Legalized Slavery is Alive and Well in the U.S.

It doesn't matter which side of the immigration fence you stand on, the fact that there is a growing problem should be abundantly clear.



On the immigrants illegally entering this country, we find a myrid of issues. First is the draining of our tax dollars to feed, house, medicate, and educate their children, whether they be children born before crossing the border or after. That is a huge issue for those working and living and paying taxes legally in this country.



Another issue is the effect this has on those who have scrimped, saved, and waited to come to this country legally. They are invariably lumped in with those that are giving nothing to our society, but taking plenty.



Then, of course, we have the lack of jobs for qualified people, for example in the area of construction. Many a general contractor will bypass a legal citizen feeling that he gets a better deal by hiring those he can get away with paying a salary of next to nothing.



Which leads me to the largest, and least spoken about issue. The businesses that hire these illegal immigrants often pay far below the minimum wage. It's not like the illegal employee is going to complain, or could if they wanted to. In many areas there are farmers and contractors who hire these people and keep them in substandard living conditions, while charging them just enough for these "lovely" homes to keep them too poor to remove themselves. Basically, they enslave these people. There are no outrageous fines for this, certainly not enough to shut the company down. Instead they see the profit outweighing any possible loss. Meanwhile you have a group of people who are enslaved to these businesses, as surely as the blacks were enslaved in times past.



If these same people were here legally they would have to be paid minimum wage and have decent living facilities. If they didn't, they would at least have recourse. Once the companies that practice this legalized slavery are closed down, or fined to the point of the loss outweighing the profit, the stem of illegals crossing the borders would come to a standstill. If there are no jobs for illegal immigrants, there is no incentive to risk life and limb. Nothing will stop the tide completely, but it would surely slow it down.



Perhaps we could go back to being a land of opportunity for all. A place worth waiting for.