HispanicVista Columnists

Which is it? Americans will or will not do jobs illegal immigrants now do?

By Patrick Osio, Jr

A populist theory is that American citizens and legal residents would take jobs now taken by illegal immigrants were wages for those jobs higher. If the theory is right, raising wages to attract US citizens is the logical answer to the problem of illegal immigration. Since over 95 percent of all illegal entries are by those seeking work, it would then follow that illegal immigration would diminish by that percentage making border protection far easier and less expensive than the billions presently spent.

The theory sounds right – pay enough and someone is bound to do the work. The question is how much is enough for a given job? How much would someone need to be paid for picking vegetables in 110 degree sun for 10 hours a day? Presently illegal immigrants do that for wages that go from $5 and change to $8 and change per hour. Would US citizens in large enough quantities do that for those wages?

Not likely if one considers the following – a family cannot be provided for on those wages. Simple math proves this out: a 40 hour week at $8 equals $320 per week. There are 4.3 weeks in a month, $320 X 4.3 equals $1376.00 after Social Security and other taxes (assume 10% at lowest) the monthly net pay would equal $1239.00

A two bedroom 1.5 bathroom 1000 square foot home/apartment at say $600 per moth in rent equals $3.40 of the hourly wage (40 hours per week X 4.3 weeks = 172 monthly hours ÷ $600). If the apartment can be found for $500 the hourly work cost is $2.90. So it doesn’t take a math genius to realize that even at the high end of $8 per hour after just rent the wage leaves $4.60/$5.10 per working hour for food, clothing, health care, utilities, and all other expenses is just not enough.

Many economists suggest that housing cost for a family should be no more than 25 percent of the net earnings. So that the wage in this case should be no less than $2400 per month or $ 13.95 per hour.

Would US citizens work in the 110 degree weather picking vegetables for $13.95 an hour? More likely unless they can obtain the same wage doing something that is not as arduous. Like say, working in the vegetable packing and distributing warehouses were the field crop is delivered. These folks are also in great quantity illegal immigrant workers due to the low wages also paid for that work. So those wages would have to be increased accordingly. That would leave the door open for making the field pickers to be paid somewhat more, say one or two dollars per hour, to attract the needed workers.

The next question would be – how much would that add to the food US citizens pay at the supermarkets? That is an unknown, but the good news is that polls indicate that a majority of Americans opposing illegal immigration, a greater percentage (over 70 percent) say they would pay additionally for goods and services to keep Americans employed.

The above examples deal only with the agricultural/dairy industry that employs the most illegal immigrants. Similarly wages for other types of jobs wherein employers prefer hiring illegal immigrants would need to undergo wage increases, such as roofers, framers, dry-wall installers in construction, meat/poultry cutting and packing, hospitality services, and others.

However, it is also argued that since it is greed not need that prompts hiring illegal immigrants, businesses will not voluntarily increase wages to attract US workers.

So in effect national security is jeopardized and millions of US workers go without jobs due to the greed of an estimated 200,000 businesses throughout the country?

If the theory that US citizens/legal residents would do those jobs with higher wages is correct, and Americans would willingly pay the extra cost, why then is this not addressed as a matter of national security? Why are the illegal immigrants, whose crime is one of need, the objects of all the law enforcement and billions of dollars spent to prevent their entry?

How many reasons can there be? – 1. The theory is wrong – Americans will not pick veggies from the fields, and consumers will rebel at the extra cost; or 2. the theory is right, but businesses don’t want to deal with the other aspects of labor laws, like job safety, working conditions, health benefit coverage, overtime, legal holiday and vacation pay; 3. The most vocal anti-illegal immigration elected officials don’t want to take on those businesses.

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Patrick Osio, Jr. is Editor of HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com). Contact at: Posiojr@hispanicvista.com

This article first appeared on HispanicVista.com on March 7, 2005