Unemployed Bricklayers: Workers Are 'Illegal'

WYFF4 Local NBC ^ | 13 Feb 2009 | DEPcom

[DEPcom]

ANDERSON, S.C. -- Some people call it racial profiling without a reason, others say it's a suspicious circumstance.

For the second day in a row, on Thursday protesters gathered at an Anderson construction site, demonstrating against what they claim are illegal workers.

The general contractor said that its masonry subcontractor has made assurances that all its workers are in the U.S. legally.

The project is a new Anderson city fire station near Simpson Road and Highway 81.

[Tarpon]

Can we get the unions to check members citizenship ... ^_^

[Iron Munro]

Illegals own and control Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Florida too.

The two largest industries are tourism and agriculture and they both rely on the cheapest labor available and that is illegal aliens.

State legislators don't want to deal with the problem because they get huge financial support from those who employ illegals.

Taxpayers indirectly subsidize businesses who use illegals by paying for government provided housing, subsidized mortgages, ADC, welfare, food stamps, medical care, meals at school for their kids, free schooling, etc. As long as the illegals get government assistance they can afford to work for less.

Without taxpayer funded freebies employers would have to pay illegals more.

[Bob Buchholz]

Ok....I’m going to tell a story that won’t be popular.

We have just finished a fairly extensive remodeling project on our house. Our contractor started with an all-white english speaking crew to do the demo and reconstruction. After we went without a roof on our kitchen for over 3 months while the crew wouldn’t work if it rained, wouldn’t work on Friday even if it had rained on Mon, Tue, Wed & Thur but it was sunny and nice on Friday. Wouldn’t work on any weekend, showed up at 8:30 or 9:00 but were always gone (of couse it took about an hour to get their tools set up, and another hour to put them away) by 4:00. At least one was always on a cigarette break or taking off (on the clock, of course) to get something from the hardware store.

We finally got fed up and demanded that the contractor find a different crew. Of course, you know who showed up to replace them.

We asked the contractor to find another crew but he said that most of the crews he had used were worse than the one we had and this was the only still working crew in the area that he had used and was satisfied with. The non-english speaking crew showed up early, worked until the sun went down and did more work for less money in two weeks than the All-American crew had done in 3 months.

Maybe there is a reason that they find jobs here.

[org.whodat]

State legislators don't want to deal with the problem because they get huge financial support from those who employ illegals.

Those with deep pockets buy senators, like the border fence and Kay Baily Hutchinson.

[Cronos]

I don’t really know the details of this beyond what I saw on the news, but what the farm owner said on the news was that no one wanted the jobs as they were all working elsewhere at higher paying jobs (fruitpicking don’t pay much) and that without the migrants, farming would have died out in Spain.

[visualops]

Interesting. Up the street from me a family moved into a small but nice house, they added deck, fencing etc etc lots of people around, various trucks and vans, with the name like their business were some sort of contractors or builders. It seemed they were doing pretty well, invested money and effort in the house. they one day they were gone. When the housing bubble started tanking. And yes, they were “hispanic”. What you are saying makes perfect sense to use subcontractors.

[DEPcom]

Just got back with some info and pictures.

A company, I have been told. ‘That hires illegal aliens’ won the contract to build the fire station in Anderson, SC. This company is paying its workers less than $10 an hour.

Currently there are some people researching the business for a licenses and other require documents. So far the search as turn up nothing, like the company the does not exist.

According to Mr. Denhardt, The Anderson Police department shows up to inform the protesters they can protest without a $25 permit. Chad the owner of Summerall Masonry Inc who started the protest asked the officer to investigate the illegal alien works. The officer responded they cannot investigate because of Profiling.

According to article on the www.independentmail.com, ‘Anderson City Manager John Moore said city police officers are not trained or authorized to enforce federal and state employment laws. The city relies on the contractor to uphold those employment laws.’

My question for the city manager, could the police pulled over the vehicle with no tags full of illegal aliens leaving the job site?

Why did the workers leave the site if they are legal?

Quotes from site:

Eddy Cowins – in the trade for 37 years:
People in South Carolina want to work, families are hungry, they can not find work, illegas are taking the jobs.

Badley from Spartanburg, South Carolina, owns Construction Company
Vets returning from Iraq can not find work in the construction industry.

How do you upload photos?

[AuntB]

“Our government allows in about 1 million LEGAL immigrants a year. “

____________

Actually it’s over 2 million allowed legally. Last year over a million became citizens, most from Mexico.

By the numbers

More than 1 million people became citizens in 2008, with 780,000 taking the oath of allegiance in the first 10 months, according to preliminary figures from the Department of Homeland Security.

In 2007, 660,477 people were granted U.S. citizenship.

Leading countries of birth of new citizens were:

Mexico (122,258), India (46,871), Philippines (38,830), China (33,134) and Vietnam (27,921)

Largest number of people naturalizing lived in:

California (181,684), New York (73,676) and Florida (54,563).

SOURCE: Office of Immigration Statistics, Department of Homeland Security
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/WestVolusia/wvlHEAD03WEST012209.htm

http://uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/DayinLife_050629.pdf (click here to see orignial document)

Some of the DAILY work of USIS according to their own document:

* Conduct 135,000 national security background checks

* process 30,000 applications for immigrant benefits

* Issue 7,000 permanent resident cards (green cards -PER DAY)

* Welcome 2100 new citizens.

* Welcome 3500 new permanent residents.

[Darwin Fish]

Ever shake hands with a bricklayer? Don’t. Those guys, and roofers, can bend 12-penny nails in their hands. Tough, hard working bunch.

[dixie sass]

They might, GOD forbid, offend the unions.

[HiJinx]

Ping!

[Kimberly GG]

I don't think that sub-contracting or third-party hiring is any excuse. Federal Law States:


"An employer has constructive knowledge that an employee is an illegal unauthorized worker if a reasonable person would infer it from the facts.10 Constructive knowledge constituting a violation of federal law has been found where (1) the I-9 employment eligibility form has not been properly completed, including supporting documentation, (2) the employer has learned from other individuals, media reports, or any source of information available to the employer, that the alien is unauthorized to work, or (3) the employer acts with reckless disregard for the legal consequences of permitting a third party to provide or introduce an illegal alien into the employer’s work force.11 Knowledge cannot be inferred solely on the basis of an individual’s accent or foreign appearance. Actual specific knowledge is not required. For example, a newspaper article stating that ballrooms depend on an illegal alien workforce of dance hostesses was held by the courts to be a reasonable ground for suspicion that unlawful conduct had occurred.12

10. 8 CFR 274a.1(l).
11. 8 CFR 274a.1(l)(1).
12. Seven Star Inc. v. U.S., 933 F. 2d 791 (9th Cir., 1991).

[EagleMamaMT]

The goal of the republican party for years has been to depress wages and scream about minimum wage, while at the same time moan about like of buyer in the market. FOOLS!!!!!

*****
That is the Gospel truth! The GOP despises American working men and women, but they love the American consumer, and the GOP’s not even smart enough to figure out that the American workers ARE the the American consumer. Last I looked, you have to have a decent-paying job in order to “consume”. Maybe if the GOP loses a few more seats in Congress they’ll wise up. I’m not holding my breath, though.