Posted on 06/26/2017 4:46:31 PM PDT by canalabamian
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The owner of one of Canton’s most popular waterfront restaurants, The Boathouse, says more than 30 immigrant workers left in fear after a Department of Homeland Security worker hand-delivered a letter demanding documentation of their immigration status.
That stunned the eatery’s customers.
“It seems like terrorizing people who are trying to work at the restaurant,” says customer Michelle Zhang. “It’s not only bad for for the business but it’s bad for the families.”
“If that many left… are they not following the policy?” asks Ryan Horan, another customer. “Are they not doing it the way they should be doing it?”
Owner Gene Singleton insists his business was in compliance with immigration law.
He posted a letter posted online Saturday, he wrote:
“Based on our Government’s current practices of targeting the Hispanic Community, properly documented and potentially less than properly documented are all fearful of being separated from their families, many with small children. Many went home to pack up and leave.”
Singleton declined to speak on camera, but one first generation Mexican-American customer, Roman, says he sees no problem with immigration officials checking the status of workers.
“We’ve just got to make sure that everybody is playing by the same rules,” he says.
WJZ has learned that The Boathouse was not the only business targeted.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement won’t confirm or deny any ongoing investigations in Baltimore, but the Trump administration has increasingly been cracking down.
Immigration officers are now forcing out undocumented immigrants without criminal records, fast-tracking almost 1 million nationwide for deportation.
“More phone calls from family members and friends of my clients saying I have to check in and my friend checked in and she just got arrested and she’s gone now,” says immigration attorney George Lobb.
Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook
I have one simple rule . . . If I enter a Chinese restaurant and they are playing Tejano music - I leave.
Cultural appropriation. Tsk!
They might want to review their hiring practices.
What the hell does “potentially less than properly documented”, mean?
You are either documented legally or you are not.
Dear cheap labor restaurant operator....Where’s the confusion?
Good news for other restaurants in the area that follow the law.
Meanwhile, Singleton and others, are no doubt pocketing profits by using illegals. Baltimore is a crooked, dirty city, without charm.
To their credit, the Illegals are doing the right thing. The party is over in the US, and it’s time to go home, before they are sent home.
Even though Trump hasn’t yet said it, he’s strongly implying that Illegals who leave on their own will do much better when trying to come back here LEGALLY than those who force us to use our resources to forcibly deport them. My guess is that most, maybe, all of these workers have very clean records in this country and could make a strong case to come back here as GUEST WORKERS, given that they have an employer who most likely would sponsor them. So smart move on their part...they know the party’s over and it’s time to get started playing by the rules.
How do they know the worker was really DHS? That's all it takes? Someone get a copy of that letter and start visiting restaurants!
Excellent.
If Trump really wants to start a voluntary exodus of illegals, have ICE go after the employers with fines and asset forfeitures. Real quick, nobody will want to hire illegals.
And I'm not a fan of asset forfeiture laws. I just think the fastest way of getting rid of the laws, is to vigorously enforce them against the people enabling illegals.
Maybe he will now hire 30 black people to work there now.
Investigate the owner! Check his books.....who is he paying and how much tax?
Perhaps the idiot owner should have done a better job of vetting. When the govt sends a letter saying a SS# doesn’t match the name of the employee that ought to tell them something
Send a few employers to the hoosegow and the rest will fall in line.
More of that would help
Self deportation, one might say...
A simple question..., but Dims want the votes and Repubs want the cheap labor..., SO no laws have teeth concerning employers of illegals!
All that runs through my mind is the ugly, bloody scenes in San Jose as anti-American south Americans attacked Trump supporters outside the Trump presidential rally and the police just sat and watched in glee. Kick every gd one of them out.
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