Most people realize that an apparently expensive watch or diamond ring you purchase from someone in a back alley for $20 is probably either fake or illegally obtained. Here is a story of a Marine colonel (!) who doesn't realize that the same applies to people you hire on the street to do odd jobs.
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Comments
I see nowhere in the story that says the day laborers were Spanish speaking. Besides, even if they were, not all Spanish speaking people are illegal aliens. In Los Angeles they actually have city sponsored designated day labor hiring areas. I can only assume the people they job out there are properly documented.
The city sponsored day labor hiring areas in LA specifically do *not* check documentation.
LA is a "sanctuary" city, and city officials are under general orders not to inquire about immigration status.
Being politically charged issue, together with the underground nature of illegal immigration mean exact figures are hard to come by. But even immigration advocates do not deny that these kinds of day laborers are largely illegal immigrants.
What happens in LA has nothing to do with DC - where the events in this article take place. The DC area is still comming to terms with how they are going to "deal with" illegal immigrants. They haven't been dealing with the problem as long as California has.
You are right that just because they speak Spanish doesn't mean they are illegal aliens. However, I couldn't find anything where Jacobsen stated explicitly that he checked their documentation to verify their legal status. He skirted the issue by saying, "A day laborer could be a college kid trying to earn extra money."
See Jacobsen's original article here where he dialogs with the "day laborers" in Spanish:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/05/AR2007100501693.html