99 Cent Cheeseburgers and the hidden immigration costs associated with it

We could all associate some of our childhood and even teenage years memories to a cheeseburger. Without getting too specific, most of us have at some point seen a McDonald’s TV ad, been to one of their kid's playgrounds, or eaten their famous cheeseburgers at any of their multiple locations. We could say the same thing about some other well known franchises such us Burger King, Jack in the box, or Wendy's, to name a few. Yet have you ever wondered what the real cost of a 99 cent burger is? What if I told you that by indulging in one of those burgers, you are aiding in part to the hiring and also in some form, the exploitation/slaving of undocumented immigrant workers as well. Furthermore, after you became aware of this, would you be willing to pay more than the typical 99 cents if it meant to close loopholes in the fast food industry and to avoid the hiring and abuse of migrant workers or is the status quo sufficient for you.
Whether you and I are for or against immigration in this country (Legal vs. Illegal), the fact to the matter is that illegal immigration is a problem. A problem that unfortunately involves human beings from all over the world coming to the United States in search of the American Dream. Most of the undocumented workers come from Latin America, countries like Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, are few of the more recognized. Jeffery S. Pacel and D'Vera Cohn reports that as many as "12 million illegal immigrants in the United States with 8 million unauthorized immigrants in the workforce": (Pacel and D'vera V. Workers), along that number, the report exposes that "illegal immigrants were filling 25 percent of all agricultural jobs, 17 percent of all office and house cleaning positions, 14 percent of construction jo...

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... politicians are doing to stay in the middle and not upset supporters for change or big meat packing companies like IBP, Tyson or Cargill, with their hiring practices), our juicy cheeseburgers would probably remain 99 cents in cost. If we were to follow the Tea Party's call for enforcement only approach to an immigration reform, costs of every food item we buy raw or cooked would increase; this might not affect people with of higher class, but it could definitely spell trouble for the median and poor working class who happen to live paycheck to paycheck while creating dependency on food items that are traditionally farmed in the U.S "Over five years, an enforcement-only approach would lead to losses in farm income large enough to trigger large-scale restructuring of the sector, higher food prices and greater dependence on imported products" (Nixon NY Times 2014).