Posted on 04/22/2006 7:16:30 AM PDT by Crackingham
A few blocks down the main road from this small downtown in the north Georgia hills, the Matul family from Guatemala has opened a grocery selling fresh exotic fruits, canned juice from Mexico and international telephone calling cards. Owner Brenda Matul, 29, counts on the influx of Hispanic immigrants to the community to seal the success of her 5-month-old Tienda la Guadalupana — and her life's journey from Central America to become a naturalized U.S. citizen with U.S.-born, bilingual children.
"One day we can grow more if immigrants keep coming to us for imports," Matul said about her clientele. "But now they're worried and afraid, afraid of going back, of poverty."
Immigrants account for nearly one out of every six of Calhoun's 13,000 residents. Like virtually everyone else in town, at some point, most have worked for the world's largest carpet makers, headquartered here and in nearby towns. Now, one of those companies faces a lawsuit over the immigrant workers it hires, and the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case Wednesday. The litigation could change this community and set precedents for how the country deals with immigration.
One current and three former employees of Mohawk Industries Inc. have filed a class action lawsuit against the firm, alleging it knowingly hired hundreds of illegal immigrants to suppress legal workers' wages. The company categorically denies knowledge of any illegal workers on its payroll and says it provides all employees with competitive wages and health benefits. The case raises the three pivotal questions in the immigration debate: Are immigrants, legal or not, coming to work in the U.S. because the economy needs them or because companies exploit cheap labor to the detriment of U.S.-born workers? Should the front-line controls on illegal immigration be the personnel offices of manufacturers? And will stricter checks on hiring documents for applicants who look or sound foreign discriminate against all Hispanics?
The Supreme Court will focus only on whether a company and its agents — recruiters, in this case — can be considered a racketeering enterprise under civil provisions of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which allows the plaintiffs to ask for triple damages. Both sides agree, however, that the case is about U.S. citizens taking matters in their own hands because they feel that illegal immigration is out of control.
"This points out the need to have private enforcement. It gives private citizens some recourse to protect themselves," said Howard Foster, the employees' attorney and a noted immigration-control activist who has taken on large corporations across the country. His clients, through him, declined interview requests.
.......
Juan Morillo, Mohawk's attorney, said immigration officials haven't approached the company since the lawsuit was filed in January 2004. Mohawk also argues that going beyond routine document checks for applicants who look Hispanic would only open the company up to charges of discrimination.
"The company feels very strongly the desired effect is to make it more difficult to hire Hispanics," Morillo said about the lawsuit, adding that the company "will not do anything to try and change the demographics of its work force."
Immigrants and advocates fear, however, that companies will make such changes, especially in places like northwest Georgia where the Hispanic immigrant population is new. From 1990 to 2000, the town's Hispanic population jumped from 39 to 1,821, according to census figures. Most of those new residents immigrated from Mexico and Central America.
"The city is growing because of the Hispanics," said Armando Rodriguez as he helped customers at his butcher and deli shop near Matul's. "But they don't like us."
Correction, Armando. We don't like people breaking the law and flouting it in our faces, as we pay their benefits. It has nothing to do with being Hispanic, other than the fact that the vast majority of illegal aliens in the United States are Hispanic.
Matul said about her clientele. "But now they're worried and afraid, afraid of going back, of poverty."
I thought they were poor here in the United States and it was all my fault.
This whole article is framed around how stopping ILLEGAL immigration is going to hurt legal immigrants that are helping ILLEGALS! How convoluted is that? More MSM bias...
WOW, now I feel really guilty...NOT>
Who ever suggested having special document checks for Hispanics???
The point here is that the routine document check for all employees should be complete.
LOL, there they go again spinning those fairytales!
The sweet woman and her sweet little anchors in truth weighing down Americans.
"The city is growing because of the Hispanics," said Armando Rodriguez
in the case of every illegal alien/anchor baby, it is malignant growth.
Liberals and Marxists always craft the issue in their own interests...
If you are against me raping,robbing,invading your home,or if you are against paying for me and mine with your tax dollars...or against me and mine destroying your country and way of life...
Why obviously it is because you are a racist....
The entire Federal Government is in a conspiracy with the Illegals against the actual legal citizens of this country.
"And will stricter checks on hiring documents for applicants who look or sound foreign discriminate against all Hispanics?"
How in the hell is this discrimination?
I've got to fill out an I-9 and provide proof of citizenship for ANY job. Been that way for years.
They generally do background checks too. They dig into my credit, they check to make sure that I don't have a criminal background.
The call the University to find out if my degree is real.
I AM BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST!!!!!!!!
These idiots have no good argument for breaking the law so they resort to cries of discrimination and racism.
I am so sick of these whining idiots!
"One day we can grow more if immigrants keep coming to us for imports," Matul said about her clientele. "But now they're worried and afraid, afraid of going back, of poverty."
Mohawk Industries failed to do what Dell Computers implimented - using an outside agency for all of it's hiring. That way citizens like myself are forced to provide all sorts of documentation while illegals are eyed like slaves on the auction block: strong backs, most of their teeth and not coughing blood gets them in the door.
As you pointed out, the tumor is growing because of the cancer.
Crack down on employers!
(The dog-and-pony show catch-and-release won't cut it either.)
No anchor babies!
Deport illegal aliens.
Bring in immigrants who have been waiting for years with papers in hand!
Nothing else will do.
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