(4) A Path to Citizenship for Immigrant Workers

Our research confirms the hyper-exploitation of immigrant workers, many of them undocumented, at residential housing job-sites across the Commonwealth. We know that immigrant workers theoretically have the same legal rights on the job as US citizens and residents, but we have seen in practice that most undocumented workers experience no such equal treatment. Unscrupulous employers will continue to use immigration status against them, forcing them to work long hours and to undertake dangerous work while frequently underpaying them or not paying them at all. There will be no long-term remedy to restore fairness and integrity in residential construction without immigration reform.