Yolanda Zepeda

On August 3, 2006, Ohio House Speaker Husted and Ohio Senate President Harris announced plans to crack down on illegal aliens and protect Ohio jobs through a set of initiatives they call the Ohio Workforce Protection and Illegal Alien Enforcement Act. They intend to introduce a series of provisions before the November elections, citing voter pleas as their motivation. To be sure, the economy represents a top concern for Ohio voters: In 2005, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked Ohio 47th in job growth. State scandals have also raised the ire of the Ohio public, threatening the incumbent leadership. In my view, the Workforce Protection Act is a red herring, a wedge issue to distract angry voters from their real concerns. Without offering real benefits, the Act plays on the anxieties of Ohio voters to whip up public sentiment against a vulnerable sector of our community.

According to the Ohio GOP website, the Act includes provisions “designed to strengthen employment and hiring standards, provide law enforcement with more resources to fight illegal aliens and limit state resources utilized for illegal aliens.” Yet, if we look at the facts, it becomes clear that such provisions have little benefit for the Ohio public.

Undocumented workers contribute to the economy by doing work that others are reluctant to perform. In fact, 90 percent of undocumented men work, exceeding the labor force participation rate of U. S. citizens and legal immigrants (“Undocumented Immigrants: Facts and Figures,” Urban Institute, 2004). If the act is intended to protect jobs for citizens and legal immigrants, I find it curious that the Act includes no provisions for sanctions against employers who hire undocumented laborers, aside from prohibiting such contractors from doing business with the state.

The Act seeks to “limit state resources,” drained by undocumented immigrants by requiring agencies to verify lawful presence when granting benefits. What the authors of this provision don’t recognize is that despite their higher rates of poverty, children of immigrants use public assistance less than natives. Moreover, some two-thirds of children from undocumented parents are U.S.-born citizens whose families are of mixed status (“The Health and Well-Being of Young Children of Immigrants,” Urban Institute, 2005). Requiring clients to prove their status whenever seeking services will serve to intimidate immigrants — both documented and undocumented — and such a requirement will likely have harmful effects on children.

A look at the facts suggests that a crackdown on undocumented workers will yield no benefits to taxpayers or the state economy. Undocumented immigrants pay real estate taxes at the same rate that others pay, whether they own their own homes or pay taxes through their rents. They pay sales and other consumption taxes, all of which fund the services the Act seeks to protect. According to the Social Security Administration’s chief actuary Stephen Goss, three-fourths of undocumented workers pay payroll taxes and nationally, they pay $6-7 billion in social security that they will be unable to claim.* Undocumented workers do not pose a threat to Ohio jobs or to our economy. They contribute more than they draw down, whether we consider the jobs that they perform, their underutilization of public resources, or the contributions that they make to state and local coffers.

The provisions of the Workforce Protection and Illegal Alien Enforcement Act bear little promise of yielding benefits for taxpayers, but they are likely to have harmful economic and social effects. If we are to move our state toward greatness, then we should hold our leaders accountable and demand greater transparency in governance. We must have honest dialogue about how to strengthen our economy and improve job growth and productivity. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, now pending in the U.S. Congress, is a more promising strategy for increasing the economic contributions of undocumented immigrants. It would allow the children of undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at state institutions, developing their talents and skills and strengthening the productivity of our labor force. In my view, the strategies employed in the Workforce Protection Act do not reflect the democratic values that make our nation great. If Ohioans are truly concerned about immigration, then let us have sincere public dialogue. Let us have meaningful exchange based on fact, not myths; an exchange that gives voice to multiple perspectives, including the most vulnerable among us.

* Quoted in, “Tax-paying immigrants buoying Social Security,” by Eduardo Porter, New York Times, April 5, 2005.