WASHINGTON — Seven weeks after the collapse of comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate, the Bush administration is shifting to a plan the president once said could not work: stepped up enforcement of existing laws. What concerns many of the nation’s businesses and farms that use undocumented labor is that it might work all too well. ‘It’s going to hurt my members and be terrible for the economy,’ says Craig Silvertooth, director of federal affairs for the National Roofing Contractors Association. According to US data, about 30 percent of the roofing workforce is ‘improperly documented,’ he says. Even with wages at more than $21 per hour, the industry hasn’t been able to recruit enough legal workers to meet the demand. ‘If a contractor is in the middle of a major project and loses a third of his workforce, he won’t be able to complete the job. You’ll see businesses contracting and some doors shut,’ Mr. Silvertooth adds. The 26-point crackdown, announced Friday, aims to cut the incentive for illegal immigration in the United States: jobs. ‘If we have work site enforcement directed at illegal employment, we strike at that magnet,’ said Secretary of Homeland Security […]

Read the Full Article