Posted on 05/13/2006 5:49:57 AM PDT by FerdieMurphy
On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement proudly announced that they arrested one of the owners of a Mexican restaurant in Missouri following worksite enforcement operations at his Missouri and Iowa restaurants.
Julio Zapala-Urbina, co-owner of Julio's Mexican Restaurants in St. Joseph, Mo., and Cedar Falls, Iowa, was arrested on criminal charges of knowingly hiring illegal aliens to work at his restaurants. His arrest followed the execution of a federal search warrant, and the administrative arrest of nine illegal aliens at his St. Joseph restaurant. ICE agents also executed a federal search warrant at Zapala-Urbina's Cedar Falls restaurant April 27 during which 12 illegal aliens were arrested.
This investigation began March 23 after ICE was notified of a man whose Social Security number was discovered to be invalid, following his application to reside in a Cedar Falls mobile home village. The man indicated that he worked at Julio's restaurant. ICE agents later arrested two other illegal aliens who were involved in a traffic accident in Benton County, Iowa. They both also indicated that they worked at Julio's restaurant.
Further investigation revealed that none of these employees had been required to complete any paperwork or provide any documentation in order to work at the restaurant, which are federal requirements.
ICE special agents in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, executed a federal search warrant April 27 at Julio's Mexican Restaurant in Cedar Falls. They arrested 12 restaurant employees, and seized business paperwork, tax forms, a laptop computer, business bank account information and $17,000 cash. One of those arrested during this operation was restaurant co-owner Juan Lopez-Angel, who illegally resides in the United States. Following this operation, the bank account for this business was also seized.
While the arrests are to be commended, one can't help but wonder if we wouldn't get more bang for our buck if ICE and other investigative agencies were to initiate investigations of larger businesses -- those that hire thousands of illegal aliens.
The above described law-enforcement operation took over 6 weeks and hundreds of man-hours, yet the operation resulted in a mere 20-something illegal aliens apprehended and the arrest of a couple of small businessmen. The cynic in me sees an attempt by the Bush Administration to dupe the American people with a few well-publicized arrests of business owners who illegally employ undocumented immigrants just before Bush's scheduled televised address to the nation this Monday evening.
The Bush Administration and others in the GOP say that our nation is incapable of capturing the estimated 12 million illegal aliens. So the debate has become deportation vs. a much bandied de facto amnesty program.
We are told by Republican lawmakers (forget the Democrats -- we already know their position on the matter, though they try to avoid revealing it to voters) that the immigration problem is a complex issue. Baloney.
In fact, the remedy to our illegal alien problem is relatively simple: arrest employers of illegal aliens and seal the borders, including a shoot-to-kill policy for those armed paramilitary "Zetas" who provide protection for Mexican drug traffickers and coyotes.
If the jobs dry up, the incentive for illegals to remain in the US or enter the US becomes nullified. If we position troops on the border for about one year in concert with a real crackdown on businesses that hire illegal aliens, this will send a clear message to the Mexican government that we mean business and they will reconsider their strategy of unloading their criminals, undesirables and ultra-poor on the American people.
Of course, there will be a "minority of people" who will squawk about such an anti-illegal immigration policy, but they are in the minority and these left-wing, self-appointed voices will just find something else to squawk about. For hidden within the multitudes of illegal aliens during their protests, boycotts and rallies, are the Marxists, socialists and ultra-left Stalinists who use the illegals as a prop for their true agenda -- the destruction of a free and prosperous America.
The American people must let the GOP -- including the President -- know that we're not impressed with their dog-and-pony shows. We want action.
Exactly!
Our Grand Old Party thinks we are to be hornswaggled and taken for granted!
There are many on FR that rant against us that demand border security. Like border security is a bad thing. Why is border security and securing this Nation a bad thing?
And this should be the primary point of investigation. I have read that approx. 9.3 million SSN's are bogus(still can't find official source, wonder why?) Social Security knows where the employers are and should turn all info over to ICE and the rest of Homeland Security.
This is something a ten year old could figure out. Why hasn't it been done already?
For the "Party Over Principle Posse" it's all about ego & power. There's lots of jobs appointed at both the Fed & State levels to party loyalists, and I wouldn't be surprised that some members of the POPP are part of this group.
Principles are fine and dandy when you don't have anything at stake (other than our Nation's survival); when you're dependent on certain organizations to pay the bills, you'd be surprised at the logical contortions one can make to justify any argument.
Better border security will raise the price of drugs and potentially disrupt the drug economy.
I agree with you two.
There aren't 9.3m fraudulent SSNs, there have been 9.3m invalid W-2s (ie SSNs don't match up) filed for 2005 tax returns. To my knowledge, there aren't any published stats available from the IRS - this was leaked info. As to the actual number of fraudulent SSNs floating around, it's probably incalculable.
In those headliner raids and arrests of 1200 illegals a couple of weeks ago, most were released within 5 hours -- after the headline of the arrests, of course.
Sure is it a dog and pony show.
There aren't 9.3m fraudulent SSNs, there have been 9.3m invalid W-2s (ie SSNs don't match up) filed for 2005 tax returns. To my knowledge, there aren't any published stats available from the IRS - this was leaked info. As to the actual number of fraudulent SSNs floating around, it's probably incalculable.
And others as we know, benefit from illegally hiring illegal aliens...
Bitch, Bitch, Bitch, Bitch, Bitch. Seems there is NO reason to do anything on this issue since no matter what the GOP does the DNC mouthpieces pretending to be "Real Conservatives" are just going to manufacture new reason to bitch about it.
Please parse your sentence for me as I don't seem to grasp the difference between an SSN that doesn't match (I'm guessing with a name in another DB) and one that is bogus.
It remains a starting point. If one employer has several "invalid SSN's" something smells, doesn't it?
Source to back up this claim other then some pressure groups PR sheet or website?
On Monday Bush will call for the NG to close the border...but only as a first step to giving long-range amnesty to the millions of law breakers already here....IMHO
Because it's against the law to reveal that information. IRS and SS are forbidden to give that information to ANYBODY.
[The American people must let the GOP -- including the President -- know that we're not impressed with their dog-and-pony shows. We want action.]
As a conservative voter, I can not for for politician's and representives who do not represent moral values. Both of America's no longer share conservative moral values and should be replaced for the good of the children.
High value targets:
On May 1st (the day of the illegal alien protests), Purdue, Tyson, and Cargill Meat Packing all shut down the majority of their plants, with Cargill giving its 15,000 "employees" the day off.
ummm....You mean it ain't fraud? I'm just guesing here, but I suspect that both the IRS and SSA both have investigative and enforcement arms that are tasked with exactly that purpose in mind...else we would all be using bogus numbers and skip merrily away from any prosecution.
There could be many reasons for invalid W-2s, but the main reason is most likely fraudulent SSNs. In fact, this is one of the arguments used by the pro-illegal groups: that illegals are paying into the system but will never see any return.
Of course, they fail to mention that illegals claim 99 dependents, and therefore have -0- income tax withheld, but they are correct that SS payments cannot be retrieved. Yet, there is a plausible expectation that if amnesty was granted, there'd be a huge class-action suit filed to have some guestimated amount granted to them.
As to the total number of fraudulent docs floating around, well thats in the billions & trillions. It's actually a pretty big business, one that is controlled by some Mexican crime families.
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