And request a work visa to the US. Ortherwise he should be patient, marry his girl friend and have her do the filing, or as others have suggested, get a fiancé visa which seems to be quicker.
The basic point is this:
He must be legal in the US if he wants to get ahead. He cant go around scurrying from the INS or the security people.
Also, as an illegal alien, he will never, no matter what people say, be paid enough for his work.
I think that a little time and patience can make this happen.
HB
It occurs to me that he could apply to a graduate program, if he has decent grades...there are a lot of programs.