Housing construction worker just wants to live, labor in peace

Paul tried to enter the country legally.

The U.S. consulate in Mexico denied him a tourist visa even though he met all the requirements. No reason was given.

Bent on finding a better-paying job than he could get in his native country, Paul endured a punishing and expensive trip across the border.

He was one of nine males, two of whom died in the desert.

He paid $2,500 to an American smuggler. That was about five years ago; he hears the price has since jumped to about $3,800.

Paul, who declined to give his surname, builds homes in the fast-growing Las Vegas Valley. The 24-year-old is one of a legion of illegal immigrants toiling in the nation's construction industry, often working 12 hours a day, six days a week.

Speaking through a translator, Paul said he doesn't know how many others at work are like him because they don't discuss legal status.

It didn't come up when he applied for a job. He only had to give his name and address.

His American friends joke that illegal workers pay more in taxes than they do.

Paul's employer deducts a third of the $600 he earns weekly for taxes. He hasn't tried to collect a refund from the IRS; he only got his individual taxpayer identification number, or ITIN, this year.

He encourages others illegal immigrants to assimilate into American culture. He reads and writes some English, and speaks and understands more of the language than his shy demeanor lets on.

He just wants to work in peace, he said.

Before the Senate immigration bill collapsed, Paul didn't seem concerned about how it might have hindered his ability to stay and work in this country.

Most Americans wouldn't accept such physically demanding work at long hours and low pay, he said.