In Herndon, Only Feet Away but Worlds Apart

The Washington Post, Metro Section ^ | December 9, 2005 | N.C. Aizenman and Timothy Dwyer

[wvobiwan]

The slate-gray light of a wintry morning hung over the 7-Eleven parking lot just after sunrise yesterday when a murmur rippled through the crowd of men gathered there: "Look, they are coming."

Heads turned in unison to a dozen people moving toward them on Elden Street in Herndon. Although the men's clothing -- work boots and bluejeans -- revealed them as day laborers, the new group wore warm winter coats and snug-fitting gloves and carried cameras with long lenses, a camcorder, a couple of walkie-talkies and a clipboard list of license plate numbers collected on previous visits.

[wvobiwan]

The WaPo and NBC were along for our last photo shoot on Thursday, this is the article that they wrote about it. There are misquotes everywhere, and 'style-edits' galore, and we're defintely, as George Taplin says, 'the ogres'. Us vicious, omelet eating, uncaring, real-job-having rich folks are making sure these poor, miserable, dollar in the pocket 'day laborers' (the Post subsititued 'day laborers' everywhere we said illegal aliens, 'style guide' edits!) starve. I'll buy them an omelet, but they have to eat it in Mexico...

[gondramB]

""The day is ruined. They're going to scare off the employers," Alex Aleman, a 32-year-old Honduran in a black ski cap, told his friends in Spanish. "When they come, we don't eat.""

So basically everybody agrees that going after employers works.

[advance_copy]

Hererra dug his hand into a pocket of his blue sweat jacket, clenching his fist around a key chain with a picture of his 3-year-old daughter. She keeps asking why he doesn't come home to tuck her in at night, and he hopes that someday he'll be able to send her enough money to make her understand.

Bravo to you for standing up against the illegal migrant labor system that is destroying our border, costing us tax dollars, and taking fathers away from their kids. How much money does a dad send to his daughter "to make her understand" why he left?

[DumpsterDiver]

poor, miserable, dollar in the pocket 'day laborers'

Poor babies. I added "sob story alert" to the Keywords list.

[wvobiwan]

It works GREAT. Yesterday only one truck stopped to pick anyone up, and we got great pictures of them. When we first started it was like a summertime car wash line, around the block.

[opticks]

I think this is great stuff, but do the MM think the IRS is going to do anything about it?

Living in CA, I always felt sorry for the pickers and construction laborers because I knew the contractors and growers were responsible for creating the demand in the first place. As far as I'm concerned it's one step above slavery. Of course, the businesses would whine and ask, "do you want to pay three times what you pay now for legit workers?" Frustrating.

[King Prout]

between illegals and islamicists, Herndon just ain't what it used to be when you and I were kids.

by the way - this is one of those threads in which to exercise caution concerning family history etc...

[wvobiwan]

The IRS will do something about it if this happens all over the country, if it gains backing in every state. Most employers will not take the chance...

[superfluousdude]

This is interesting. I stopped in Herndon for lunch before I flew out of DWI in September and was amazed at how many illegals there were. Of all places I ate at Chipotle on Elder and I felt like I was in East Los (East LA for those outside of SoCal). True story, I saw a guy walking down the street with a Mexican Flag t-shirt.

[SoftballMominVA]

Wanna scare them even worse? Go to www.whitehousegear.com and buy a Homeland Security shirt. THEN show up. They will not come back after that kind of scare.

[mugs99]

The IRS will do something about it if this happens all over the country

ROFL!
The IRS issues taxpayer ID numbers to illegals. The IRS does not turn them in to immigration...they want the money.
.

[Roverman2K]

Exactly, so do the Social security scum, they know no one will claim the money. This is the root cause of the lack of enforcement, government gets to keep all of it along with unemployment money and anything else.

[mugs99]

It's always about the money!
.

[Alice au Wonderland]

Many places and faces have changed...and not always for the better.

Re: the other, understood.

[fella]

When I was a kid in Falls Church, Herndon was a hick town way out route 7 somewhere where we went horseback riding and they distilled Fairfax County and Virginia Gentleman bourbon.

[Capriole]

Aw, my heart bleeds for those poor immigrants who are just trying to support their kids. But it bleeds a lot harder for all the American construction workers who have been put out of a job by the Hondurans! What are the AMERICAN dads supposed to do to support their children? Why do the needs of foreign workers take precedence over those of Americans?

[gondramB]

"It works GREAT. Yesterday only one truck stopped to pick anyone up, and we got great pictures of them. When we first started it was like a summertime car wash line, around the block."

Did you see one town where they are trying to force Home depot to build a shelter for the day labors?

[wouldntbprudent]

I'd write the ombudsman about that substitution of "day laborers" for your words, "illegal immigrants." I would dog the hell out of them on that one.