To Be Announced...

This just kind of frosts me...

Sanctions for hiring illegal immigrants worry businesses

WASHINGTON (AP) — Business lobbyists believe lawmakers will ultimately strip from Senate minimum wage legislation any sanctions against companies caught hiring illegal immigrants.

Under the provision, offered by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., companies caught hiring illegal workers while on a federal contract would be banned from government work for 10 years. Other companies discovered with illegal workers would be prohibited from getting federal contracts for seven years.

That seems to make sense to me. You break the law, you should suffer the consequences. Now, what kind of whack-job would oppose such common sense provisions?

“The Sessions amendments are comparable to using the nuclear option for a paperwork violation,” Jeffrey D. Shoaf of the Associated General Contractors of America wrote to senators in a last ditch attempt to kill the immigration provision. “These amendments will have ramifications well beyond immigration law, and would open the floodgates to using the procurement system as an enforcement mechanism for even first time paperwork violations.”

Others voicing opposition were the American Meat Institute, whose meat packing members have been frequent targets of immigration raids. Others who signed on to a letter of opposition included the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Homebuilders and the Associated Builders and Contractors.

Fine upstanding organizations all. Holy smokes...if you can't trust the US Chamber of Commerce, who can you trust? I guess we should continue to expect contractors to unload a bunch of illegals in an unmarked van whenever you want work done on your house.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a co-sponsor of the Sessions amendment, sent a letter Wednesday to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff questioning whether the government required its contractors and subcontractors to participate in the employment verification system.

“If they skirt the rules by hiring illegal aliens, they should face the consequences,” Grassley said.

Yeah. What he said.

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Labels: illegal aliens