America is a developed nation that attracts large number of immigrants from other neighboring and developing states. Statistics indicate that a greater percentage of employees working in America are immigrants from other states who have entered into the country either legal or unlawfully. As a result of the high number of immigrants in the country, American has become a multicultural state as it embraces culture and racial diversity of citizens. A report released by Pew Research Centre affirms that there are about 8.3 unauthorized immigrants in American, and they form about 8.3 percent of the workforce (Passel &Vera 401). The American government allows non-citizens and foreign-born individuals with a green card, work permit, and a visa to work in the country legally. However, some of the immigrants fail to comply with the government regulations, but they still secure jobs in various organizations.
The fact that unauthorized immigrants work in different workplaces can be considered diversity at the work place. I hold the view that diversity at the workplace entails hiring workers from different cultures, race, ethnicity, tribe, gender, and based on other constructs. This form of workplace diversity is similar to the other forms of workplace diversity in the sense that unauthorized immigrants share similar organization culture with other legally and documented employees at the workplace (Heckscher 293). However, this form of diversity may differ from the other forms of diversity in the sense that the later is not embodied on societal norms, principles, and customs because it violates government provisions. In essence, social norms and principles are embodied in the rule of law.
As illustrated in the case of Chipotle, hiring unauthorized immigrants employees is beneficial to the employer because the employees provide cheap and reliable labor that helps the employer reduce the organization’s operation cost. However, the employer suffers the risks of tarnishing the image and reputation of the organization and being charged fines and penalties by the court for hiring unauthorized employees thus violating the law (Hanson 1).
Hiring undocumented and unauthorized immigrants not only helps and hurts employers, but also helps and hurts the organization shareholders. In an event that the government finds that an organization has hired unauthorized immigrants, the repercussions are felt by the shareholders-who are the owners of the organization because they are supposed to pay the imposed fines and penalties thus reducing their dividend shares. Although this is the case, organization shareholders benefit from hiring unauthorized immigrants because they provide reliable, skillful, and cheap labor that increases the company’s profit margin and shareholders dividend share.
I do not agree with the public policies and enforcement strategies addressed in this case in the sense that they are ineffective to control and prevent unlawful migration of immigrants into the country. Law enforcing agencies are supposed to work with other involved parties to ensure that immigrants do not enter the country illegal (Westin& Stephan 67). In other words, law-enforcing agencies should arrest immigrants who enter the country unlawfully; an idea that would reduce the number of undocumented immigrants. Although the government has commissioned the Social Security Administration to investigate social security cards, which do not match with the one the employer has, this move would be ineffective in the end because unauthorized immigrants would conspire with government officials to conceal their illegal action. In this case, the government should urge employers to install a computerized system that would be interlinked with Social Security Administration database so that to ascertain eligibility of the employees at the workplace.
I agree with Chipotle move to use e-verify and web-based system in ascertaining eligibility of the employees because this move would help the government arrest illegal immigrants and control the immigration rate in the country. The move would also help the company maintain its image and reputation to the public. However, Chipotle should not depend on e-verify and web based system to ascertain eligible employees, but also conduct investigations to establish authenticity of the documents of the employees. This move would enable the managers arrest employees who have legal documents, but they acquired them unlawfully thus preventing the company from being fined and penalized for violating the law.
Works cited
Heckscher, Charles C.. The new unionism: employee involvement in the changing corporation. New York: Basic Books, 2008. Print.
Passel, Jeffrey, and Vera Cohn. "A portrait of unauthorized Immigrants in the United States." Pew Research Centre (2009): Print.
Westin, Alan F., and Stephan Salisbury. Individual rights in the corporation: a reader on employee rights. New York: Pantheon Books, 2005. Print.
Hanson, Gordon. "As immigration audits increases, some employers pay high prices." The New York Time [New York] 13 July 2011. Print.
