Construction Industry Concerns on Immigration Reform

Undocumented immigrants make up a significant portion ofconstruction workers across the country. Immigration-reform legislation thatrecently worked its way through the U.S. House of Representatives (Sensenbrenner)could have major impact on North Carolina’s construction industry.

Concerned construction officials say the measures could then haveunintended effects on the local economy.

The House passed the Border Protection, Anti-terrorism and IllegalImmigration Control Act, commonly referred to as the Sensenbrenner-King bill,on Dec. 16. Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the bill has not beenscheduled for hearings.

The legislation calls for greater border security, policing of theAmerican work place and penalties for employers that hire undocumented workers.

It doesn’t include a guest-worker program that contractors saycould allow construction to keep up with demand for labor in a booming economy.

“We support a guest-worker registry program,” saysStephen Gennett, president of Carolinas Associated General Contractors. Gennettsays restrictive reform without a viable guest-worker program could affect morethan just the illegal immigrants of the area.

“One of the regular challenges of our organization is toconvince parents and their children that the construction industry is a goodcareer choice. There’s a shortage of skilled construction workers and will befor the foreseeable future. Immigrant workers are vital for our industry …,” Gennett says.

The national AGC estimates the construction industry will need toattract 200,000 workers a year for the next decade to meet demand. The groupsays foreign-born labor will play a key role in filling those jobs.

A key issue is language in the House bill that tags any relative,employer, co-worker or friend of an illegal immigrant as an “aliensmuggler.” An employer could be charged with smuggling even if it did notknow that an employee was undocumented.

The national AGC says the bill’s penalties against employers thathire undocumented workers and requirements to verify their legal status are aconcern. A recent AGC statement notes the bill calls for employers to check thepapers of not only new hires, but also current employees and the potentiallycould involve former employees.

Under the bill, the legal charge against undocumented immigrantswould rise from an immigration violation to an aggravated felony.

Gennett says there’s acommon but false impression the construction industry deliberately hiresillegal immigrants to cut labor costs. The industry has to adhere to the lawwhen hiring workers just like all sectors of the economy. Punishing employersfor not recognizing false documentation is not reasonable, he says.

Source: Charlotte Business Journal, Mar. 10, 2006

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