Illegal Immigration Hides in Plain Sight in New Jersey
Corporations look the other way and everyone makes money off of an illegal work force
I live in New Jersey, where illegal immigration hides in plain sight. It's all around us, but most have no clue how prevalent it is.
I've consulted for companies and it brought me inside multiple warehouses throughout the state ran by major manufacturers: They use illegal labor.
We often think about the guys who stand outside of Home Depot or construction yards filled with men we suspect are here illegally, but the problem is incredibly bigger than that.
There are mainstream name brands who use illegal labor, and I know this because I've been inside their warehouses. So, how do I know these people are here illegally?
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What was made clear to me is that these companies use third parties to find the people, so they are all considered "contractors" and not employees of your favorite brands.
I've talked to people in these third party roles and they've stated that unless they're told to check someone's immigration status, they don't do it. Guess what? Most don't request to have it checked. Privately, they've admitted that the vast majority aren't legal.
Many have talked about how you need a social security number to work, which is true, but all of that becomes moot if it's someone else's social or a counterfeit one.
What people don't grasp is that once you are here illegally, you must continuously commit illegal acts to remain here, such as fraud.
And just use your common sense: These are people who willingly work day to day, don't have driver's licenses, don't speak English, and work for minimum wage in unconditioned warehouses. Barely anyone checks their immigration status for a reason.
I've lived in New Jersey for about 25 years and I've noticed a population shift throughout the state and a plethora of warehouses built in small towns. Low-population areas now contain warehouse enclaves, and nearly all their employees are questionably legal immigrants bused in from larger cities.
I've been inside these facilities from North to South Jersey: It's a statewide problem. There are entire towns which are almost exclusively Hispanic now that weren't years ago. People don't realize that New Jersey has the 5th highest Hispanic population in the country.
But it wasn't always like this. In 2000, 13% of the state's population was Hispanic. Today, it's about 21%. I have plenty of friends who are Hispanic immigrants or first-gen native-born Americans. However, even they know of people who are here who aren't supposed to be.
I've personally been approached to marry someone from the Dominican Republic so they could immigrate here for $10,000. Illegal immigration is happening all around me. Corporations profit from their low wages, and they look the other way as far as checking their immigration status.
Corporations use middle-men companies or abuse the 1099 Contractor system, knowing damn well these people aren't going to pay taxes on their own. They don't care if they are committing fraud as long as they can pick-and-pack fast enough and do it on the cheap.
Yes, most want to come here and build a better life, but so did every person who came here legally. I am pro-immigrant. Were it not for my father's legal immigration from Trinidad to meet my American mother, I wouldn't be in America.
But what's happening in New Jersey is hideous and highly illegal. Wait and see, New Jersey is going to be a hot-bed for I.C.E. to attack and nationwide people are going to find out how big the problem really is here.
Adam - what more needs to be said? This isn't Texas or Arizona or New Mexico, its New Jersey, thousands of miles away from those places. Yet it's still full of illegal aliens. People ask why many in the GOP have looked away from illegal immigration and this is exactly it...big business. Its wrong when democrats do it and its wrong when Republicans do it. I'm here b/c my Grandparents immigrated from Germany and Hungary, legally, in 1915. I've seen their names entered on the Ellis Island roles that are available online. My other family arrived in Hawaii legally from England and married into the Hawaiian Royal Family. We were there when the United States stole Hawaii from it's people, so I guess we were legal citizens on that side of the family too, from the beginning in a manner of speaking. So, I'm a huge believer in legal immigration...and here is the but...BUT modern, 21st century western nations DO NOT NEED immigration. If we allow it then it should be based on a carefully considered plan with clearly defined goals and objectives that provides something to us and is supported by the people. We cannot solve the problems of the world, full stop. We certainly cannot solve the problems of the third world by importing them to the United States any more than we could solve the problem of homeless people by inviting dozens of them into our own homes. We will simply turn our own home into what we removed them from, as third world immigration inevitably turns a modern, western nation into a third world nation. I cite California as the irrefutable example of that and rest my case.
This is a timely column from you on an issue that most people wouldn't think plagues New Jersey, far from our Southern border with Mexico and Latin America. There must be a better way than what's been going on for my entire lifetime and the extremes of both political parties.
Thank you, Adam, for this fair and thorough assessment. ICE, border patrol, and the other internal homeland security agencies are the new national heros, and deserve support. It's always disheartening to hear reports of various governors, mayors, and local law enforcement basically sabotaging and undermining their work. If anyone doesn't think this is a major problem, they're living in a bubble. What's sad, too, is the alarm people are now feeling, in the building awareness, may cause racial profiling or discrimination against the Latino community members who are here legitimately. America doesn't need more racial tension. Something else, I wonder how many illegals may try to enlist in the military to avoid deportation? My younger son enlisted in the Navy yesterday, and recently I had asked his recruiter if there was a sudden rush to enlist (by illegals). I served in the military thirty years ago and personally knew several Latinos who enlisted solely to get that green card. I wonder if that's still a thing or if current policies prohibit it? The recruiter kind of acted uncomfortable when I asked and acted like he didn't want to talk about it lol. Anyway, good work, Adam!