WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: Illegal immigration a hot-button issue in tough times

Illegal immigration a hot-button issue in tough times

By Monica Hernandez - bio | email

JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - Illegal immigration is a hot-button issue, especially now that so many Americans are out of work. Some believe undocumented workers are taking American jobs, while others say the U.S. economy would crumble without them.   

WLBT spoke with two men who are both striving to help their families find a better life. One man felt he had to cross a border to find a good job.

The other is searching for construction work with no luck.

"There's a possibility if, in the next couple of months, if something don't develop, my house is going to be in foreclosure," said Harvey Lawrence of Hinds County. 

An interior carpenter for seven years, Lawrence was laid off in February. He's been trying to find work at new developments like Timber Falls and Forest Hills Place in South Jackson, but said all the jobs are taken- many of them by people he suspects are undocumented workers.

"I don't blame them. I understand their plight and their just trying to send money back to their families," said Lawrence. "But they need to understand this- if we ain't here, where are they going to go?"

"If we find that any subcontractor hasn't gone by the letter of the law, they will be terminated," said Clarence Chapman of Chartre Consulting. "A lot of our workers are Spanish, but they are here legally."

WLBT spoke with a worker at the development who admits he is not in the country legally. Ricardo Tapia said contractors may hire people like him because he'll work for less money.

Tapia said some of those working in the subdivision are in the U.S. legally, and some are not.

Like many others, Tapia came to the U.S. to find work so his family could have a better life.

He hails from Mexico City, and has been working in the U.S. for three years, but plans to return to Mexico this year. 

The government-subsidized subdivisions Tapia works for are funded through over $4 million in tax credits. A worker's immigration status has no bearing on whether a development can receive tax credits, according to the Mississippi Home Corporation.

Meanwhile, some conservative think-tanks recently released studies estimating 300,000 construction jobs created by the stimulus law could be filled by undocumented workers. 

"It looks like an attempt to generate more xenophobia," said Bill Chandler of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance. "[Undocumented workers] are not taking jobs. Employers recruit people based on qualifications and needs."

"I think it's a double insult to the American taxpayer. We're losing American jobs first, we're using tax payer money to subsidize illegal immigrants who are taking those jobs and we know they're violating federal and state laws," said Lt. Governor Phil Bryant.