Here is a video for you...
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4000446n
Or you can read
this article
or
this one
read what you like here as well
Lastly I'll offer you
this piece
...all done with a simple Google search in under 10 minutes.
Nothing new - this has been going on for over a decade.
Personally, I do not see this as a ploy by Merc, definitely one used by some illegal illegals though. It is just an inconvenient reality for some.