RSS 2.0 FeedVol. 3, No. 7, July 2007, Tumbling Dice
Las Vegas & Immigration
A recent shareholders meeting for MGM Mirage showed what is the general consensus on immigration reform throughout the gaming industry.
“We’re for border security, a path to citizenship for undocumented workers and a swifter process for those legally trying to enter the country,” MGM Mirage CEO Terry Lanni said.
Las Vegas is particularly dependent on immigration labor, legal or not. Immigrants have helped drive the city in its current economic boom. They wash hotel laundry, cook restaurant meals and build casinos and homes throughout the area.
As the immigration debate in the U.S. has heated up, companies throughout Las Vegas are working to make sure lawmakers don’t cut of the flow of labor.
“Immigrants impact practically every aspect of our business,” said MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman. “Whether we talk about the people who are running our hotels, designing our interiors, chefs in restaurants, or performers in the interior, workers at every level in our industry—the impact can’t be overstated.”
While companies like MGM Mirage insist their workers are legal immigrants, it isn’t a secret that undocumented workers thrive on the Strip and throughout Las Vegas, as evidenced by a recent federal raid on a janitorial supply company that contracted with a number of casinos.
Worse yet, with the city in the middle of a construction boom, laborers would be reduced significantly if the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. were deported.
“If we do anything to decrease the workers, construction will have a really hard time,” said Leon Mead, a construction attorney on the board of the Association of General Contractors in Las Vegas. “There’s still a shortage of labor here in Las Vegas.”
“We’re for border security, a path to citizenship for undocumented workers and a swifter process for those legally trying to enter the country,” MGM Mirage CEO Terry Lanni said.
Las Vegas is particularly dependent on immigration labor, legal or not. Immigrants have helped drive the city in its current economic boom. They wash hotel laundry, cook restaurant meals and build casinos and homes throughout the area.
As the immigration debate in the U.S. has heated up, companies throughout Las Vegas are working to make sure lawmakers don’t cut of the flow of labor.
“Immigrants impact practically every aspect of our business,” said MGM Mirage spokesman Alan Feldman. “Whether we talk about the people who are running our hotels, designing our interiors, chefs in restaurants, or performers in the interior, workers at every level in our industry—the impact can’t be overstated.”
While companies like MGM Mirage insist their workers are legal immigrants, it isn’t a secret that undocumented workers thrive on the Strip and throughout Las Vegas, as evidenced by a recent federal raid on a janitorial supply company that contracted with a number of casinos.
Worse yet, with the city in the middle of a construction boom, laborers would be reduced significantly if the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. were deported.
“If we do anything to decrease the workers, construction will have a really hard time,” said Leon Mead, a construction attorney on the board of the Association of General Contractors in Las Vegas. “There’s still a shortage of labor here in Las Vegas.”
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