Posted on 10/02/2007 9:21:30 PM PDT by neverdem
SAN FRANCISCO A federal judge in San Francisco has delayed by 10 days a decision as to whether the federal government has the right to target employers of illegal immigrants.
After hearing arguments in the case Monday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said he needed more time to make a decision on a case that has national implications.
At issue is whether the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration have the right to force businesses to terminate employees whose Social Security numbers don't match up with those on record.
Last month, the AFL-CIO stopped the proposed crackdown when it successfully filed for a temporary restraining order on the basis that not only are there bureaucratic problems that could lead to the unlawful firing of legal workers but that it could also usher in an atmosphere of discrimination among legitimate immigrant workers simply looking for jobs.
"This is just the latest move to use the Social Security system to start enforcing illegal immigration, and it's causing a lot of high anxiety among employers and employees," said Doug Keegan, program manager for the Watsonville-based Santa Cruz County Immigration Project. "Our No. 1 fear is that people are going to start to overreact. It's already happening"
Already, a few farmworkers, he said, have lost their jobs in Davenport by growers worried the field hands might be on the Social Security Administration's "No Match" list hundreds of thousands of letters that are expected to be mailed out across the country if the temporary restraining order is lifted. Keenan said he did not know the names of the growers, and that he heard of the layoffs in a meeting he had with farmworkers.
Immigration hardliners, however, say that targeting businesses is the right answer one that is long overdue. And if businesses are getting worried and getting rid of their illegal labor pool, then the effort already is serving its purpose.
"What, people think that people should be allowed to submit false information and get away with it? That's absurd," said Mark Krikorian, executive director for the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C. think tank. "It's self-evident that the Social Security Administration needs to demand that employers fix mistakes in Social Security numbers. Almost 90 percent of Americans already think it's being done. Go and tell somebody that this is a controversy in the courts, and they'll say, 'How can that be?'"
It is no secret that many undocumented workers buy fake Social Security numbers on the black market and that employers often accept them as genuine.
Regardless, "No Match" letters could have serious consequences in Santa Cruz County, where an estimated 20,000 undocumented workers toil in agriculture, construction and the hospitality industry, said Keegan.
He pointed to a recent raid carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a McDonald's in Reno as a bad example of how the federal government should be dealing with the problem of illegal immigration.
"Raids completely destabilize the work place," Keegan said.
What's worse is that there's nobody there to replace the workers who have been arrested and deported, said Benjamin Johnson, executive director for the Immigration Policy Center, another Washington, D.C. think tank.
"All of this is a Band-Aid solution to the problem," he said. "It doesn't work. We're trying to cobble together a solution one piece at a time instead of attacking the entire issue at hand. And there's no strategy to replace those workers who get caught up in these raids. For those who think the workers should be native born, I ask this: What's the strategy for replacing the illegal immigrants with native born or with legal workers? We're assuming that the jobs will get better and they'll be filled by legal workers, but we're not doing anything to fill them right now. This is the charade of the enforcement policy"
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Contact Tom Ragan at tragan@santacruzsentinel.com.
Whatta Buncha Nixons, all saying: I AM NOT AN AMNESTY CROOK
http://www.thearticlesofimpeachment.com/?p=9
One of the “quoted” experts asks what the “strategy” is for replacing illegal workers who are apprehended. SIMPLE: Hire people who are legally in the country. If that means you have to pay more in wages, well I guess my Big Mac will cost a few cents more.
Los Angeles spends a BILLION dollars a year on just some of the costs associated with illegal aliens. (That figure includes health care and prisons. It does not include education, etc.)
That is one county in one state (albeit with a huge underground economy staffed by illegal and exploited workers).
Americans can’t afford to pay low end jobs at a higher level? That’s the best argument pro-amnesty forces can muster? Sheesh.
That's a no brainer, they are breaking the law.
But, this is a SF judge...
Aren't these the same people who run around crying about low wages and the need for higher min. wages? Typical liberal idiocy.
Good point. The fact that the illegal immigrants are breaking the law does not seem to register.
This is definitely something to watch...either way, someones going to be pissed off!
If I decided to use my buddies SS# tommrow,...guess what!?...I would be in trouble!
But apparently the rules only apply to Americans!?
He’s Stephen Breyers brother....I’m not hoping for much in this. I’m assuming this will all depend on the Supreme Court and even there we’re not guaranteeded.
We’ll see....I suppose. Soon.
Thanks for the link.
i would recommend going to mexico with some cash sneaking back over getting a zvisa (once the bills pass) then getting a temp id and all that jazz but then “stealing” your SS. You’ll enjoy your assets and old home all tax free and without any law enforcement problems. /sarc (for now..sigh)
I don't want to hear their petty excuses about not know they were hiring illegals. They damn well know that they are. Now they are complaining about their workers being taken into custody. These employers want amnesty so they can keep their low cost labor. IMHO they should all be thrown in jail. Both the illegals and the employers.
Some say we can't deport all of them. Well, stop their paychecks and see what happens. The illegals came here for one reason. MONEY. When the flow of money ends they will go home.
Some say they won't leave our country peacefully. If the invaders want a fight I imagine they can get one.
I for one don't patronize businesses that hire illegals. Won't hire one myself. Don't want to be their neighbor. Don't want to be their friend. We don't need them here. We, as a country, were doing fine before 10 to 20 million came here and will do just fine if all of the leave.
This weeks' sign that the APOCALYPSE IS UPON US:
A liberal activist judge legislating from the bench has decided that enforcing existing immigration laws is not a good idea because in his learned and scholarly impartial legal opinion....
Bump
Bump
Without any further legal analysis: that’ll go to the Supreme Court.
It can NOT be true that the States/principalities submit bills for expenses incurred for illegal aliens to the FedGov, and then turn around and suggest that the FedGov’s efforts to combat illegal immigration is unconstitutional.
I’m voting on overthrown. I offer 3-5 odds (any takers)?
Absolutely!
Great catch!!! That's besides the Homeland Security implications that need serious consideration and all the crime they seem to commit. That's just a start.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.