When a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement audit of ChipotleâÄôs Minnesota workforce results in immediate termination of between 29.2 and 58.3 percent of their entire workforce, you can be sure the audit was probably not the first time the possibility of profiting from employees without work permission occurred to the corporation.
In fact, the truth is probably much more cynical and sinister. We can additionally surmise that Chipotle is probably not the only company that knowingly accrues revenues from the work of employees who are not documented.
If we are serious about immigration reform, the first steps should include serious, unyielding penalties for immigration profiteering corporations.
Too often, we dehumanize individuals who have come to this country without permission âÄî or whose visa has lapsed during their stay âÄî instead of addressing organizations that knowingly open their doors to them. This needs to end today.
Legislators should pass restrictions that allow seizure of the profits of such companies in accordance with the percentage of revenue undocumented individuals contributed to the company over the duration of the illegality of their employment.
For example, if a man worked for Chipotle for three years as a cook, and two of those years were illegal, we estimate how much he as a person contributed to company revenues during that period, based upon job function, hours worked and revenues accrued, and make Chipotle forfeit that amount in addition to whatever the person was paid for his work.
I guarantee that companies will think twice if this is passed and enforced. ItâÄôs time kill sharks instead of netting plankton.