US gets tough on illegal hiring

Though there are some "bad actors" who exploit workers and the law, most businesses that hire illegals are complying with federal law, industry groups say. The problem is that many illegals carry fraudulent documentation. New rules will tighten up requirements on employers.

Stricter enforcement "is an effort to create an environment that allows broader reforms to move forward," says Craig Regelbrugge, co-chair of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform in Washington.

But "I'd rather see resources short-term going into [battling] organized human smuggling and exploitation as opposed to putting all of America's dairy farms out of business that have an immigrant workforce and that have met their responsibilities under the law," he says.

"This situation is not much different than the prohibition era," he adds. "You have well intended and poorly conceived laws that spawn organized criminal activity and make lawbreakers out of otherwise contributing and law-abiding people."

Others see it as a piecemeal attempt by a White House and Congress who have been negligent in addressing a problem that has developed in front of Americans' eyes over the past 10 years.

"In a world where illegals can register kids for school, where state police stop them on speeding violations and don't tell federal authorities, the reality is it's very difficult for the federal government to do this alone," says Peter Morici, a labor economist at the University of Maryland in College Park. "Politicians are very happy to hammer on employers, but they're not willing to take actions within their grasp" to pass comprehensive reform, he says.

The arrests Wednesday, which spanned nine states, netted hundreds of rank-and-file workers as well as seven current and former executives of IFCO Systems, a manufacturer of crates and pallets. The executives were charged with harboring and transporting and encouraging illegal workers to reside in the US. Because it was called a "criminal investigation," Ms. Pichon says there are few signs that such investigations are likely to target undocumented day laborers.

What's problematic for politicians is that Americans are torn over whether to uproot what are usually solid, hardworking families or demand a law-abiding society, immigration experts say.

But few observers believe this week's action represents more than a drop in the bucket in the battle to stem the flow of illegal immigration.

"If you're talking about people coming into the US, the stream of immigrants, both legal and illegal, will continue, because these the need for economic and social improvement overrides any fears" of arrest, says Rudy Rodriguez, a professor at the University of North Texas in Denton.

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