Speech #920117948

But it is designed to make it very costly. It would deny employers who hire aliens who they know are here illegally. the right to deduct the aliens salary as a business expense for Federal income tax purposes. This would give employers a real. significant. motive to inquire as to citizenship and immigration status. The matter of proving criminal action is illustrated by one case. which Federal immigration officials in Los Angeles investigated at my request. Employees at two plants were questioned and 53 deportable aliens were discovered. Allegations that a number of employees at one of these plants had paid supervisors amounts ranging from $350 to $750 to obtain their jobs were investigated by the district attorney. It was not possible to obtain legally admissible evidence to prove those allegations. and it appears thateven if it was truethere is little that could be done other than to prosecute them for operating an employment agency without a license. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that the illegal alien would be willing to pay that m:ind of money for a jobat so much a week on paydayalthough I doubt if many of them could get it together in cash at one time. Under normal circumstances. a Mexican laborer earns the equivalent of $2 for a full days work in Mexico. In an unskilled job in this country. he can earn between $10 and $15 a day.