Non‑enforcement as employer leverage

When immigration laws are not enforced, some employers build business models around unauthorized labor and use the threat of deportation (or the mere possibility of enforcement) to discipline workers, suppress reporting of wage and safety violations, and undercut law‑abiding competitors. This dynamic drives a mixed‑status workplace effect where legal workers also face worse conditions because they can be readily replaced or intimidated. — Calls for immigration policy reform should account for labor‑market distortions from non‑enforcement, not only humanitarian or border control concerns, because the repercussions ripple through wages, workplace safety, and competition.