Many are referring to the illegal immigration condition today as a "crisis". It is certainly true that by shears numbers alone, this is an issue that is beyond control. There are more than ten-million immigrants in the United States who currently have no legal green card status. This article will not discuss the pros and cons of immigration. Rather, an in depth look will be taken from the perspective of the willing workers, who takes advantage of the lack of political will to do anything, to come to this country and make a better living than they otherwise do in their native countries.
The willing migrant worker is drawn by strong market forces. The worker may have a specific skill in masonry, for example, or no skill other than a willingness to work hard for two-thirds of each day. In the United States, the labor-intensive, lower paying jobs are not desirable, mainly because of high unemployment benefits that are long-lasting. In other words, the United States is paying its citizens not to work at these jobs. This provides the opportunity, and the incentive for migrant workers to take a risk to come into the country, and work at these jobs.
The first risk that the migrant worker faces is the border crossing, itself. This is usually done at a relatively high cost to a someone who is in the business of getting workers across the border. Once a successful crossing is made, the same coordinator may also have connections to regional "coyotes" who broker with the employers and the workers to get the two together for a time. Sometimes, the migrant worker gets a loan from their new employer to pay the coyote, in advance, and then works off the loan as part of the labor agreement.
While the workers are at a particular job, they generally are confined to the property on which they are working. Since they have no legal status, they are unable to go to town, shop in stores, or generally be found off-premises for fear of being apprehended by the authorities. If apprehended, the process simply repeats. They can re-enter the country, pay another coyote, and continue their work somewhere else.
In general, working conditions are livable, and somewhat comparable to the working conditions found in the migrant workers home country. Usually the worker is employed at one location for a few years, and then either returns home, or finds another location to continue working. The average illegal worker is preparing to return home to a better living situation there.
Given the high number of workers needed to work, and the lack of any comprehensive permanent residence status for workers from other countries, the time is ripe to look for a suitable political solution to this issue.
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