Some Entrepreneurial Immigrants Succeed Despite Rights-Violating Laws

Some enterprising immigrants succeed in the United States despite laws that violate their moral right to seek employment and the rights of potential employers to hire them.

A recent Los Angeles Times article describes how some illegal immigrants have turned to entrepreneurship to deal with the problem:

Although federal law prohibits employers from hiring someone residing in the country illegally, there is no law prohibiting such a person from starting a business or becoming an independent contractor.

As a result, some young immigrants are forming limited liability companies or starting freelance careers—even providing jobs to U.S. citizens—as the prospect of an immigration law revamp plods along in Congress.

Of course, entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. And Congress should change the laws to respect and protect immigrants’ and employers’ rights. But it is good to see that at least some illegal immigrants are finding ways to live the American dream despite the un-American laws. Best success to them all!

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Related:

• Immigration and Individual Rights
• Review: Let Them In: The Case for Open Borders, by Jason L. Riley

Image: Wikimedia Commons

About Kevin Douglas

Kevin Douglas, a graduate of Stanford Law School, practices transactional law in Dallas, Texas.

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