Look at this from the employer's side, and you will see a big reason why we don't have the political will to do something about it. I'm not doing the math, but you can figure out that, in addition to saving $10 an hour in wages, Jose's employer is also saving his share of FICA, plus unemployment and workers' comp., and employer provided health insurance. He's probably also saving the cost of complying with OSHA regulations. Clamping down on the employers of illegal aliens would go a long way toward solving the problem.
And we don't need the government to do it for us. Every time you buy something from a source or industry known for employing illegals ask them, "Do you employ illegals?", as you make the purchase. Eventually, all the lying will come back and bite them. A customer in California is currently testing the laws in a suit against a contractor who lied to him when he asked the question.
Doesn't matter if they employ illegals or not they still have to abide by OSHA regulations to operate a business. And I agree that clamping down on employers would go alot farther than rounding them up and deporting them, and there are some laws in place to do so if they would just be enforced it would help.
If they don't care about the laws about hiring illegals, why would they care about the laws concerning worker safety? And who's going to complain about an unsafe work environment just to get themselves deported?
That's right Craig, we have laws in place - we just don't enforce them. Blame the folks responsible for upholding and enforcing these laws. But they won't. Just as early America was built on the backs of slaves, so is modern America. Why would we send them back or invest more money in them when we can just exploit them?