Here’s an angle on the “stimulus” bill I haven’t come across in the hundreds of articles I’ve read on the topic: its implications for illegal immigration.
Before taking a final vote, House and Senate negotiators removed a section of the bill that would have required employers to verify the immigration status of potential employees if using “stimulus” money to hire them. Seems reasonable to me, but, alas, few parts of this process have been reasonable.
From The Charlotte Observer:
While it’s impossible to say definitively how many illegal immigrants will get jobs, multiple studies estimate at least 14 percent of the construction labor force is in the U.S. illegally. Experts say actual numbers are likely much higher.
North Carolina could get $1.3 billion for highway and school construction, which, based on federal estimates, could mean more than 5,000 jobs for undocumented workers.
?That’s not right,? said Jon Holstead, 24, a Charlotte electrician helping to build Salome Church Road Elementary School near Lowe’s Motor Speedway. ?You have Americans out of work, but you have illegal immigrants coming to work.?
