Are illegals really taking jobs you would want?

Question

We keep hearing that they are taking jobs from "hard working Americans". I'm just wondering what job you wanted but didn't get because they hired an illegal. The jobs that I want all require a post graduate degree so I have not been faced with this situation and would like to hear from people who have experienced this.

Please, no one tell me you wanted to pick fruit out in California for $2 an hour and were turned down.

What about the ones working with stolen social security numbers. They are paying into the system and they will never get that money nor does the person whose SS# that was used. And shouldn't the SS people be catching this?

Mohammed F, thank you for answering my question. I was looking for a real life experience. Sorry about the job and I hope you find one soon.

Answer 1

Yes. I used to work in construction making close to $20 an hour. None of the consturction companies will hire me anymore becuase they can hire illegals at less than half that.

Answer 2

Kris, the jobs that I had when I was a high school were McDonald's, bus-boy, pool maintenance and lawn maintenance and the jobs that I had in college were construction worker and golf course maintenance. That was 15 and 20 years ago but today most of these jobs are being filled by illegals and I am willing to bet that they are not getting paid a 'Fair' wage. I have heard that many American teens would not want these kinds of jobs but I can assure you that I know dozens that do and they are not hired as more often some illegal has the position already. Many of the jobs that illegals have could easily be filled by America's high school and college students. Of course, the employer would have to pay them at least minimum wage...

I think that there are many Americans that would be willing to pick fruit in California or other fruits and vegetables anywhere in the USA for minimum wage. $2 an hour is illegal! Hiring practices and minimum wage need to be enforced in the USA.

Here is another point... Many of the fruit and vegetable growers get the water for their crops for free through out of date water rights. They are also paying low wages to illegal workers and more than likely they are not paying any insurance for those workers either. I have not seen prices for fruits and vegetables going down. Where do you think the profits are going? The profits are going into the pockets of the farmers who are getting more wealthy...

Answer 3

I totally agree with you. I posted a question yesterday and included a story about how my father came to the US as an illegal immigrant 30 years ago and started out working at a farm picking fruits and vegetables for very little pay (about $75 a week). But he took it cause it was more than he would have made in Mexico. Well I got an answer that stated that my father stole an Americans job.
How? Those jobs are there for anyone to take, who's fault is it an American doesn't want it? I was born and raised in the US and there's no way in hell I'd take a job like that. The job I want requires a degree and experience I highly doubt an illegal immigrant is going to "steal" that job from me.

My father worked hard and worked his way up. He learned English, made himself a citizen, went to college and got a degree to better his life. He's now at the top of his company.

Answer 4

Yes, I do think they take jobs from Americans. It happens here where I live in the south east all the time..
Broken wing I think you're exaggerating a bit!!
Most Americans I know are very hard workers. Some people don't give a damn who they hire, all they are interested in is lining their pockets. They don't care about our laws.. The government needs to get serious and make it a felony for all these people that hire undocumented workers.I bet that would stop a lot of this..

They get paid a lot more then $2.00 that's b*** s*** if that's what you think. The min wage in their country equals to about 4.00 an hour..

They aren't just taking the s*** jobs here either. They are getting jobs with the government. Thousands of illegal immigrants were hired by department of forestry, putting some fire chiefs out of their jobs. They get jobs in airports, missile ranges, big companies that make MRE's( meals) for our soldiers.. I know many Americans that would love to have these jobs.. Americans are not being treated right, because of this and if anyone cant see it they are blind.... The middle class and poor Americans are hurt mostly by this.. Its not fair at all ... A lot of things need to be changed and quick...

Answer 5

Wanna hear a real life story that I've told before? And which I KNOW is true? A friend of mine has a son, who has worked in call centers for a couple of years ... he applied for a job in another call center that just opened in Texas ... filled in the application form, handed it in personally and was told there and then he wouldn't be given an interview ... he was a bit taken aback, he's white, 21, neat and clean, and with experience .... now guess what? A week after he found out the job had been given to ... guess what?? An illegal ... yep!! There was no requirement for Spanish stated on the application form, and without an interview, the company could never have known whether he could speak Spanish or not anyway .... now what does that tell you???? You think I'm lying? I wish I was ..... :(

Answer 6

Well, yippee for you! You've got at least a 6-year degree from college. Just in case you don't realize there's only a small fraction of Americans that actually obtain higher than a high school education and even fewer than that who have earned a Master's Degree. That bit of information is impertinent to your question and all you're trying to do is make everyone else feel like crap becuase you think you're better than us. And YES I do think immigrants are taking jobs from us because, simply put, they will work for a helluva lot less than we will because the conditions in Mexico are a helluva lot worse. They work for dollars a day down there were they may be making 1/2 of what we make per hour but a helluva lot more per week than they would back home. And just to let you know we have an international packing company here who busses illegals in and it's a known fact that they make $2 less an hour than non-illegals. People tend to forget this is America, land of the free and home of the brave. So now we have all different nations wanting to come here and be us, but get offended when they see Catholic crosses or a manger scene in our town sqaure. This immigration thing has gone to far. They need to stop letting them in. I'm not pushing Christianity or my American ways on people but if you want to live in American then BE AN AMERICAN!!!! Don't push your crap on me or expect me to sing a Spanish or Chinese version of the Star Spangled Banner...that's what your home country is for.

Answer 7

I doubt you will hear from many. The state Of California has around the 6th largest economy in the world. A great deal of it depending on Mexican labor.
Most Caucasians would prefer to collect unemployment, SSI or welfare before they would do what they consider 'work beneath them'. These jobs are backbreaking, often menial, and always low paying. I've never seen a Latino panhandling and begging for handouts on the streets, only whites. I've never seen a Latino at the local Rescue Mission , or motels set up for homeless, only Caucasians.

When and if, the true wages were paid to many Latinos in the farming sector, the entire USA would be howling over the price of their produce. There has to be a better way to work this out and settle this without prejudice and mis-information.

Prosecution of illegals will never work, because it's those who hire them who should be prosecuted (if there is prosecution at all). They would not be here if there were no jobs for them. Blame the employers!

Answer 8

I used to work in construction, hanging cementboard siding. I made about 18 hr. One day the owner or the company told me and my coworker that he was going to hire illegals and do three times the amout of business. Shortly after that, our work dried up, and he never called us back. I was subcontracted to do the work, had to pay all my own insurances, transportation, provided all my own hand tools, paid for my licensing. In reality, I was only making about fourteen an hour. Had to work in the heat of Florida, started at 8 took lunch from noon til noon thirty, and worked the hot afternoons till about five.
If you don't think Illegals are taking jobs, you need to look around some more.
And if the Illegas are paying taxes, utilizing STOLEN social security numbers, then why should they get any money. THey are criminals. PERIOD, and should be deported TODAY.

Answer 9

I think the question isn't why illegals take the job's Americans want but why the companies hireing illegals do it because they can pay them so little and work them so hard. May be Americans would take these same job's if they didn't have to live in deplorable conditions; work long hours on back breaking job's; get paid minimum wage of $5.12 an hour.

The question is why are these big companies getting away with hireing illegals? It would be much easer to control big business than to patrol our borders.

Answer 10

I know it's difficult to comprehend, so let me give you a hand: We have a pretty sizeable low class and poverty class in our nation without the help of adding 20 million of the Mexico's peasant.

These people, as stupid as you may think they are, have done the math. These jobs are illegally paying below the minimum or right at the minimum wage, either of which does not provide a person the ability to support their family. So, should this person go and take this subminimum paying jobs? Or shuld this person just apply for unemployment and government services? Hmmmmm, let me see what they would choose.

So, you see, illegals ARE taking the jobs that American's would do because they are taking them at such low wages that the legal American is better off living off welfare than to take that job.

It's not that hard if you stop trying to make excuses dear.

Answer 11

I am set in a career, but the image that you draw of someone in a field picking grapes for $2.00 an hour is not the complete story. In my part of the country, contractors hire Ilegals to build homes and other construction projects. Since they pay a low cash salary, they are able to submit a low price bid on jobs that require them. Thus the average American guy that has a crew on legal citizens does not get the work. The same applies to landscapers. They charge a lower price for lawn care with Illegals then a small business with citizens. But the big problem is paying their medical cost, education cost, and entitlements that they get with my our tax dollars.