A couple of conservative think tanks are tut-tutting the possibility that undocumented workers may get some of the money being doled out for the stimulus/infrastructure jobs. While you hate to see taxpayer money going to illegals, it is inevitable for two reasons. One: congress refuses to require companies to use E-verify–a simple, almost foolproof way to accurately assess a worker’s status–even on federally funded projects. And two: while there are lots of unemployed U.S. citizens who are construction workers, I doubt many laid off cubicle dwellers are going to hop on the back of an asphalt paver. Until the economy tanked, the shortage of skilled laborers was the number one problem contractors faced.
