Historically, a large majority of Mexicans have relied upon farming as their primary source of income. In 1991, less than 2% of the U.S. population was involved in agricultural work whereas 26.8% of the Mexican population was involved farming. .
However, this number began to decline dramatically after NAFTA was introduced. The percentage of the Mexican population employed in farming dropped to 16.4% in 2004, resulting in the loss of 2 million Mexican jobs (Scott et all., 2006). This came as a result of the large influx of low-cost, heavily subsidized American goods, which Mexican farmers were unable to compete with. (Pollan, 2007). This influx was made possible due to the open market mobility made possible by NAFTA. Because of this unfavorable trade balance, proponents argue that the United state is responsible the loss of these Mexican food growers' jobs, and the fair thing to do would be to hire them when they come seeking alternative employment opportunities. .
On the contrary, those who believe that hiring unauthorized immigrants is morally wrong may take on a deontological perspective, and rightfully so considering the numerous unreported atrocities that undocumented workers face on a day-to-day basis at their jobs. Opponents assert that hiring illegal immigrants is ethically incorrect because they are placed in positions where they are open to exploitation. One of the main things is the hourly wage, which may be far lower than the actual minimum wage. An illegal immigrant may feel pressured to accept this salary, even if they are over-qualified, because he or she may feel like they have no other options. This situation does not go unnoticed by employers either, as many purposefully hire illegal immigrants to save money. Undocumented workers are paid lower wages and forced to work under poor conditions, always faced with the constant threat of deportation (Hing, 2006). According to a study done by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta that examined the relationship between undocumented employment and firm survivability, undocumented workers earn about 30% less than documented workers (Brown et all, 2008).
