Posted on 06/16/2006 8:28:41 AM PDT by txdoda
SHAMOKIN - More than a dozen suspected illegal immigrants were discovered Wednesday but not detained at a strip mall construction site, authorities said.
None of the 18 Spanish-speaking laborers could be detained because the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency did not have agents available to go to the scene, and other law enforcement agencies did not have jurisdiction, District Attorney Anthony J. Rosini said.
The raid was conducted after Rep. Robert E. Belfanti Jr., D-Mount Carmel, received a tip of possible child labor law violations at the site in Coal Twp., Rosini said.
About two dozen workers laying blocks jumped from scaffolding and ran into the woods when officers arrived at the site along Route 61 south of Shamokin, Rosini said. Ten of the 18 who were caught did not have identification papers, he said. They included two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old.
Rosini said the workers told investigators they were not paid overtime and taxes were not deducted from their pay. Their employer, an Ohio firm that was a subcontractor, was ordered off the site, he said.
Bill Riley, an ICE official in Philadelphia, said local and state authorities are not permitted to detain suspected illegal immigrants, but the information gathered could be used in an investigation of their employer.
State Labor and Industry officials are investigating child labor, minimum wage or overtime law violations at the site, spokesman Barry Ciccocioppo said.
Feds too busy & local's have no jurisdiction.....
Ever hear these excuses for CRIMINAL CITIZEN'S ???
More than a dozen suspected illegal immigrants were discovered Wednesday but not detained at a strip mall construction site, authorities said.
None of the 18 Spanish-speaking laborers could be detained because the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency did not have agents available to go to the scene
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Thanks,
18 Americans delinquent on their taxes
18 Americans selling booze or cigarettes on the street corner
18 American teenagers drinking beer
18 Americans hosting a cock fight
18 Americans selling rifles to other Americans
This has to be total BS. A federal crime has been committed and locals have to step back and not do anything? Total BS from ICE.
OUTRAGEOUS!!!!!!!!! This took place in PA, where I live. Illegals are all over here.
This looks like a typical case of law enforcement pointing to another jurisdiction to be responsible just to avoid having to do the action and paperwork. It's a bonehead and unprofessional response and these officers should be held accountable. Letting criminals go is itself...criminal. Dissapointing, to say the least.
Sorry...bookmarking your link.
Says who?
Is this State law?
Is this a municipal ordinance?
Is this departmental policy?
Is this Federal law?
Where is this? Who says so, and under what authority?
I have your answer....PCness
Simply more *selective* enforcement going on....
Mexicans must be laughing their butts off.
Along with "running off to the woods" when you see the cops coming.
I guess, "evading" only applies to citizens, also.
IIRC we do have laws that permit our locals to detain illegals.
Maybe ICE officials don't know this......Too bad Riley didn't 'quote' this law he refers to.
This is just another scam that the feds run on the states. In actuallity the constitution specifically grants the rights to states, and excludes the feds, to determine who are citizens and legal residents of their respective states and to deport violators. This was put in the constitution by the founding fathers. Of course most governors and all the feds act as if this isn't true. States have the ultimate responsibiity for illegals and should start acting on it, fed law be damned. Nothing the feds can do except scream, once it gets to the supreme court they will uphold states actions.
The only good thing about the story, was the illegal workers immediately "snitched" on their illegal employers.
Maybe this 'cheap labor' will prove to be very expensive for this criminal employer.
ping
NO.....& I have asked everyone, from my local cop all the way up to the POTUS....(& many in this forum)
"Where is the list of laws that citizens can KNOWINGLY break DAILY, without fear of prosecution."
(not ONE answer, yet)
Actually, it's common here in central PA where I live. State Police working the I-80 beat find illegals all the time, and INS (which I hear is officed in Philadelphia) never sends anyone up. It makes the news when there are 25-30, but they are always released on instructions from the INS. They're passing through rural PA on their way to Reading, New Jersey, NYC, etc. INS never takes anyone into custody out here.
That's one of the federal governments problems - they've never adjusted their work methods to the idea that there are illegals throughout the country now, not just in the border cities.
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