Libertarian ping! To be added or removed freepmail me or post a message here.
Posted on 08/26/2008 4:55:35 PM PDT by traviskicks
PHOENIX (Reuters) - U.S. immigration agents have arrested 595 people at a Mississippi factory in what was the largest workplace enforcement raid in the United States to date, an immigration official said on Tuesday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez said federal agents arrested the workers in a raid at the Howard Industries Inc. factory in Laurel, Miss, on Monday,
"This is the largest targeted workplace enforcement operation we have carried out in the United States to date," Gonzalez told Reuters by telephone.
The swoop at the plant, which makes electrical equipment including transformers, was part of an ongoing investigation into identity theft and fraudulent use of Social Security and for illegal immigrants.
The nationalities of the detainees was not immediately available.
Gonzalez said 475 detainees were transferred to an ICE detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, while nine unaccompanied minors -- eight males and one female -- were placed in the custody of the office of refugee resettlement.
A further 106 people were released based on "humanitarian concerns," Gonzalez said.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
possible ping
Ok...this is an easy one. Hooray!!!!!!!!!
JoMa
Darn, there goes my mystery contributor to my Social Security account.
Police state? You’ve got to be kidding. The illegal alien laws have been ignored for DECADES. And, now they are beginning to enforce them in the most modest way and you charge a simple law enforcmenet as the actions of a Police State? Are you the attorney for the illegal aliens? Or a coyote?
Howard Industries Inc. <-— These clowns are going to be out of business. Anyone want to buy a factory real cheap.
“Movement towards a police state certainly won’t fix the immigration problem.”
Don’t worry, it’s only a piecemeal action for Bush to pretend he cared about the law after his big embarassment.
Obama/McCain will let you keep your slaves.
Looks like their web site is even down. Gee, I wonder why?
Here is some contact information from www.ask.com:
Howard Industries, Inc. PO Box 1588 Laurel MS 39441
(601) 425-3151
JoMa
Unless there's a missing sarcasm tag here, I'd like to know what your stake is in promoting an illegal labor force.
Also, on the topic of disrupting communities, 500+ illegals is one hell of a large number for Laurel, Mississippi. Feel free to refute that, if you can.
Why do they go to these obscure factories, where these greedy red neck executive's hire low wage illegal labor?
Why don't they go into American cities where tens of millions of illegals are swarming unabated?
raiding productive American businesses, and disrupting communities and families. Movement towards a police state certainly won't fix the immigration problem.
Let me guess, you're pro open borders, pro lawlessness, and pro low wage illegal labor?
We not only need to go after the greedy traitorous employers and corporations, which is completely out of control, but we need to also force the Feds to to the job they have completely failed at.
Then strip all tax paid assistance, including medical aid to all illegals, nationwide.
We all keep babbling about this disaster, and eventually, you won't have a country left to be concerned with. This all calls for leadership. So America is probably in big trouble.
Take down some slave masters....stick em in prison.
It's back up now. If they had a "contact us" page with e-mail addresses and such, it's gone now.
Guess they weren't enjoying the tone of the correspondence they were receiving.
Trouble is, we need a mechanism to weed out the illegals, as they should NOT be here or working, either one. I know there are serious issues with that, from a liberty perspective, but until we can dismantle the welfare state, we need to seal the borders AND hit employers of illegals hard enough to discourage them from being the employers of illegals. Then maybe the illegals will self deport. It’s not an easy situation, but it MUST be addressed in some way to close our borders and remove those who cannot be bothered to come into our house by the front door and play by the rules. It’s not so much a police state issue as one of enforcing house rules for guests, IMO.
These raids are already convincing some illegals to convert their status to “legal” in Mexico. We are getting some outflow that is increasing. American businesses should not be hiring illegals and displacing American workers. That’s like “outsourcing” without leaving the country.
Damn! My nephew is in charge of ICE in Jena, La.! I guess he’s pretty busy right now.
http://www.howardcomputers.com/about
- - -
Company Overview:
In 1968, a young Billy W. Howard, Sr. left his successful career at General Electric to return to his native Mississippi and create his own company, Howard Industries. Over the next three decades and with the assistance of his wife, Linda, Howard Industries has grown to become a billion dollar company consisting of four separate divisions plus a wholly-owned subsidiary, Howard Transportation. While the Howards readily attribute their success to the hard work of their employees and their commitment to creating, supplying, and supporting superior products and services, you cannot overlook their inspiration — Billy W. Howard, Sr.
LOL @ “police state.”
The rest of us call it enforcement of the law.
why does a search not reveal this story using exact title?
Betcha a nickel these illegals were on welfare as well...and food stamps...and whatever else they could get their hands on.
So your “solution” is to allow whoever can manage to sneak over, crawl under, or swim across the border and break NUMEROUS laws, including committing several felonies by presenting false documents go free while people who want to play by th rules have to wait for years for and immigration visa?
“Tax dollars at work, raiding productive American businesses, and disrupting communities and families...”
To knowingly allow illegal aliens to live and work in a community, says what about the community and the knowlegeable law enforcement departments???
Sniff...hand me a tissue. I see 595 cases of identity theft and fraud to be prosecuted. Nice "productive" business you got there.
Taken to Jena? When is Sharpton going to be there for a protest against their treatment?
My guess is it takes a few minutes or longer for the search indexes to update. If you have “Latest Articles” a quick glance will show some but not necessarily all of the recents.
Website works fine now.
This is very good news!! That large of a number equates to a heck of a lot of American jobs. I’m sure the unemployed in the local community will be happy they are gone. Just think about all the gas that will be saved from them not driving around any more; all of the ‘free services’ that MS taxpayers won’t have to pay any longer. Fantastic job, ICE!
595 illegals is about 15 minutes of cross border illegal entrants.
In the time it took the ICE PR flacks to write the press release, more illegals entered the country than were apprehended in this raid.
Another reason this country needs a guest worker program. What a terrible waste of resources for everyone involved.
Barnes, Bruce
bbarns@HOWARD-IND.COM
Howard Industries, Inc
3225 Pendorf Road
Laurel, MS 39440
US
601.422.1463
There's already at least seven of them, and each one with a history of fraud and abuse, most notably the H-1bs that have been used to displace Americans from high-paying jobs for years. I can see the same thing happening with a new one that allows all the illegals to stay. Not only will wages shrink but middle class Americans will be shoved out left and right to make room for the more compliant labor.
Guest workers will never be as cheap as illegal workers. More guest workers is nothing more than an incentive to import more cheaper illegals.
So, not only is this company hiring illegals, they would seem to be in violation of child labor laws too.
The answer to me seems so simple: just enforce the law to keep the system legitimate but even the slightest enforcement and we get nothing but whining about breaking up families etc. And no matter who wins it's not going to get any better.
This being Laurel, MS, means that these illegals are displacing African American workers in one of the poorest states in America.
A big "thank you" to your nephew for his service to our country!!
sw
Libertarian ping! To be added or removed freepmail me or post a message here.
600 illegals in one place. Must have been a paperwork screw-up in HR.
Toss them and the employer in prison.
Good for ICE. But if the borders were secure the illegals wouldn’t have been here for them to hire.
SECURE THE BORDERS AND STOP THE INVASION!!!!
Updated story for MS Ping.
595 illegals instead of 350ish.
“...Why do they go to these obscure factories, where these greedy red neck executive’s hire low wage illegal labor?...”
Mr. Howard is Yankee who moved to Laurel in the late 60s. He started that company with a bond issue from the county and state. I once worked there.
Amnesty From Government
That's just a bunch of pro-illegals nonsense masquerading as a freedom from oppressive government rant.
Freepers are to be among the wiser, not the more gullible.
Wise up.
You seem to be suggesting there are no southerner sell out traitors that hire illegal aliens for profits, regardless of consequences. If not, why is it that the bottom half, in addition to the top half of this country is swarming with illegal aliens?
“...You seem to be suggesting there are no southerner sell out traitors that hire illegal aliens for profits, regardless of consequences. If not, why is it that the bottom half, in addition to the top half of this country is swarming with illegal aliens?...”
I resent the automatic characterization of Southerners as red necks. Not all are, though you seem think so.
We’ve got more than our fair share of illegals here in Michigan and they ain’t coming from Canada. The problem is “businessmen” who conduct business like crack dealers.
Actually I don’t. I have zip problems with southerners that don’t hire illegal aliens.
To be sure, so you understand, I only used the term red neck to describe some AH that would hire illegals. Again, I consider southerners to be good Americans, and I have no problem with any of my southern brothers that refuse to perpetuate this violent illegal invasion for profits, regardless of consequences.
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