Illegals Hired For $10, State Says Pay Them $40

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | July 21, 2007 | WND

[buccaneer81]

Illegals hired for $10, state says pay them $40 New York Department of Labor cracks down on village official employing aliens for cash Posted: July 21, 2007

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Mayor George Darden Spring Valley, N.Y., Mayor George Darden won't be facing state civil or criminal charges for hiring illegal aliens to work on an urban revitalization project in his village, but Department of Labor officials informed him yesterday that the $10 an hour he paid 10 men doesn't comply with the state's prevailing wage law and taxpayers will have to pay the illegals the difference of about $30 an hour.

Darden has been under fire this week since the White Plains Journal News reported a village employee from the Department of Public Works Tuesday using a village truck to pick up two day laborers from a popular roadside hiring site and driving them back to Main Street to clean out a building slated for demolition. The village employee said he was "following orders" when he transported the illegal aliens.

Darden now claims to have not known the laborers were illegal and says he was the victim of one of the workers, who, he said, provided what appeared to be legal documentation that would allow him to work in the U.S. and said he had family members interested in working on the project. Darden said the man apparently "picked up a number of other individuals."

The mayor said he had told the workers he would be sending them IRS Form 1099s so they could declare the wages for tax purposes.

That story does not fit all the facts or match what the mayor said earlier in the week.

The man he dealt with, Felix Sandoval, is in the U.S. illegally from Guatemala. He identified Darden as the person who had approached him at the hiring site Sunday and asked him to bring nine other men to the job site the following two days. Sandoval had a business card from Darden in his possession.

When asked on Tuesday why illegal laborers were on the job site, an urban renewal project that has received federal and state funds, Darden replied, "They're working."

"We have 37 different nationalities" in the village, he told the Journal News, "and during the summer, we try to employ everybody."

"I believe that if you keep people busy ... they become better and productive people," he added. "I'm the mayor of all the people in Spring Valley, not Jamaicans and Haitians and Jews ... all the people of Spring Valley, and they're included, and as long as they are here, we're going to try to make sure they're productive."

While Darden said he knew of the laws concerning hiring illegal aliens, the federal government had failed to do anything to stem the flow of their immigration.

"I am hiring people who are citizens of Spring Valley and as long as they are here, we need to find something to do rather than to try and find ways to arrest them," he said. "I'm a family person, and I'm sure they have families here, too. Everybody needs to do things to support their families."

Darden acknowledged paying the men in cash. At a Tuesday news conference, he did not say whether taxes were withheld on their wages.

Now, thanks to New York's prevailing wage law, Sandoval and his fellow illegal aliens will be paid $40 an hour – including taxes – for their work.

Darden won't face prosecution for violating the state's wage law, said Chris Perham of the Department of Labor.

"This is a first offense and in such cases we explained the laws," Perham said. "After that first chance, we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

The U.S. Attorney's Office has referred the matter to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Hiring illegal aliens violates federal law.

"We don't discuss investigative matters," ICE spokesman Marc Raimondi said. "We do take the hiring of illegal aliens serious and take an aggressive approach against workers, employers and businesses."

"I made a mistake – one of the head, not the heart," Darden said yesterday. "I gave them my business card. I wouldn't have done that if I knew they were illegal."

[mamelukesabre]

Maybe they were doing asbestos removal, or something like that.

[dragnet2]

Illegals in the LA area routinely make $15 or $20 per hour, many needed to be made supervisors due to the employers hiring nothing but Spanish speaking illegals, and they needed someone that could communicate in Spanish and broken English to the company owners.

Many illegals are now making more income than citizens.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

I always thought the purpose of gevernment was to regulate. One could do what they want unless the goverment outlawed or taxed it. Now it seems the purpose of goverment is to promote corruption and economic anarchy.

Let's revolt. Tear down this government. That way we can have the anarchy but not pay for it.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

How do I join a union

Find a trade business agent and offer him a kickback.

[muffaletaman]

My son just started at UPS as a morning loader for $10/hr - 5 days/wk - 4 hrs / day. He’s glad to have the job - will let him schedule daytime classes with no problem.

[buccaneer81]

I always thought the purpose of gevernment was to regulate

Only the thoughts and actions of citizens.

[muffaletaman]

Casual day-labor isn’t a benefits-type job. $40/hr total is WAY out of line.

[dragnet2]

Illegals in the LA area routinely make $15 or $20 per hour, many needed to be made supervisors due to the employers hiring nothing but Spanish speaking illegals, and they needed someone that could communicate in Spanish and broken English to the company owners.

Many illegals are now making more income than citizens.

[longtermmemmory]

“Prevailing Wage” is what Obama was pushing. Essentially it is just code for “you must pay what the Unions are being paid”.

“Prevailing Wage” laws are for protectionism for unions.

If these were US Citizens who were willing to work for $10, nobody would be jumping to protect them.

[hosepipe]

Socialism is indeed Slavery by Government..
The elite in New York State are especially good at it..

[longtermmemmory]

its about protecting Union Goon negotiated rates.

[FrogMom]

Illegals in the LA area routinely make $15 or $20 per hour

Don't forget that's tax-free, too. That makes it the equivalent of you or I (who presumably PAY taxes) making 30-40 bucks an hour.

[dragnet2]

Don't forget that's tax-free, too. That makes it the equivalent of you or I (who presumably PAY taxes) making 30-40 bucks an hour

You bet. I've been to all kinds of business where the supervisors are all illegal aliens, those that could hobble by in English. This is all about the company owners having a need to have supervisors in place that can speak to their illegal alien work force. These people drive new vehicles, have cell phones, purchase homes and are routinely compensated at $15 or $20 per hour. Sometimes much more depending on the business size.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Demand a border fence! Build it NOW!! Beef up the border patrol and close our borders!

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Take a look at their hidden agenda: http://www.mexica-movement.org

[eyedigress]

According to McCain “you” wouldn’t do it for 50 bucks an hour...