Some workers grabbed (off the pot) by INS are released; some are deported

The Casper (Wyoming) Star Tribune | Feb 18, 2002 | unknown

[holyscroller]

PROVO, Utah (AP) - Some of the 120 workers taken by Immigration and Naturalization Service officers from the Champion Safe manufacturing company in Provo have been sent to their home countries, others have been released and some still are being held.

The company's business has been brought to a halt.

About 90 officers from the INS and Provo, Orem and Utah County law enforcement agencies, raided the business Wednesday, taking 120 workers unable to prove they were U.S. citizens or legal residents.

Champion attorney Jose Silva said the INS released about 15 workers later Wednesday after they were able to prove they were legal residents.

INS officials let several go home Wednesday night if their children were home alone, said Steve Branch, Salt Lake City INS officer in charge.

''Just because we released them doesn't mean they are released from the administrative charges, however,'' he said.

On Thursday, the INS put 47 Mexican nationals who agreed to leave voluntarily on a plane to El Paso, Texas, and they were taken across the Mexican border.

Those still in custody are being held for suspected immigration violations.

Champion Safe has about 160 employees. The seizure of the bulk of its work force brought production to a halt and it is not known when the company will recover with new hires, Champion's attorneys said.

Silva said he is gathering information regarding how legal residents were treated during Wednesday's raid.

''We're going to research the violations that occurred,'' he said. ''I think we have civil rights violations and we may be considering filing suit.''

''I'm glad I wasn't there in jeans or they would have cuffed me, too,'' Silva said. ''I guess you look illegal if you're not wearing a suit.''

Branch said the officers allowed workers to get their legal documents from their cars, or have friends bring papers from home, before it was decided whether to handcuff or release them.

He said officers treated the workers with respect.

''I was there. The people were treated courteously and professionally,'' he said, adding officers allowed bathroom breaks and got people water.

''We treated them with respect and dignity and we took care of them,'' Branch said. ''It was a very professional operation and everyone was treated humanely.''

However, Champion owner Ray Crosby said, ''We had Hispanic employees thrown up against buses, and pulled off the toilet before they could finish their business.

''I am outraged that a government of the people would allow this kind of behavior by government officials,'' he said.

Crosby said he collects documents on all his employees but has no good way of verifying them.

He said he first heard from the INS in mid-January when two employees were arrested, one on an immigration violation. A week later, the agency asked him for the documents of several employees. He said he cooperated, and INS officials told him they would notify him of any wrongdoing and he would have a week to fix the problem. He said he told his employees about the INS investigation.

But, he said, ''we did not hear back from the INS until 9:30 (Wednesday) morning.''

About 150 people, mostly Latino, met at the state Capitol Thursday night to help deal with problems for families now without their breadwinners.

''You aren't going to get phone numbers, you are going to receive services,'' the group was told by James Yapias, chairman of the newly created Hispanic Action Crisis Response Committee.

Representatives of the Utah Divisions of Workforce Services and Child and Family Services offered their assistance, as did those from some non-governmental organizations.

[holyscroller]

Oh what a tragedy, the pity of it all. This poor company is now faced with the extreme hardship of having to hire American workers. How cruel can INS get?

[holyscroller]

Quick! Get those wives (and kids) out fast before Mom pops out another anchor baby. Why should the state or any agency be providing anything for the families? What they should be doing is buying them plane tickets, PRONTO!

[sailor4321]

I don't know how to evaluate the owner's statement that he checks his employees' papers but doesn't have a good way to verify them. If this is not true, I certainly hope he goes to jail....

[joesnuffy]

''I am outraged that a government of the people would allow this kind of behavior by government officials,'' he said.

Should apply to AMERICAN CITIZENS ONLY

[GhostofWCooper]

Aw, they made em show their papers... The horror!

These companies don't want to pay fair wages. They hire the PDB's willing to work for dirt. They also provide campaign funds for the anti-American citizens-of-the-world we call politicians. CEOs of major corporations also fund their campaigns, because they know the wages will be dragged down across the board.

(Poor Dumb Bast--ds) in case you were wondering...

[lady lawyer]

I do employment law. Employers have to accept certain documents. The illegals get phony ones. If the employer started putting some applicants, such as Hispanics, through extra procedures to verify that they are legal, the employer would be facing a Title VII discrimination action, so fast it would make their heads spin.

[bigfootbob]

Ditto! Except he'll probably move his business to Seattle.

Did you hear about the in-state tution break the legislators are proposing for illegals? If you're illegal and graduate from a Washington high school or lived here for several years and have a GED, then you'll qualify! The price breaks are huge, from $5,000. to $10,000. annually depending on the school. This has Republican support.

This is my last year here. We're done.

[madfly]

UNITED STATES CODE (U.S. Federal Law) - TITLE 8 - ALIENS AND NATIONALITY
CHAPTER 12 - IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY - SUBCHAPTER II - IMMIGRATION
Part VIII - General Penalty Provisions
Sec. 1325. Improper entry by alien:
(a) Improper time or place; avoidance of examination or inspection; misrepresentation and concealment of facts:
Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.
(b) Improper time or place; civil penalties:
Any alien who is apprehended while entering (or attempting to enter) the United States at a time or place other than as designated by immigration officers shall be subject to a civil penalty of -
(1) at least $50 and not more than $250 for each such entry (or attempted entry); or
(2) twice the amount specified in paragraph (1) in the case of an alien who has been previously subject to a civil penalty under this subsection. Civil penalties under this subsection are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any criminal or other civil penalties that may be imposed.
(c) Marriage fraud:
Any individual who knowingly enters into a marriage for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or fined not more than $250,000, or both.
(d) Immigration-related entrepreneurship fraud:
Any individual who knowingly establishes a commercial enterprise for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, fined in accordance with title 18, or both.

Proposed Addition:
(e) Immigration-related birth:
Any individual who gives birth while evading any provision of the immigration laws shall forfeit all rights to U.S. citizenship by said individual for not more than 15 years; and any resulting child(ren) shall forfeit all rights to U.S. citizenship for not more than 15 years.

[robertpaulsen]

What about the competitors of Champion Safe? How can they compete for business on a tilted playing field against someone who employs cheap illegal labor.

How many employees were laid off because their company couldn't compete? How many companies went out of business because they couldn't compete.

This goes beyond 140 or 160 employees of Champion Safe.

[Conservative Kay]

You make a good piont. The same with Tyson chicken. I have quit buying Tyson products.

[FITZ]

INS released about 15 workers later Wednesday after they were able to prove they were legal residents.

It's not very hard for someone especially the INS to tell if someone is from Mexico or from the US. Accent, and answers to a few questions reveals someone's status pretty quickly.

[dennisw]

On cue the "community leaders" get up on their hind legs and start to squawk

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Brian Allen]

An officially-sanctioned and officially aided, abetted, encouraged and enabled effectively-slave-labor force of around 10-35 million people keeping America's wages at turd world levels and we wonder why so many Americans need their manufactured goods to be made by chinese earning $300.00 per year?

How few of US, I wonder, can any longer afford American-Made?

[sonofron]

We need to have more of these kinda of efforts to even begin to reverse 20 years of bad immigration policy. Unfortunately, republicans don't want any real action.

[babaloo999]

I'm sure that some exist, but I don't believe that there are any companies of this size, or larger, that don't do the same thing as Champion.

Speaking spanish is getting to be a requirement these days, and I am sorely negligent in that area and need to catch up.
Especially being in Texas.

[Joe Hadenuf]

If you're illegal and graduate from a Washington high school or lived here for several years and have a GED, then you'll qualify! The price breaks are huge, from $5,000. to $10,000. annually depending on the school. This has Republican support.

This is my last year here. We're done.

Leaving Washington? Where you headed if you don't mind?

[bigfootbob]

I've narrowed my search to Nevada or Arizona.

[Old Professer]

Provo is in Utah, right?

Not exactly a border state - doesn't it sound odd that they would have 3/4 of their employees that would draw such a response from the INS if the papers were thoroughly checked?

Surely there must be some local boys and girls there who would rather build safes than flip burgers.

This case sounds too much like the Tyson operation at this point.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Both Nevada and Arizona are nice places and pretty conservative. Hope they stay that way.

The Northwest is OK, but I can't deal with the rain and cold. I'm in Cal, and were in a very nice area, but it's an uphill fight all the way, with the leftist idiots, as I am sure you know.

Good luck to you.....