In America there is no better place to abuse immigrants than the workplace.  Employers use the threat of immigration enforcement to pay less than minimum wages and carry out wage theft on a routine basis. In fact 37% of undocumented immigrants make less than minimum wage and 76% report that they have been the object of wage theft.

The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) was passed to protect immigrants from  employer abuses yet most undocumented workers don’t understand their rights. They are reluctant to confront a boss that retaliates for complaints that are made for un-fair working conditions. What’s more, they often lack legal resources to protect themselves against the threat of deportation.

In many states, anti-immigrant bigotry drives much of the legislation against migrant  workers. For example, in Arizona, the state legislature has codified a racist bill that codifies “reasonable suspicion” as a legitimate basis for asking people to prove their immigration status. It has the effect of criminalizing people of color based on subjective appearance.

While America continues to hobble along with a broken immigration system, we must arm workers with a clear understanding of their rights in a complex and confusing system. In addition, they need to understand where to find legal resources and access support organizations.