It is reasonable to assume that if asked where most illegal immigrants find work, a respondent would answer either in the restaurant or construction business. The reputations of these two industries are owed in part to the large number of low-wage jobs that they contribute to the market.
If reputations count for anything, the restaurant and construction industries may be two of the hardest hit by House Bill 2779. The bill places sanctions on employers who knowingly or intentionally hire illegal immigrants, and takes effect on Jan. 1, 2008.
President and CEO of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce, Charlie Deaton is uncertain of the consequences this bill may have on business.
"We do not know exactly how many illegal immigrants work in these industries, it may be lower than we think. We just won't know for certain until January when employers have to start running social security numbers," said Deaton. " We seem to make assumptions because the people in these low-wage jobs are often Hispanic," Deaton said.
There are no exact figures for the illegal immigrant population in Mesa.
Deaton also said that the effects of the bill will cost the citizens more in the long run. Wages are a great factor in the issue, he said. Businesses will have to shell out higher dollar amounts per hour to attract potential employees that would otherwise not work for minimum wage, and this cost will be passed on to the consumer.
Deaton's greatest fear, however, is business owners treading on a fine line between obeying the law and discrimination. Business owners may be more cautious about Hispanics, and Deaton believes that should not be the case.
"Employers may altogether avoid hiring Hispanics for fear of getting in trouble. They may not want to have to worry about it, and that runs the risk of discrimination," said Deaton.
There is no question that House Bill 2779 will have an impact upon the restaurant and construction industries, but employers doubt that it will be positive.
Sandy and David Moody are owners of All Around Construction in Mesa, and although they said they do not employ any illegal immigrants, they also said that it does not look good for the industry as a whole. They also echoed Deaton's concern for wages raising costs for the consumer.
"[The Bill] will probably shoot it down the tubes for a while. It's hard to find anyone that's white or any other race that wants to do hard labor for a living – it seems like everyone wants to work on computers – at the current wages," said Sandy Moody.
David Moody said his personal belief is that if all the illegal immigrants in the country are unable to work this country will fall apart.
"There are so many jobs that Americans just don't want to do. Landscaping, McDonalds, day-labor type work," Moody said.
Devon Pollard had been a restaurant manager since 2003. Her concerns about the Bill's possible effects are a bit different than those of the Moody's. She believes immigrants that are unfamiliar with the Bill, which only affects employees hired after Jan. 1 2008, may be scared. Also, that it may be seen as a get caught or go home situation.
"We all know there is a huge percentage of illegal immigrants working in restaurants. I think we are going to see a lot of people in the business who don't show up come January. It may put the industry in a state of frenzy," said Pollard.
Pollard believes that economic consequences will not be seen until the Bill takes effect, but the possible results are something that should have been looked into further.
