Hochul and Democrats Present Themselves as Champions of the Working Class — Yet Half a Million Undocumented Workers in NY Tell a Different Story

Nearly half a million illegal immigrants are employed in New York, many navigating around taxes and state regulations. Yet, Governor Hochul and the Democratic establishment seem totally fine with it.

This week, Hochul disclosed the astonishing number — 470,100 — during her budget announcement, supported by an economic analysis that raised alarms about a potential federal crackdown on immigration.

“The possible deportation of undocumented immigrants may worsen the state’s population declines and labor shortages,” the report stated.

To put it in context, this 470,100 figure represents roughly 15% of the state’s overall labor force.

(And that’s just the number we know about.)

Yet, the primary concern of Hochul and her fellow Democrats isn’t the alarming size of this shadow economy.

Instead, they worry that it might decrease when President Trump initiates his border enforcement measures.

It’s quite ironic for Team Hochul to propose that we allow illegal migrants to remain in order to address our population crisis, which is largely fueled by policies she endorses.

Even more ironic is the fact that the party that spends countless hours advocating for workers’ rights is perfectly okay with perpetuating extensive gray and black labor markets.

These markets enable below-minimum-wage compensation for illegal workers, creating insurmountable challenges for legal low-skilled workers who are “protected” by the state’s wage laws (which are $15.50 per hour in the state and $16.50 in New York City as of 2025).

They are markets where illegal laborers possess no significant protections and remain vulnerable to exploitation by employers, landlords, and others.

They are markets that allow employers to evade tax obligations by conducting payroll off the books.

According to the report, the majority of these illegal workers are engaged in service industries, such as housekeeping and delivery.

We understand: For affluent Democrats, the possibility of losing access to inexpensive domestic labor and facing rising food prices is unappealing.

However, what truly motivates this stance is the party’s allegiance, at all levels—national, state, and local—to maintaining open borders and embracing illegal immigration for its own sake.

This commitment persists despite its detrimental effects on law-abiding individuals trying to make a living, the very people that Democrats profess to represent.

If Hochul and her colleagues are so intent on bringing in foreign workers to replace the legal citizens driven out by their policies, they might consider advocating for increased legal immigration and stricter enforcement against border crossers who alienate the public from all new immigrants.

Nonetheless, supporting open borders has become an ideological cornerstone for blue-state Democratic politicians.

And the pretense of “protecting” the immigrants already present, irrespective of the costs to them and the state, has become a requirement for them.

Ultimately, one thing stands crystal clear, when viewing the sheer numbers involved: The left’s assertion of standing up for the (legal) working man rings completely hollow.