Coyotes: Malo o Bueno?

I'm a construction contracter in northern Virginia. Most of the guys I work with or who work for me are illegal immigrants. Yesterday, the brother of my friend was brought in by coyotes. It only took two weeks. It usually takes two months.

I speak Spanish and English, so I've heard this story a bunch now. Coyotes are labelled as bad but for people who rely on them to come to the US or bring in family members, they are essentially heroes.

The immigration I observe works like this: One immigrant gets 'made' in the sense that they secure well-paying employment in the US. All someone has to do this in VA is to get a 'tax identifier' that enables them to pay their state, federal, and social security taxes. Then, they accumulate money and import a family member. They combine incomes and pull in another, and another, until the family is reunited.

It costs $9,000 - $15,000 to have a coyote bring someone from Bolivia. A lot of this dough goes to bribes spent until they get close to the US border, at which time they coyotes bring people in across the desert by foot. Once inside the US their job is pretty easy. If immigrants from any place but Mexico are discovered inside the US, they are simply told to go to a hearing. No one shows up

Once reunited with family, the immigrant works within the family. The easiest and most lucrative place to do this for males is through construction trades, where I work and observe this.

*edited out racist remark*
Just reporting what I see here ^^.

[edit on 4-8-2005 by Amuk]

Let me just say this proves that our immigration laws need to be toughened, as they are obviously being ignored and flouted.

One great step would be long prison sentences for anyone who hires an illegal alien...

Originally posted by djohnsto77


One great step would be long prison sentences for anyone who hires an illegal alien...

There's the problem. This term is undefined. Employment and immigration status are two different things.

If you have tax ID you are legal to be employed, and employers can pay wages and taxes for that individual, all 100% legal and approved.

Well the plan (hopefully) will be to make secure tamper-proof counterfeit-proof Social Security cards with magnetic strips and photos and all employers will have to verify electronically that the person is legally entitled to work within the United States. Any employer who failed to verify any employee would face both stiff fines and time in prison.

A bill before Congress now to implement this is the Illegal Immigration Enforcement and Social Security Protection Act (H.R. 98).

Originally posted by Jeremiah_John

There's the problem. This term is undefined. Employment and immigration status are two different things.

If you have tax ID you are legal to be employed, and employers can pay wages and taxes for that individual, all 100% legal and approved.

I'm with djohnsto77 on this one. You said the people who work for you are illegal immigrants. Maybe the employment part is legal, but did these people come into the country legally? No. Are they living here or not? They are. It is illegal. The whole process needs a serious revamping. And the sooner the better.

Our government is really failing us here.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

Originally posted by Jeremiah_John

There's the problem. This term is undefined. Employment and immigration status are two different things.

If you have tax ID you are legal to be employed, and employers can pay wages and taxes for that individual, all 100% legal and approved.

I'm with djohnsto77 on this one. You said the people who work for you are illegal immigrants. Maybe the employment part is legal, but did these people come into the country legally? No. Are they living here or not? They are. It is illegal. The whole process needs a serious revamping. And the sooner the better.

Our government is really failing us here.

The solution we need was created 3,000 years ago by the Chinese. Good fences make good neighbors.

Nice link!

A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary of Homeland Security may assess a penalty, payable to the Secretary, against any employer who--

`(i) hires an individual for employment in the United States in any capacity who is known by the employer not to be authorized to work in the United States in such capacity; or

`(ii) fails to comply with the procedures prescribed by the Secretary pursuant to this section in connection with the employment of any individual.

`(B) AMOUNT- Such penalty shall not exceed $50,000 for each occurrence of a violation described in subparagraph (A) with respect to the individual, plus, in the event of the removal of such individual from the United States based on findings developed in connection with the assessment or collection of such penalty, the costs incurred by the Federal Government, cooperating State and local governments, and State and local law enforcement agencies, in connection with such removal.

`(2) ACTIONS BY SECRETARY- If any person is assessed under paragraph (1) and fails to pay the assessment when due, or any person otherwise fails to meet any requirement of this section, the Secretary may bring a civil action in any district court of the United States within the jurisdiction of which such person's assets are located or in which such person resides or is found for the recovery of the amount of the assessment or for appropriate equitable relief to redress the violation or enforce the provisions of this section, and process may be served in any other district. The district courts of the United States shall have jurisdiction over actions brought under this section by the Secretary without regard to the amount in controversy.

`(3) CRIMINAL PENALTY- Any person who--

`(A) hires for employment any individual in the United States in any capacity who such person knows not to be authorized to work in the United States in such capacity; or

`(B) hires for employment any individual in the United States and fails to comply with the procedures prescribed by the Secretary pursuant to section 5(b) in connection with the hiring of such individual;

shall upon conviction be fined in accordance with title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.'.

I can just hear the rich folks all over the USA.

"Honey, I'll need another $50,000 to pay the 'employment fees' for hiring Maria, oh by the way, this is Esmerelda, she'll be taking Maria's position."

"Yes Schnookums, what ever you want, now where's my brandy?"

Of course the penalties and costs for the investigation could well exceed $1,000,000 if the employer were wealthy enough, and they can be forced to pay through the seizure of assets.

[edit on 4-8-2005 by Chuck Stevenson]