New Jersey Governor Okays Work Licenses for Illegal Migrants

New Jersey’s Democrat governor signed a bill on September 1 that allows illegal migrants to take well-paying licensed jobs from Americans and legal immigrants, even amid the dramatic recession that has pushed many Americans out of jobs.

NJ.com reported the recession win for illegal migrants and employers on September 1:

Previously, [people] were required to have a “lawful presence in the United States” to qualify for a license. This law (S2455) removes that barrier.
[Gov. Chris] Murphy’s office said the law — which takes effect immediately — will benefit about 500,000 undocumented residents in New Jersey.

The office also said the state will be the first on the East Coast to enact such a law. California, Nevada, and New Mexico are among the other states with similar statutes.

The law allows illegals — including DACA recipients — to get licenses for many blue-collar and white-collar jobs.

The license will allow illegals to work as electricians, plumbers, HVAC workers, lab technicians, nurses, doctors, architects, and many other careers.

The law passed with support from employers, many of whom are eager to cut their costs by staffing their companies with the state’s large population of illegals, which include many Latinos and a growing number of Indians.

In July, the state’s unemployment rate hit almost 14 percent. “More than 1.5 million New Jersey workers have applied for unemployment benefits since the pandemic began,” the New Jersey Herald reported August 26.

“New Jersey is stronger when everyone is given the opportunity to contribute and everyone is given a chance to live their American Dream,” Murphy said in a signing statement. He also declared the long-standing legal and cultural distinctions between Americans and illegal migrants are shameful “discrimination”:

This law sends a simple, powerful message that immigration status can no longer be used as an excuse to discriminate among equally educated, trained, and qualified individuals. As we look toward our shared economic future, we must ensure that no one is left behind and everyone who puts forward the effort can succeed.

His political allies cheered the win for illegal workers, even as New Jersey’s many American employees try to recover from the coronavirus crash.

“This legislation is a win-win for New Jersey workers and for employers looking to hire workers with specific training and skills,” said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. “I’m proud to see our state leading the nation in prioritizing the economic stability of all families.”

The law can also open new opportunities for unscrupulous employers to skirt federal laws while using illegal migrants as cheap labor. For example, foreign visitors are allowed to enter and depart the country under the B-1/B-2 visa. They are not allowed to work once they enter the country — but there are very few enforcement efforts to deter the widespread hiring of B-1/B-2 visitors in licensed jobs needed by skilled Americans.

Business groups are pushing similar pro-illegal laws in many states where millions of Americans have earned licenses for skilled work. Many states also provide driver’s licenses to illegals, ao helping them work illegally in a wider variety of jobs.

Democrats, plus some Republicans, backed the pro-illegal legislation. Northjersey.com reported August 1:

Assemblyman Harold Wirths (R-Sussex) voted no on the measure.

“We have rules and laws in this country and, if you come into the country illegally and you are in violation of the law, I don’t think we should be granting you licenses,” he said, noting it was a way of circumventing federal laws.

The bill, though, is not opposed by all Republicans in the state. Four Republican Senators voted in favor of the bill. They included Senators Chris Brown (R-Atlantic), Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth), Kip Bateman (R-Somerset) and Gerry Cardinale (R-Bergen).

There was minimal media coverage of the giveaway bill in the state’s few newspapers. The little media coverage focused on the interests of illegal immigrants, not on Americans and legal immigrants.