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Illegal Workers Swept from Jobs in 'Silent Raids'


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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/us/10enf...nted=1&_r=1

 

Emphasis mine

 

BREWSTER, Wash. — The Obama administration has replaced immigration raids at factories and farms with a quieter enforcement strategy: sending federal agents to scour companies’ records for illegal immigrant workers.

 

While the sweeps of the past commonly led to the deportation of such workers, the “silent raids,” as employers call the audits, usually result in the workers being fired, but in many cases they are not deported.

 

Over the past year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has conducted audits of employee files at more than 2,900 companies. The agency has levied a record $3 million in civil fines so far this year on businesses that hired unauthorized immigrants, according to official figures. Thousands of those workers have been fired, immigrant groups estimate.

 

Employers say the audits reach more companies than the work-site roundups of the administration of President George W. Bush. The audits force businesses to fire every suspected illegal immigrant on the payroll— not just those who happened to be on duty at the time of a raid — and make it much harder to hire other unauthorized workers as replacements. Auditing is “a far more effective enforcement tool,” said Mike Gempler, executive director of the Washington Growers League, which includes many worried fruit growers.

 

...

 

In another shift, the immigration agency has moved away from bringing criminal charges against immigrant workers who lack legal status but have otherwise clean records.

 

Republican lawmakers say Mr. Obama is talking tough, but in practice is lightening up.

 

“Even if discovered, illegal aliens are allowed to walk free and seek employment elsewhere” said Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee. “This lax approach is particularly troubling,” he said, “at a time when so many American citizens are struggling to find jobs.”

Employers say the Obama administration is leaving them short of labor for some low-wage work, conducting silent raids but offering no new legal immigrant laborers in occupations, like farm work, that Americans continue to shun despite the recession. Federal labor officials estimate that more than 60 percent of farm workers in the United States are illegal immigrants.

 

John Morton, the head of the immigration agency, known as ICE, said the goal of the audits is to create “a culture of compliance” among employers, so that verifying new hires would be as routine as paying taxes. ICE leaves it up to employers to fire workers whose documents cannot be validated. But an employer who fails to do so risks prosecution.

 

There are more details in the rest of the article that I think are worth reading.

 

Anyways, I think that this is the approach that NEEDS to be taken. Those raids during the 90's and 00's just weren't very effective. I mean, I remember that soy(?) farm in Mentor on Heisley got raided at some point, and at another point, a bunch of illegals exercised their right of sanctuary in a church in Painesville. Did all of the Mexicans in these situations get deported? Yes. But looking at the farms two years or so later, nothing really changed, they just hired new ones. I'd argue that hitting the employers is the way to go.

 

As for what to do with the illegals? I'd say they should probably be deported, at least in these initial stages, see if the jobs that they give up start going to American citizens. Unfortunately, I have little faith in the average American citizen being motivated enough to take these shitty jobs for shitty pay. If getting American replacements is too hard, then the illegals caught at these farms should probably be considered for either citizenship or legal immigrant status. You already know that these crazy assholes are working 12 hour days cultivating the land. It doesn't leave much time for drug running and such.

 

On the other hand, if you force the employers to fire all their illegals, but don't deport them, doesn't that open the way for more crime? Because now you have a bunch of broke and irritated people living in a tight community that will be unable to find jobs. I think that while they're doing these initial stages, and testing everything out, they should either deport the illegals that they catch or offer them a legal means of working. To fail to do so will increase the rate of crime.

 

Also of note... only 3 million dollars of fines for 2900 companies? C'mon, that's the best we can do? We need to PENALIZE the enablers.

 

Baby steps.

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http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/07/news/econo...ndex.htm?hpt=T2

 

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Facing growing anti-immigrant rhetoric, the United Farm Workers union is challenging Americans to take their labor-intensive, low-paying farm jobs.

 

As communities nationwide grapple with tenacious unemployment, migrant workers are often accused of stealing jobs from Americans. The union believes this accusation is without basis, and intends to demonstrate this with a newly-launched campaign called "Take Our Jobs."

 

"Farm workers do the work that most Americans are not willing to do," said union president Arturo Rodriguez in the announcement of the campaign.

 

At least half a million applicants are needed to replace the immigrant workforce, so the union has posted an online application for Americans who want to work on a farm.

 

Through its Web site, at www.takeourjobs.org, the union promises to connect applicants with farm jobs in their area.

 

Since June 24, at least 4,000 people have responded to the application, said Rodriguez. Some are serious responses and others are hate mail. "Only a few dozen have really followed through with the process," he said.

 

Most applicants quickly lose interest once the reality sinks in that these are back-breaking jobs in triple-digit temperatures that pay minimum wage, usually without benefits, according to the union. Some small farms are not required to pay minimum wage and in 15 states farms aren't required to offer workers' compensation.

 

Despite the dismal job market in the U.S., where the unemployment rate is 9.5% and 14.6 million people are out of work, there have been few takers.

 

Hey T, if you want a job, here you go.

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First off this is an add for the "United Farm Workers union " why and the hell would anyone work min. wage and pay a damn union fee at the end of the day. Pure BS is all this is.

 

 

And as for getting a job I have created my own job and as of today I leased a new building and will be moving in all the equipment that I have been purchasing over the past few weeks, dont think for one minute that I am confortable sitting on my ass taking a check. The last time I was layed off which was over 20 years ago, I started my own business then as well, and that is what I am currently doing.

 

PS: the only hiring I will be doing is contract labor, I'm not paying out for free health care among other perks that will be demanded by this commi regime you like to boast about. Until things change back to protecting the american dream, I will continue this practice.

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