Should minimum wage laws apply to illegal immigrants?

Very few illegals make less than minimum wage.

If there was some sort of visa program, the laws should apply to them because they would be lawfully living here and minimum wage is supposed to be the minimum amount necessary to live.

 

Once they are granted the visas
is it unrealistic for them expect to be paid the same as their American Counterparts?

Rocket River

 

i believe that was me...i also think its an interesting point. Mainly because the argument often heard is cheap labor. I understand that side of it all but to use that as an argument for more lenient border laws would almost seem to lead you down the path of exploitation of people...and if you take it even further its almost a form a slavery (maybe thats not the right word but you know what i mean)

 

They already are getting paid above minimum wage. They only come here if it's economically good for them.

 

No, but I don't think they should apply to anyone, so that is nothing against illegal immigrants.

 

For the most part they are already paid as much as any other low-skilled American worker. You can't expect to live comfortably working in that job market no matter your legal status or nationality.

 

While I still think that the Federal Minimum Wage is blatantly un-Constitutional, any enforced minimum wage should be enforced for all workers in a State.

 

well wouldnt the fact that they are illegal immigrants mean that the boss who hires them can pay them whatever the hell he feels like??

I mean how would you even enforce a law like this?

 

Am I to beleive that Illegal Immigrants are getting paid about the same as their American/Legal Counterparts?

If this is so . . .what is all this stuff about Prices going up and driving folx out of business because of labor costs?

Rocket RIver

 

how is it unconstitutional?

 

when they start paying their taxes then they can argue for min. wage

 

He mentioned visas, they wouldn't be illegal with visas. Either way there's no need for enforcement because, except for rare cases, the bosses hiring them today aren't paying them less than the minimum wage.

Yeah, and illegals are only doing the jobs that Americans wont? I don't believe that, I think illegals do the jobs other Americans can't because there aren't enough Americans to fill them all. In that way, some companies would go out of business because they wouldn't have enough employees.

Illegals that get paid under the table pay every tax you do except for the income tax and social security tax. Illegals that work with fake social security numbers pay every tax you pay but don't get any of the benefits.

Besides, wouldn't they be better off if they paid every tax and were eligible for tax return checks every year and social security checks after they retire?

 

shrug, the title says should they apply to illegals

 

Interstate Commerce clause and reserved powers. (Yes, I know that opens a can of worms.)

 

fortunately its the boring kind of worms

 

Considering how broad the Supreme Court has interpreted the commerce clause, there isnt a way you can call this unconstitutional without calling into question virtually every environmental regulation or business regulation. (hence the can of worms thing i guess)

But more importantly, the Rehnquist court in Lopez v. US determined that the commerce clause includes laws that substantially affect interstate commerce and are economic in nature.

Minimum wage laws meet the second statement clearly and probably affects interstate commerce as the absence of a federal minimum wage would lead to shifts in businesses and workers since the states would have a huge variety of minimum wages.

But the can of worms thing is key. the supreme court chose to broadly interpret the commerce clause and the minimum wage becomes acceptable.

 

There is no such stuff.

The stuff people are talking about is illegal labor driving down wages for lower and middle class folk.

 

Do you know if they are getting paid above the state or local minimum wage?

 

Not sure.