Green-card suspension overlooks major construction threat

Protecting construction workers came first when establishing the safety guidelines that allowed Pennsylvania construction to reopen last week. Conversely, the immigration executive order supposedly part of the president’s “America First” agenda fails to protect America’s construction industry.

By suspending green cards, the executive order appears to correlate access to green cards with access to jobs. However, with an undocumented workforce of approximately 11 million, it is clear that the lack of a green card has not stopped employers from hiring undocumented workers who are already in the country. Saying “America first” means nothing without enforcing employers to first hire legal residents.

Stopping employers from illegally hiring and exploiting undocumented workers is critical to protecting America’s middle-class construction jobs. When undocumented workers accept lower pay or less-safe conditions, it not only hurts them but all construction workers who also see their standards and opportunities deteriorate.

This just reinforces why the Pennsylvania Construction Industry Employee Verification Act is so important. Starting in October, all construction contractors working in Pennsylvania must use E-Verify to confirm that their new hires are eligible to work in the country. By doing so, E-Verify acts as a safeguard for legal residents in terms of construction job availability and safety.

Contractors on federal construction projects must already use E-Verify and all of Pennsylvania’s construction contractors soon must do the same. Implementing nationwide E-Verify in construction only will provide more protection than this executive order.

PHILIP AMERIS

New Kensington