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Illegal Immigrants Treatment

Decent Essays

The treatment of illegal immigrants in the workplace is both a legal issue and a serious moral concern. Understanding that there are approximately 8 million unauthorized individuals contributing to the US workforce there is an ethical obligation to protect their personal rights and establish companies’ duties and responsibilities to these workers. Undocumented workers can be found in all industries, however they tend to be overrepresented in the fields of construction and farming; providing basic employee rights to these individuals is a minimal requirement (). Additionally, immigrant employees are susceptible to increasingly abusive workplace environments. Often lacking an understanding of their rights and protections provided under U.S. laws, immigrants face language barriers, feelings of isolation, and their race and gender brand them as easy targets for abuse. Predominately immigrant employees find themselves working in low-wage positions and industries including: agriculture, manufacturing, restaurant and hotel services, child care, and other retail outlets. Despite federal laws and regulations outlawing harassment and discrimination, illegal immigrants are often subjected to physical and verbal abuse in the workplace and employers take advantage of workers with little fear of repercussion. In instances where illegal immigrants have attempted to affirm their rights, employers have asserted that violations or claims filed are invalid and therefore not eligible for legal remedy based on the employee’s immigration status. Efforts crafted by these organizations have discouraged undocumented workers from exercising their rights to insist on a workplace free of harassment and exploitation, often fearing deportation or separation from their families with little hopes of legally prevailing. Founded in basic principles and constitutional protections, any person residing in the US has equal rights to protection under the law and for due process and fair treatment. Fortunately, courts throughout the country have begun to provide increasing support to workers to prevent intimidation of undocumented employees. Employers do not have an open opportunity to exploit or harass employees based on their immigration status.

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