i will have to pay more for lettuce well your going to have to pay more anyway that's gone, so there is going to be companies falling apart anyway. i watched some news clip on this subject the other day and this guy who owned a veggie company was crying about this very subject saying even if you paid Americans 20.00 a hour they still wouldn't do it you got to be kidding me i would love to \nmake twenty bucks a hour . but don't kid yourself they will still want more, and what about our construction workers ,roofers who have had their trade destroyed not every American has a degree. in my town most of the city crews are all Mexican that always wasn't the case  illegal legal slavery wages is no longer an excuse . let me know what you think  i used to work for a school system in my town and they were forcing all employees down to the janitors, to learn Spanish that's when i decided to get out .