NJ Democrats OK Valuable Work Licenses for Illegal Aliens

Temporary agricultural workers return to the Port of Entry in San Luis, Arizona, on Februa
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
Neil Munro

New Jersey’s Democratic-run legislature is allowing illegal migrants to take tens of thousands of licensed and professional jobs from Americans.

The state’s Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, is expected to sign a bill passed in July by the House and Senate that allows illegal aliens to get occupational and professional licenses, according to a July 30 report by NorthJersey.com:

“Governor Murphy believes that immigrants are a critical part of the fabric of life in New Jersey, and that they should not face unnecessary barriers as they seek to participate in our society and economy,” Alyana Alfaro, a Murphy spokeswoman, said prior to the Assembly vote.

The short bill removes the existing state rules against illegal migrants getting state occupational licenses for white-collar jobs such as architects and blue-collar jobs such as electricians. “Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, rule, or regulation, lawful presence in the United States shall not be required to obtain a professional or occupational license, provided that the applicant meets all other requirements for licensure,” says Senate bill No. 2455.

The law will help NJ employers to get their illegal employees’ work certified by state and local officials. State officials rarely penalize or even look for employers who hire illegal migrants, partly because migration rules are set by the federal government.

The bill is touted as an aid for the resident population of migrants who are working legally under the 2012 “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” (DACA) amnesty.

But New Jersey also has a large number of illegal aliens, including Mexicans, Central Americans, and a growing number of Indians.

The law will 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 jobs needed by Americans.

The legislation spotlights the deepening alliance between business groups and progressives. In 2019, Murphy also signed a bill allowing illegal aliens to get drivers’ licenses, making it easier for employers to hire illegal migrants for various jobs. In 2013, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was one of the eight senators who pushed the “Gang of Eight” amnesty and cheap-labor bill.

The licensing bill is pushed by Democrat Sen. Nellie Pou. She did not use her Twitter account to tout the bill’s passage.

A variety of donor-funded progressive groups back the legislation. The groups use the #OccupationalLicenses4All hashtag:

The tacit alliance has kept New Jersey’s wage growth among the lowest in the nation, despite the Democrats’ policy of raising the government-directed minimum wage.

The bills were pushed by Democrats but are also supported by some GOP members.

A growing number of other states — including California and New York — allow illegal aliens to compete against American licensed experts and professionals.

There was minimal media coverage of the giveaway bill in the state’s few newspapers. The little coverage focused on the interests of illegal immigrants, not on Americans and legal immigrants. For example, NorthJersey.com led its coverage with a sympathetic coverage of one illegal migrant from El Salvador:

Luis Chirino has spent long hours designing, drawing and building projects to earn a degree in architecture from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, sometimes spending all night in a studio on the Newark campus.

But Chirino, 22, who lives in Jersey City, also has wondered whether the long nights of studying will pay off and if he will be able to practice his chosen profession in New Jersey once he graduates. As an immigrant without legal status, he can’t obtain a professional license to work as an architect in New Jersey even if he graduates and passes the required exams.

…

In New Jersey, dozens of professions and occupations require licenses, including accountants, architects, acupuncturists, audiologists, beauticians, court reporters, cosmetologists, doctors, dentists, engineers, home inspectors, morticians, nurses, occupational therapists, optometrists, pharmacists, plumbers, psychiatrists, real estate appraisers, social workers and veterinarians.

On April 2, Fox News reported comments from pro-American critics of cheap-labor migration:

“Allowing those in the country illegally to get occupational or professional licenses takes jobs away from American citizens and legal immigrants,” said FAIR State and Local Engagement Director Shari Randall.

“Already there are more than 1.3 million unemployed individuals in New Jersey who are suffering as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns. Providing occupational or professional licenses to those in the country illegally incentivizes more illegal immigration. With high unemployment, the legislative focus should have been targeted to unemployed citizens and legal immigrants in New Jersey who desperately need to go back to work, instead of encouraging more illegal immigration.”

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