Steve King's immigration bill

Cyclonepride · 11-08-2007, 05:35 PM

HR 3554 - New IDEA (Illegal Deduction Elimination Act) - U.S. House Bill

Sounds like a great idea. Under this bill, companies who hired illegal aliens would not be able to deduct that employee's wages from their taxes. This is a great way to transport the real cost of illegal's back to the companies that employ them.

alaskaguy · 11-08-2007, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by Cyclonepride

HR 3554 - New IDEA (Illegal Deduction Elimination Act) - U.S. House Bill

Sounds like a great idea. Under this bill, companies who hired illegal aliens would not be able to deduct that employee's wages from their taxes. This is a great way to transport the real cost of illegal's back to the companies that employ them.

My immediate reaction is that this legislation would have little impact and therefore is unwarranted. There are already penalties for hiring illegal aliens.

There is a second issue that needs to be discussed in terms of this legislation. What happens when a company hires illegal aliens but the company acted in good faith (the illegal alien may have counterfeit documents)? Should companies be penalized for taking the appropriate measures to determine whether a prospective employee is illegal, but it is determined after hiring that the person is illegal? I don't believe that employers should be penalized for unknowingly hiring illegal immigrants as long as they can demonstrate that they were acting in good faith. If companies acting in good faith are penalized, your going to have reluctance to hire employees that fit the Latino stereotype appearance (racial profiling in hiring practices).

Cyclonepride · 11-08-2007, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by alaskaguy

My immediate reaction is that this legislation would have little impact and therefore is unwarranted. There are already penalties for hiring illegal aliens.

There is a second issue that needs to be discussed in terms of this legislation. What happens when a company hires illegal aliens but the company acted in good faith (the illegal alien may have counterfeit documents)? Should companies be penalized for taking the appropriate measures to determine whether a prospective employee is illegal, but it is determined after hiring that the person is illegal? I don't believe that employers should be penalized for unknowingly hiring illegal immigrants as long as they can demonstrate that they were acting in good faith. If companies acting in good faith are penalized, your going to have reluctance to hire employees that fit the Latino stereotype appearance (racial profiling in hiring practices).

That's a valid point. I am not inclined to chase down the insertions they are making in subparagraph X, or revisional statements, but for this to be effective, it has to assume that there is a reliable process by which employees can be screened for eligibility. If not, it would be impossible for companies to comply.

TykeClone · 11-09-2007, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by alaskaguy

What happens when a company hires illegal aliens but the company acted in good faith (the illegal alien may have counterfeit documents)? Should companies be penalized for taking the appropriate measures to determine whether a prospective employee is illegal, but it is determined after hiring that the person is illegal?

Ignorance != innocence --- especially when dealing with the government. Doubly so with the IRS.

brianhos · 11-12-2007, 02:55 PM

Why not just toss a couple of CEO's and HR directors in prison for a while from the companies that hire illegals? That would end this problem quick fast and in a hurry. Make it so there are consequences for those actions and people might not want to take the chance. A fine is not going to stop this practice unless the fine is bigger than the potential benefit.

Cyclonepride · 11-12-2007, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by brianhos

Why not just toss a couple of CEO's and HR directors in prison for a while from the companies that hire illegals? That would end this problem quick fast and in a hurry. Make it so there are consequences for those actions and people might not want to take the chance. A fine is not going to stop this practice unless the fine is bigger than the potential benefit.

I would agree with that too, though the key is the issue Alaskaguy brought up. The government must be fully and efficiently capable of identifying legal vs. illegal for it to work. And since when has the government been capable of that.