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I personally know several people who are no longer competitive in various jobs due to the massive influx of illegal immigrants. These are tradesmen, landscaper

I personally know several people who are no longer competitive in various jobs due to the massive influx of illegal immigrants. These are tradesmen, landscapers, and others who used to be able to support their families and live in the area. Many of them now commute long distances (so they can live in lower cost areas) for far less pay. Their children are not following them into these jobs. And its not because they're unwilling to do the work. They're priced out because their own government is unwilling to protect them from these predatory practices.

hycaria 9y ago
So how do the immigrants manage to go by and live with the same wage?
- tomohawk 9y ago
  They're committing document and identity fraud and dodging taxes. They're breaking housing laws by living multiple unrelated people (beyond legal capacity) per dwelling. We just had 9 illegal aliens evicted from a 2BR house not too far away. Good for them (probably a step up from 3rd world conditions), but bad if you want to maintain some quality of life.
  - walshemj 9y ago
    And in even worse cases being held as indentured slaves - there have been a number of cases in the UK involving poor migrants from former WP countries in the EU, Id imagine the USA is no different.
  - elinmigrante 9y ago
    Your first sentence is a bit of an oxymoron. Allow me to explain. Without resorting to identity fraud, its nearly impossible for undocumented immigrants to find work because most employers require a social security number for payroll purposes. Even though they use a fake identity, they still get a paycheck, they still pay payroll taxes and pay into Medicare and Social Security. However, they get none of the benefits. Undocumented immigrants have no other choice but to commit identity fraud. Unfortunately for them, its a necessary evil. Their intent is not to dodge taxes. I'm not saying all undocumented immigrants pay taxes but most are not opposed to it. A little google search will bring up plenty of research into this topic. http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2016/oct/02/maria-teresa-kumar/how-much-do-undocumented-immigrants-pay-taxes/ http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2016/oct/02/... https://itep.org/wp-content/uploads/undocumentedtaxes.pdf https://itep.org/wp-content/uploads/undocumentedtaxes.pdf To your point about them breaking housing laws, all I can say is that its true but this isn't something that is limited to undocumented immigrants. Just take a look at the hacker houses in the bay. Maybe what is needed is more affordable housing. I see where you're coming from but blaming undocumented immigrants for lowering the quality of life is a disservice. The US benefits immensely from undocumented immigrants but its something few want to admit.
    - Torwald 9y ago
      Those employers who employ illegals do not require such a SSN. It's the whole point of employing illegals, to not have the regular overhead.
- aaronblohowiak 9y ago
  Accepting a lower standard of living
- mixmastamyk 9y ago
  I visited a friend from my restaurant days. A dozen bunk beds in the garage.
- candiodari 9y ago
  There has been a string of articles recently how in many immigrant neighborhoods the "illegal" economy eclipses 2-to-1 or more the legal economy. That means no taxes, no insurance, no worker rights, no unemployment benefits, abuse, theft and violence are rampant. The dark side of open borders. And there's your explanation for how immigrants become cheaper. If you have nothing to lose, you steal, abuse and definitely don't pay taxes (by which I mean those actions become rational despite the risk)
PunchTornado 9y ago
Blaming on the immigrants again... I don't believe it. If you are a skilled landscaper or tradesman you are able to earn a good wage.
- tomohawk 9y ago
  Stop putting words in my mouth. If I meant immigrants, I would have said so. Lawful immigrants have added much to our country and will continue to do so. Putting a bunch of law breakers into the same category is ridiculous.
YokoZar 9y ago
Their own government is also failing to make it possible to affordably live in the area. Local governments doing their best to keep new housing illegal, but government nonetheless.
- humanrebar 9y ago
  Some local governments do that. Houston sure doesn't, but commuting around Houston can still really cut into family time. We can't blame NIMBYs for all problems making ends meet.
elinmigrante 9y ago
I call BS that its due to "illegal" immigrants. Undocumented immigrants mostly work in agriculture, the restaurant industry, or taking care of american households. The few blue-collar jobs that undocumented immigrants do take are the low hanging fruit that require little to no education or skill. If americans expected to forever be able to support their families on these types of jobs, then some people really need to step up their game. These people are no longer competitive because they failed to innovate. They're priced out because their own government is and has been unwilling to do anything to help the non-wealthy and alleviate the level of income inequality.

hycaria 9y ago

So how do the immigrants manage to go by and live with the same wage?

tomohawk 9y ago
They're committing document and identity fraud and dodging taxes. They're breaking housing laws by living multiple unrelated people (beyond legal capacity) per dwelling. We just had 9 illegal aliens evicted from a 2BR house not too far away. Good for them (probably a step up from 3rd world conditions), but bad if you want to maintain some quality of life.
- walshemj 9y ago
  And in even worse cases being held as indentured slaves - there have been a number of cases in the UK involving poor migrants from former WP countries in the EU, Id imagine the USA is no different.
- elinmigrante 9y ago
  Your first sentence is a bit of an oxymoron. Allow me to explain. Without resorting to identity fraud, its nearly impossible for undocumented immigrants to find work because most employers require a social security number for payroll purposes. Even though they use a fake identity, they still get a paycheck, they still pay payroll taxes and pay into Medicare and Social Security. However, they get none of the benefits. Undocumented immigrants have no other choice but to commit identity fraud. Unfortunately for them, its a necessary evil. Their intent is not to dodge taxes. I'm not saying all undocumented immigrants pay taxes but most are not opposed to it. A little google search will bring up plenty of research into this topic. http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2016/oct/02/maria-teresa-kumar/how-much-do-undocumented-immigrants-pay-taxes/ http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2016/oct/02/... https://itep.org/wp-content/uploads/undocumentedtaxes.pdf https://itep.org/wp-content/uploads/undocumentedtaxes.pdf To your point about them breaking housing laws, all I can say is that its true but this isn't something that is limited to undocumented immigrants. Just take a look at the hacker houses in the bay. Maybe what is needed is more affordable housing. I see where you're coming from but blaming undocumented immigrants for lowering the quality of life is a disservice. The US benefits immensely from undocumented immigrants but its something few want to admit.
  - Torwald 9y ago
    Those employers who employ illegals do not require such a SSN. It's the whole point of employing illegals, to not have the regular overhead.
aaronblohowiak 9y ago
Accepting a lower standard of living
mixmastamyk 9y ago
I visited a friend from my restaurant days. A dozen bunk beds in the garage.
candiodari 9y ago
There has been a string of articles recently how in many immigrant neighborhoods the "illegal" economy eclipses 2-to-1 or more the legal economy. That means no taxes, no insurance, no worker rights, no unemployment benefits, abuse, theft and violence are rampant. The dark side of open borders. And there's your explanation for how immigrants become cheaper. If you have nothing to lose, you steal, abuse and definitely don't pay taxes (by which I mean those actions become rational despite the risk)

PunchTornado 9y ago

Blaming on the immigrants again... I don't believe it. If you are a skilled landscaper or tradesman you are able to earn a good wage.

tomohawk 9y ago
Stop putting words in my mouth. If I meant immigrants, I would have said so. Lawful immigrants have added much to our country and will continue to do so. Putting a bunch of law breakers into the same category is ridiculous.

YokoZar 9y ago

Their own government is also failing to make it possible to affordably live in the area. Local governments doing their best to keep new housing illegal, but government nonetheless.

humanrebar 9y ago
Some local governments do that. Houston sure doesn't, but commuting around Houston can still really cut into family time. We can't blame NIMBYs for all problems making ends meet.

elinmigrante 9y ago

I call BS that its due to "illegal" immigrants. Undocumented immigrants mostly work in agriculture, the restaurant industry, or taking care of american households. The few blue-collar jobs that undocumented immigrants do take are the low hanging fruit that require little to no education or skill. If americans expected to forever be able to support their families on these types of jobs, then some people really need to step up their game. These people are no longer competitive because they failed to innovate. They're priced out because their own government is and has been unwilling to do anything to help the non-wealthy and alleviate the level of income inequality.