by Timothy Burn

About the author: Timothy Burn writes for the Washington Times.

Life has changed for Armando Torres, an illegal immigrant who walked across the southern border into the United States four years ago.

Mr. Torres in those years has been transformed from an out-of-work husband and father struggling to survive in his home of Chihuahua, Mexico, to a man who is wanted all across America.

He’s wanted by employers and labor unions and increasingly is acknowledged as an essential component of the booming U.S. economy.

Perhaps for the first time in his life, the 29-year-old construction worker and Atlanta resident has clout.

Construction companies want him to help feed America’s raging demand for new homes. And now unions want him to join...