MONROE – In a move to strengthen protections for Michigan workers, State Representatives Kate Ebli (D-Monroe) and Kathy Angerer (D-Dundee) today unveiled a bold plan that safeguards jobs for our state's citizens by making it a felony for employers to hire illegal immigrants. The plan, which steps in where the federal government has failed to act, requires that employers document the legal status of their workers and provides Michigan workers legal recourse when companies replace them with undocumented laborers.
"With Michigan struggling under the nation's highest unemployment rate, we must make sure that Michigan jobs go to Michigan workers," said Ebli, a lead sponsor of the package. "Employers who choose to break the law and hire illegal immigrants are hurting our working families, our communities and Michigan businesses that play by the rules. This plan will give Michigan the tools it currently lacks to punish these companies. Creating and protecting jobs for Michigan workers must be our top priority as we work to turn our economy around."
The plan:
- Makes it a felony to knowingly employ an illegal or undocumented worker, 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.
- Gives fired workers replaced by illegal immigrants the ability to hold employers accountable in court.
The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that up to 150,000 unauthorized immigrant workers live in Michigan.[1]
"Especially at a time when middle-class families are being squeezed from all directions, Michigan residents are outraged that the federal government has failed to stop the loss of precious jobs to illegal immigrants," Angerer said. "Michigan's workers are second to none, and our communities can't afford to lose jobs to workers who are not authorized to work in this country. Our plan sends a clear message: Employers who try to take advantage of cheap illegal labor must be held accountable."