Legislation targets employers who shortchange illegal immigrants

Legislation targets employers who shortchange illegal immigrants

One woman said she had been threatened with deportation if she continued to press for pay at her restaurant job. One man said he made repeated calls for back pay to a former employer who kept putting him off. Another said a former boss set aside a week's salary as a "deposit" and then kept it.

A group of day laborers, all illegal immigrants, gathered Thursday night at the offices of Wind of the Spirit, an immigrant advocacy group, to go over the status of grievances against former bosses and to learn about a proposed state law that would beef up punishments for employers who withhold wages from workers.

Julio Lopez, a 43-year-old Morristown resident, said he left a job at a painting company in mid-December because he hadn't been paid in weeks and needed money to buy clothes and Christmas gifts for his three children, two of them born in the U.S. He said he has a tax identification number and pays taxes on his wages.

....

Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, D-Union, filed a bill almost two weeks ago called the Wage Protection Act that would increase penalties for employers found guilty of violating the state's wage laws. Not only would such employers be required to repay illegally withheld wages, they also would be required to pay damages and be fined $1,000 plus 20 percent of withheld wages on the first offense. Convicted employers also would be subject to losing various state licenses.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20110327/NJNEWS/103280301/Legislation-targets-employers-who-shortchange-illegal-immigrants

And the employees given permanent residence.

the drill was to have the illegals work all week and then call in the INS to round them up just before paychecks were to be handed out.