Pushed? We can't be seen as heartless. We must provide free air transportion.
Posted on 12/13/2006 11:32:02 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - More than 1,200 people were arrested in meatpacking plants in six states during raids that federal officials said amounted to the largest-ever workplace crackdown on illegal immigration.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Wednesday the investigation uncovered a "disturbing front" in the war against illegal immigration, in which illegal immigrants are using the identities of U.S. citizens to obtain jobs.
"Violations of our immigration laws and privacy rights often go hand in hand," he said. "Enforcement actions like this one protect the privacy rights of innocent Americans while striking a blow against illegal immigration."
The raids at Swift & Co. plants across the country resulted in 1,282 arrests, including 1,217 on immigration charges and 65 on criminal charges such as identity theft. Chertoff said the investigation is continuing into several groups that may have sold identity documents to illegal immigrants.
The arrested workers were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Peru, Laos, Sudan, Ethiopia and other countries.
During a raid Tuesday at the Swift plant in Greeley, Colo., a frustrated Tony Garcia watched as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swarmed inside to arrest illegal immigrants. "We need help, we need answers," he said, questioning who would take care of the children whose parents were arrested.
The raids followed a 10-month investigation into illegal immigrants suspected of buying or stealing other people's identities to secure U.S. jobs. The scheme may have had hundreds victims, officials said.
Immigration officials last month informed Swift that it would remove unauthorized workers on Dec. 4, but Swift asked a federal judge to prevent agents from conducting the raid, arguing it would cause "substantial and irreparable injury" to its business.
The company estimated a raid would remove up to 40 percent of its 13,000 workers. Greeley-based Swift describes itself as the world's second-largest meat processor with sales of about $9 billion.
After a closed hearing, a judge on Thursday rejected Swift's request, clearing the way for Tuesday's raids at the plants in Greeley; Grand Island; Cactus, Texas; Hyrum, Utah; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Worthington, Minn.
The six plants represent all of Swift's domestic beef processing capacity and 77 percent of its pork processing capacity.
Advocates of stricter immigration control praised the raids and pointed out that they targeted people suspected of committing other crimes in addition to being in the U.S. illegally.
"I'm glad that ICE is enforcing our immigration laws in light of the illegal immigration crisis we face across the country," Sen. Wayne Allard (news, bio, voting record), R-Colo., said in a statement.
Others called the raids heavy-handed and criticized the effect on families.
"They are taking mothers and fathers, and we're really concerned about the children," said the Rev. Clarence Sandoval of St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church in Logan, Utah. "I'm getting calls from mothers saying they don't know where their husband was taken."
United Food and Commercial International Workers union spokeswoman Jill Cashen told the Post workers taken from the Worthington, Minn., plant were bused to South Dakota.
She said Tuesday that attorneys for the union would ask federal judges in all six states for injunctions to halt the raids.
Mexico's Foreign Relations Department also pledged to ensure that any Mexicans caught up in the raids have "their human rights fully respected, and are given all the necessary assistance, orientation and consular protection."
No charges were filed against Swift.
In a written statement, President and CEO Sam Rovit said the company has never knowingly hired illegal workers and does not condone the practice.
Swift uses a government pilot program to confirm whether Social Security numbers are valid. Company officials have raised questions about the program's ability to detect when two people are using the same number.
Immigration agents have also staged immigration raids at poultry plants in the South. In July 2005, nearly 120 people were arrested at an Arkadelphia, Ark., facility. Three months ago, agents raided a poultry plant in Stillmore, Ga., arresting a similar number who worked there or lived in surrounding counties and busing them to immigration courts in Atlanta, 189 miles away.
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Associated Press Writer Kim Nguyen contributed to this story.
We consumers can punish Swift, I plan to.
I say, FUCK their children.
The children canard could be used pertaining to any criminal - from Bank Robber to Rapist, "oh, what about my children. you can't arrest me I have kids". Well sorry Jose, TOO effing BAD!!!
And what about US Citizen's children whose parent's SS & ID was stolen and they get thrown out onto the street due to these maggots committing crimes, claiming benefits, or screwing up the credit under the REAL person's name. Huh, amigo, what about THOSE children!!!
My BP is now through the freaking roof. I'm at the point of ... getting banned. :-)
The same reason why we will never be able to deport 12 million. A little thing called the Constitution containing all those odd rights clauses.
Can Swift, et al. expect taxpayer funded benefits to get their "cheap labor" out of jail in time for their next shift?
We all hate government interference as much as businessmen; but I swan, when it comes to social services for "cheap labor" and their families no amount of government interference is too much.
They can get their due process right at the border before being pushed across.
[snip]
In a written statement, President and CEO Sam Rovit said the company has never knowingly hired illegal workers and does not condone the practice.
For never knowingly hiring illegals, the company seems to have a remarkably detailed idea of how many there are ...
That's what ICE says at its website. But you and I both know that ICE isn't going to hold these people forever and keep building more and more detention facilities with more and more beds. It's a no-brainer that they're going to have to be released sometime.
Illegals believe they have a right to come here and violate our laws. And practically everyone in DC from George Bush to Nancy Pelosi agrees with that. I've said it many times, NR -- meaningful and effective enforcement of border security and immigration law is never going to come from government.
We no longer do "catch and release" with "other than Mexicans".
So really, there was virtually no change, 99.9% of illegals are released with a court date that they never show up for.
A lot of them are indeed contract workers, and the owners of the contract labor companies are illegals. This is big business in Colorado. I know for a fact that a large Denver grocery chain uses illegals supplied through contract labor companies to do stocking and janitorial.
ICE flew a few small plane loads of the Greeley illegals back to Mexico last night, and they are probably already back across the border. The rest probably requested a deportation hearing, so they will be released pending a hearing and simply disappear to reappear with new stolen identification.
This is all smoke and mirrors by the Bush administration to push for a comprehensive immigration bill.
If they were seriously going to do something about the identity theft, please tell me why this was handled by ICE and not by the justice department? Wink, wink.
Try to keep clam. While this is series, it's not hugh.
I have a friend who supports ICE and he'd been telling me to keep my eyes on the news for this for months. They actually expected it to go down in Oct/Nov.
Anyway, I sarcastically asked how many of them would actually be deported and he said most of them.
So fingers crossed...
I have a friend who supports ICE and he'd been telling me to keep my eyes on the news for this for months. They actually expected it to go down in Oct/Nov.
Anyway, I sarcastically asked how many of them would actually be deported and he said most of them.
So fingers crossed...
The usual procedure for apprehendees is to book and fingerprint them, run a wants/warrants, then transport them to their home countries if they aren't wanted for anything. That's assuming they "volunteer" for repatriation. If they fight it in court and lose, they'll be arrested and imprisoned (as opposed to just getting kicked out again) for criminal entry if they're ever caught in the US again. That's why most Mexicans choose to "volunteer": they know they can just keep trying over and over without risking prison.
"btw, I thought we no longer did catch and release... at least at the border anyway.. I could be wrong on that.."
LOL, that's what they want you to think....problem is, when Chertoff made that grand claim, "Our goal is to return every single illegal entrant, no exceptions", and then claiming to have finally ended doing it, he was referring to OTHER THAN MEXICANS...ONLY!
This is just another show and tell. Most will be out with slips for court dates. Besides, if the company was able to 'estimate' 40% of it's 13,000 workforce might be taken (though they deny hiring illegals), I'd say they missed more than a few.
In a written statement, President and CEO Sam Rovit said the company has never knowingly hired illegal workers and does not condone the practice.
If they "never knowingly hired illegal workers" how did they come to the conclusion that "a raid would remove up to 40 percent" of their 13,000 workers?
Pushed? We can't be seen as heartless. We must provide free air transportion.
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