Victim: The Construction Worker

It is said that illegal aliens migrate to the U.S. to do the jobs Americans refuse to do. This is the type of statement I hear from ill-informed Americans and pro-illegal groups. I know from first-hand experience that this statement is a lie and that illegal aliens steal middle class jobs - jobs that would, could, and should be filled by Americans.

I worked hard in the construction industry to support my kids - ten years of sweat to acquire the skills and five years to start my own construction company. I thought I had really made it big when I was invited to bid on a half-million dollar project.

After submitting my bid for that project, I was contacted by the general contractor who informed me that they wanted me to execute the work, but that they had received a much lower bid than mine, and wanted to know if I could match it. I was in disbelief when I heard the bid I was competing against. I told the general contractor the only way the other company could do the job at that price was to use illegal labor. His reaction was to laugh and say, "Well if you pay your men $3 an hour, you can do the job too."

I could have worked 15 men on that job for two months, and, in turn, they could have paid their mortgages and car payments and put food on their tables. Instead, another company did the job and used illegals, who then sent their money back to Mexico. How do I know they were from Mexico? Because the subcontractor that used them bragged about it. He bragged that he picked them up from the border and that he let them live in his pole barn loft to avoid paying them for housing.

Construction jobs such as plastering, masonry, cement, drywall, painting and even now carpentry, are being stolen by illegal aliens. Contractors use illegals because they can pay them less, and they don't have to worry about paying taxes, unemployment insurance, and social security. Illegals have driven down wages because contractors are so accustomed to getting the low prices on labor. We all, then, have to lower our wages to be able to compete. When folks lose their jobs and are unable to pay their bills or taxes, it affects everyone.