Show-Me State of Mind for April 23rd, 2008

Illegal Immigration will dry up when jobs do
When it comes to illegal immigration, Washington just doesn't get it. With our lax border security, it's no wonder that illegal immigrants flock to our country. We need to secure our borders now. But you and I both know that the illegal immigrants who are already here came to this country to work at our factories, hotels, and corporate farms.
There are about 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States right now, and almost half of them entered the country after January 2001. These illegal immigrants are currently employed by 6 million different U.S. companies. But in 2007, only 17 firms faced criminal fines or other forfeitures for hiring illegal immigrants. That's right - just 17 of the 6 million firms employing illegals were punished. Those numbers just don't add up.
Senator Claire McCaskill hit the nail on the head. "Why is it that hundreds of bar owners can be sanctioned in Missouri every year for letting somebody with a fake ID have a beer, but we can't manage to sanction hundreds of employers for letting people use fake identities to obtain a job?" The answer is that the big business lobby has kept Washington wrapped around its little finger. In 2005, Congress failed to pass an amendment to increase the fines for businesses who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. And enough lawmakers beholden to corporate special interests continue to drag their feet.
Washington stands by as businesses hire illegal workers instead of Americans. And we wonder why we're in a recession? I believe in an old-fashioned value called "accountability." Employers who hire illegal immigrants are breaking the law, and we need to hold them accountable. It's as simple as that.
A fine of less than $3,000 is pocket-change for a multi-million dollar firm. We need to significantly increase these fines for companies who knowingly hire dozens, or sometimes hundreds, of illegals. Illegal immigrants come across the border in search of jobs. We need to enforce and strengthen these laws to reverse this trend.
Kay Barnes is a candidate for U.S. representative for Missouri's 6th Congressional District