Two More Illegal Immigrant Bubbles Are Burst

As noted above, some if not many Americans hate immigrants for, among other reasons, taking jobs from real Americans and not paying taxes.

The notion that your son can't become a brain surgeon because Juan from Juarez took his spot has been thoroughly debunked, but now comes a study that states more than half of the estimated seven million immigrants working illegally in the U.S. get a regular paycheck and pay taxes. Some even get refunds.

The Pew Center Hispanic Center study also found that low-paid illegal workers have been welcomed with open arms by several industries because they simply cannot fill jobs with real Americans. These include the building maintenance industry, which is highly competitive business because the company with the lowest labor costs usually win contracts.

More here.

THE TOUGH TALK IS JUST THAT

Meanwhile, a common complaint in the debate over illegal immigrants is that everything would be just peachy if existing laws were enforced.

Now comes the Washington Post to prick that balloon with a story that the Bush administration, which has talked tough when it comes to crackdowns on employers who hire illegals, has virtually abandoned that effort.

The nut grafs:

Between 1999 and 2003, work-site enforcement operations were scaled back 95 percent by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which subsequently was merged into the Homeland Security Department. The number of employers prosecuted for unlawfully employing immigrants dropped from 182 in 1999 to four in 2003, and fines collected declined from $3.6 million to $212,000, according to federal statistics.

In 1999, the United States initiated fines against 417 companies. In 2004, it issued fine notices to three.

More here.