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The debate over undocumented workers and border security has moved to the front burner as two competing legislative measures address illegal immigration. One would legalize approximately 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the US. The other would tighten immigration by focusing on border security and penalize those without proper documentation.
Caught in the middle are both citizen and immigrant workers and their employers. While the proposed legislation means illegal immigrants face potential deportation, it also means American citizens could lose jobs to foreigners. And employers, buffeted by changing worker demographics and an uncertain economy, fear losing immigrant labor.
Rallies and marches demonstrate that America's melting pot may come to a boil over immigration issues. The hospitality and home construction sectors are particularly feeling the heat. Two experts explain why these industries depend on workable immigration laws.
Hospitality Industry Welcomes Immigrants
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) forecasts a 15 percent increase in jobs from today's 12.5 million over the next decade. But the federal government projects only 10 percent growth in the available workforce and flat growth among 16-to-24-year-olds, who fill half of all restaurant jobs. The NRA says restaurants are the top job providers for both immigrants and overall workers.
"The system is broken," says John Gay, NRA's senior vice president for government affairs and public policy. "We need comprehensive (immigration) reform so that everyone in the industry -- line cooks, hostesses and restaurant owners -- can succeed and grow."
"We're for immigrants coming in for specific jobs if no American workers are available to take them," Gay explains. "Americans deserve (the) first crack at jobs, and immigrants deserve to be paid at the same rate for the jobs they do. Over the past few years, the restaurant industry has created one out of every six or seven jobs in this country. If Congress doesn't revamp the system, that growth could be strangled."
The NRA claims an enforcement-only solution would have severe consequences. "Using the estimate that 5 percent of the workforce is undocumented, 625,000 of our 12.5 million jobs are held by undocumented workers," Gay says. "It's unrealistic to require all those people to return home. That would disrupt our economy while creating a disincentive for them to come forward. We have to find a way for workers to be screened and participate in a program that lets them earn permanent residency and eventual citizenship."
And immigrants do more than just cook and bus tables. "We rely on agriculture," Gay says. "Immigrants are a huge customer base. And they're a source of entrepreneurship, by opening up ethnic restaurants."
Gay sees employer-employee common ground on every immigration issue. "The NRA is after the same thing the marchers are for: An immigration system that allows undocumented workers to pay a fine, earn a green card, and ensure a flow of immigrants across the border without worrying about safety and security," he says
Home Builders Want to Construct Workable Immigration Policies
Immigrants comprise more than 20 percent of residential job site workers, says National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) immigration policy lobbyist Jenna Hamilton. Without them, "residential construction would grind to a halt," she says. "Today, builders have problems finding employees. Americans aren't raising their kids to be roofers. It can be a very profitable job, but increasingly, Americans want their kids to go to college."
The NAHB estimates that demand for 18 million new homes over the next decade, coupled with an aging workforce, will create 1 million construction jobs. "If we don't have people to fill those jobs -- and the signs are we won't -- it will have a huge impact on the American economy," Hamilton says.
"Our members are conflicted," Hamilton explains. "No one favors 'illegal' anything. But we can't ignore the people living in the shadows. Employers need to be part of enforcing laws on job sites, but they can't be the police, trying to figure which documents are legal and which are forged."
The NAHB cites problems with the current immigration system. "There are not enough legal visas for people who want to come here, and there's a huge backlog," Hamilton says. "A lot of visa programs are for high tech or professional workers, not basic laborers. We fully support fixing the guest worker program. We have to do something realistic with the 12 million illegal immigrants who are already here. We can't put them on a bus and send them away. We need to create a plan to make sure folks can pay taxes and contribute to society."
