A Letter to Mike Butts, Reporter Idaho Press-Tribune
Dear Mr. Butts:
On March 12, 2006, your article “Farmers say they can’t ID illegal workers” appeared in the Idaho Press-Tribune. You apparently interviewed a number of farmers as well as a spokesman for the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, and each one pleaded ignorantly of violating the law. As always there are two sides of an issue. The view you presented exonerates everyone from their responsibilities as citizens of this country and makes it seem all right to allow illegal aliens the right to work.
In 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) made it unlawful for employers too knowingly, recruit, hire, or continue to employ illegal immigrants. You quoted Kathy Alder, a Melba farmer, “Nobody hires undocumented workers . . . I think that needs to be emphasized. The idea that everybody knows who is legal and who isn’t (is false). If they give me a document, we have to assume that’s a legal document and that they’re eligible for work . . . We just don’t have the tools to determine whether or not that document is legal.”
Who should know whether a document is legal or false or why allow it to be used?
Therein is the real story.
You should realize that the amnesty allowed by the IRCA is partially responsible for the 20 million or more illegal aliens in the United States today. It didn’t take long for foreigners to realize that the United States was not going to enforce its laws, because many special interest groups were pressuring the government to relax enforcement measures. President’s and
Congressmen bent to their pressure and did everything in their power to thwart the law. What was a poor, unskilled, alien to do? There is safety in numbers so they came, and are still coming, in a silent invasion of thousands per day.
Our government, aids and abets these lawbreakers by allowing “safe havens” and “sanctuary cities” throughout the land, provides education for their children, health care, and a host of other benefits at no cost, except to the taxpayer. Our employers can’t get enough of these invaders, because they will accept low wages and are readily available. The poor employer cannot be held responsible for hiring an illegal alien as long as he looks at the documents and declares them to be genuine . . . as best he can tell. It is nice to know that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has created such a giant loophole for the employer and makes it appear they are really interested in enforcing the laws put forth in 1986.
That is the fiasco that the Idaho Press-Tribune should be reporting, not the plight of the poor farmer who cannot use the telephone to verify a social security number.
You were right, the USCIS requires an employer to accept documents from a prospective employee, and to fill out the I-9 form if he hires someone. The process is quite simple. The employer accepts one of ten documents from List A (Documents that establish both identity and employment eligibility), as an example an unexpired or expired U.S. Passport. If the employee
does not have a document from List A, he can then provide one item of twelve from List B (Documents that establish identity) and one item of seven from List C (Documents that establish employment eligibility). You correctly identified the most popular items from List B and List C, the driver’s license and a social security card.
As an employer you examine the driver’s license from a state (including Idaho) issuing licenses to illegal aliens. Since, most have name, date of birth, and residence and provides a picture it is legally proof you are who you are, but where does it say you are not a legal citizen of this country. Now that the employer knows you exist he can then examine the social security card. Mine has a number and my legal name. Every illegal person knows where and how to obtain a social security card that would fool even the USCIS by mere examination. Having examined the card the employer says, possibly through an interpreter, to the employee, “Now we must fill out the I-9 form.” The form has three sections: employee information and verification, the employer review and verification, and updating and reverification. The USCIS does not require a copy of this form, but requires the employer to keep it for at least 3 years if the employee remains, or for one year if the employee leaves the employer. Filling out the form is not difficult, but lying may be tough for some.
The employer knows he will not be held responsible even if the documents he examines prove false. The employee is 99.99 percent sure he will never be discovered unless he does something stupid and gets caught by the police for a felony offense. Any lesser offense, including DUI puts him back on the street before he is discovered to be an illegal alien. And, most important,
because he knows the employer is not required to send the documents he produces for examination to anyone for checking, so his little “white lie” is harmless. Brilliant bit of subterfuge provided by the USCIS to insure the illegal alien is not apprehended.
If the Kathy Alder’s, Dave Dixon’s, Marcella Stewart’s, and the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation were concerned about our country they would not proffer the excuse of not knowing a document is false, but should demand the USCIS examine and check the documents for veracity. With a simple phone call the social security number could be matched to the employee.
Sincerely,
Robert B. Murray II, Ph.D.
P.S. Comments: We need to hear from you, tell us what you are thinking!
On March 12, 2006, your article “Farmers say they can’t ID illegal workers” appeared in the Idaho Press-Tribune. You apparently interviewed a number of farmers as well as a spokesman for the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, and each one pleaded ignorantly of violating the law. As always there are two sides of an issue. The view you presented exonerates everyone from their responsibilities as citizens of this country and makes it seem all right to allow illegal aliens the right to work.
In 1986, the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) made it unlawful for employers too knowingly, recruit, hire, or continue to employ illegal immigrants. You quoted Kathy Alder, a Melba farmer, “Nobody hires undocumented workers . . . I think that needs to be emphasized. The idea that everybody knows who is legal and who isn’t (is false). If they give me a document, we have to assume that’s a legal document and that they’re eligible for work . . . We just don’t have the tools to determine whether or not that document is legal.”
Who should know whether a document is legal or false or why allow it to be used?
Therein is the real story.
You should realize that the amnesty allowed by the IRCA is partially responsible for the 20 million or more illegal aliens in the United States today. It didn’t take long for foreigners to realize that the United States was not going to enforce its laws, because many special interest groups were pressuring the government to relax enforcement measures. President’s and
Congressmen bent to their pressure and did everything in their power to thwart the law. What was a poor, unskilled, alien to do? There is safety in numbers so they came, and are still coming, in a silent invasion of thousands per day.
Our government, aids and abets these lawbreakers by allowing “safe havens” and “sanctuary cities” throughout the land, provides education for their children, health care, and a host of other benefits at no cost, except to the taxpayer. Our employers can’t get enough of these invaders, because they will accept low wages and are readily available. The poor employer cannot be held responsible for hiring an illegal alien as long as he looks at the documents and declares them to be genuine . . . as best he can tell. It is nice to know that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has created such a giant loophole for the employer and makes it appear they are really interested in enforcing the laws put forth in 1986.
That is the fiasco that the Idaho Press-Tribune should be reporting, not the plight of the poor farmer who cannot use the telephone to verify a social security number.
You were right, the USCIS requires an employer to accept documents from a prospective employee, and to fill out the I-9 form if he hires someone. The process is quite simple. The employer accepts one of ten documents from List A (Documents that establish both identity and employment eligibility), as an example an unexpired or expired U.S. Passport. If the employee
does not have a document from List A, he can then provide one item of twelve from List B (Documents that establish identity) and one item of seven from List C (Documents that establish employment eligibility). You correctly identified the most popular items from List B and List C, the driver’s license and a social security card.
As an employer you examine the driver’s license from a state (including Idaho) issuing licenses to illegal aliens. Since, most have name, date of birth, and residence and provides a picture it is legally proof you are who you are, but where does it say you are not a legal citizen of this country. Now that the employer knows you exist he can then examine the social security card. Mine has a number and my legal name. Every illegal person knows where and how to obtain a social security card that would fool even the USCIS by mere examination. Having examined the card the employer says, possibly through an interpreter, to the employee, “Now we must fill out the I-9 form.” The form has three sections: employee information and verification, the employer review and verification, and updating and reverification. The USCIS does not require a copy of this form, but requires the employer to keep it for at least 3 years if the employee remains, or for one year if the employee leaves the employer. Filling out the form is not difficult, but lying may be tough for some.
The employer knows he will not be held responsible even if the documents he examines prove false. The employee is 99.99 percent sure he will never be discovered unless he does something stupid and gets caught by the police for a felony offense. Any lesser offense, including DUI puts him back on the street before he is discovered to be an illegal alien. And, most important,
because he knows the employer is not required to send the documents he produces for examination to anyone for checking, so his little “white lie” is harmless. Brilliant bit of subterfuge provided by the USCIS to insure the illegal alien is not apprehended.
If the Kathy Alder’s, Dave Dixon’s, Marcella Stewart’s, and the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation were concerned about our country they would not proffer the excuse of not knowing a document is false, but should demand the USCIS examine and check the documents for veracity. With a simple phone call the social security number could be matched to the employee.
Sincerely,
Robert B. Murray II, Ph.D.
P.S. Comments: We need to hear from you, tell us what you are thinking!
posted by Unhappy American at
9:43 PM
3 Comments:
Employers like hiring illegals because they can get cheap labor. Not long ago it was reported the US had 10-11 million illegals in this country and now the number is at 20 million. We all know they are illegal and so do the employers. If an employer cannot pay a good wage then he should not be in business and quit selling out the United States.
Illegals marched in California speaking Spanish and waving the Mexican flag. They need to return to their country and march for better jobs, not rights that belong to US citizens. How dare them to demand rights of citizens.
Politicians do nothing and have done nothing for years buying into the plight of the poor employer who cannot find help.
They are only now thinking about doing something because the MIGHT not be voted in again in the next election.
Our military should be protecting our borders and not in Iraq.
We pay more for oil and we can pay more for food, etc. and keep illegals out. We have enough Spanish speaking illegals in this country now so no more should be allowed in for about 300-400 years.
Illegals should not be rewarded for breaking the law. I do not care why they are here and the Catholic church and other Christian churches should be penalized for helping illegals.
I believe Christians are to obey the laws of the land and if they don't think they can they should also leave the country.
The US cannot accept everyone in this world who wants a better life. People need to make their countries better and stay home.
By
Anonymous, at 9:03 AM
Keep up the good work Dr. Murray!
By
Anonymous, at 9:19 AM
Thanks Anonymous. Your remarks are so true and you should consider sending them to the Statesman or Press-Tribune. More people need to be informed lest we lose our country to a horde of thugs.
R. Murray
By
Anonymous, at 8:59 AM
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