LANSING – Stepping in where the federal government has failed to act, State Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-West Branch) today announced a bold plan to protect Michigan workers' jobs by making it a felony for employers to hire illegal immigrants, requiring employers to document the legal status of their workers, and giving Michigan workers legal recourse when companies replace them with undocumented laborers.
"Every job that goes to an illegal worker is one more job that is taken from a hard-working Michigan resident who is trying to make ends meet and put food on the table for their family," Sheltrown said. "In these difficult financial times, our workers must come first. This plan will give Michigan the tools it needs to punish companies that knowingly hire illegal aliens, and reclaim these jobs for our own working families."
The House Democrats' plan:
- Makes it a felony to knowingly employ an illegal or undocumented alien or to encourage such a person to enter Michigan with the intent of employing him or her.
- Requires employers to fill out an I-9 form for all workers, confirming that they have verified their employees' status as legally authorized to work in the United States.
- Establishes penalties for repeat violators that include suspending or revoking their license to do business in Michigan; levying fines of up to $250,000; and, for the owners of companies that are the worst offenders, imposing prison terms of two to five years.
The plan also gives fired workers who were replaced by illegal immigrants the ability to hold employers accountable in court.
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A 2005 estimate by the Pew Hispanic Center of Washington, D.C., found that up to 150,000 unauthorized migrant workers live in Michigan.[1]
"Most business owners are following the rules and working with residents to build a better Michigan," Sheltrown said. "However, there are employers who choose to break the law and hire illegal immigrants instead of their own fellow Michigan residents to save a few dollars. They must be held accountable."