Illegal Monday Meatpacking plants told us Americans would not do the work. But only after they laid off Americans and brought in illegals for half the wages while never lowering prices. Then ICE removed the unauthorized crews. The plants needed workers who could stay. Lines formed. People who had been laid off years earlier came back. Many had been unemployed. They took the jobs at the wages the plants were finally willing to pay once the cheap substitute was gone. The “Americans will not do this” line was never about the work. It was about the cost of benefits and employees that would speak up when quality was poor without fear of losing their jobs. When the unauthorized labor was available, profits soared and Americans never saw a job opening. When that labor left, the same plants found Americans ready to stand on the line. The dime saved on every carcass was real money for the company. It was also the reason the job no longer supported a household. Enforcement changed the math. The workers who had been replaced were still there. Bookmark this. Share or quote it. Comment if you have watched a plant refill with citizens after a raid. Follow for more Illegal Monday.