Fred...yup, illegal immigration increased in multiples after the bracero program ended, and yes it was pushed out by labor unions.
Interestingly enough, unions that represent ag workers are in favor of Ag Jobs...western farming interests are holding hands with the United Farm Workers, the Teamsters and the UFCW on this one. Note that those are three of the unions which pulled away from the AFL-CIO because they were tired of their shared dues going to the Demos rather than for organizing efforts. I have been caught testifying in Senate Committee hearings sitting at the same table as the General Counsel of the UFW, an a$$hole I have battled with since the late 70s.
CDC...Sessions is a good man. My only concern is that he has Chicken Little writing some of his rants on McCain-Kennedy and it undermines his credibility.
The problem with enforcement up until now has been that employers are not provided with the necessary tools to insure someone's legal entitlement to work here, and therefore imposing liability is all but impossible. We need a federal picture ID (slap a pic on a Social Security card). Unfortunately, whenever that idea is brought up, folks start screaming that we want to tatoo numbers on everyone's wrists. There are many other roadblocks to enforcement, mostly due to liberal interests, as you might very well imagine.
Give us a computerized database where we can check Social Security numbers immediately BEFORE hiring someone, allow us to investigate individual employees without getting hit with discrimination suits, etc. Obviously, little of those tools are present in McCain-Kennedy.
Yup, though I represent employers, most employers would agree with additional strict enforcement...
if they get the tools to verify legal entitlement to work.