California law used to target businesses using illegal immigrants
National anti-illegal immigration groups and disgruntled businesses are taking the fight against undocumented workers to California courts.
In the first of dozens of expected lawsuits, a temporary employment agency that supplies farm workers sued a grower and a two competing companies on Monday.
Using California’s unfair competition statutes, the plaintiff claimed the competitors gained an unfair advantage by hiring undocumented immigrants who accept lower wages and don’t demand pensions or workers compensation.
Similar cases claiming violations of federal anti-racketeering laws have seen mixed results. The California suits are believed to be the first based on a state’s unfair competition laws, legal experts said.
National anti-immigration groups are helping finance the legal actions, believing businesses in other states with similar laws will use the tactic and spark a national wave of litigation that could become a major deterrent to hiring illegal immigrants.
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California law used to target businesses using illegal immigrants
The Press Enterprise
