Illegal Immigrants Say They Remodeled Basement for Congressman Known as Immigration Critic

Associated Press ^ | September 19, 2002 | Jon Sarche

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

DENVER (AP) - A congressman who has been demanding tighter immigration controls is defending himself against allegations that illegal immigrants remodeled his basement. Two employees of a contracting company say they and other illegal immigrants from Latin America helped install a home entertainment center and a bedroom in the Littleton home of Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., The Denver Post reported Thursday.

Last month, after the Post wrote about a young illegal immigrant's struggle to pay for college, Tancredo reported the teen and his family to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

On Thursday, Tancredo said that when the remodeling was done last fall, he never asked about the workers' immigration status.

Even if the workers were in the country illegally, "what is my responsibility at this point in time?" Tancredo said in a telephone interview from Washington. "I go to dinner at restaurants and probably have come into contact with people who are here illegally. I do not ask, of course. It is actually illegal and you can be sued."

The contractor, Creative Drywall Designs, and subcontractor Denver Audio Design said all their employees are in the country legally.

The newspaper said it would not identify the workers because they could get in trouble with INS.

Tancredo said enemies he made in lambasting the INS and in seeking strict enforcement of immigration laws are trying to discredit him.

"The fact is that I am a controversial figure," he said. "I have rankled the feathers of people who are immigration support groups and illegal immigrants themselves, so I am not surprised that somebody might make this accusation to embarrass me."

Tancredo called the INS after reading about honor student Jesus Apodaca and his family, illegal immigrants from Mexico who live in Denver. The congressman said INS officials told him they did not have the resources to try to take the family into custody.

Tancredo has pushed for use of troops to guard the borders.

"It is the government's responsibility to enforce our immigration laws, and if the INS were doing its job, no illegal immigrant would be available to violate our labor laws," Tancredo said in the Post.

[usadave]

He can't be all "let's kick out illegals" but think its okay if they put together his stereo equipment.

Wow, teenager talk! How absolutely cute!

[Miss Marple]

The next time you hire a contractor while running a political campaign in which you intend to make illegals an option, you get assurances from the contractors IN WRITING.

I am not saying that this doesn't happen to a lot of people, nor am I saying it is his primary responsibility.

What I AM saying is that Tancredo was foolish not to get something in writing, in order to negate the criticism if and when illegals showed up.

[San Jacinto]

Wow! What a hit piece! This newspaper is really desperate to get rid of this Congressman.

[San Jacinto]

What I AM saying is that Tancredo was foolish not to get something in writing, in order to negate the criticism if and when illegals showed up.

And the newspaper will report, "Trancredo has expensive steak dinner and his table is bused by illegal alien. Witnesses report that the restuarant, one of the Republican congressman's favorites, employs dishwashers who cannot speak English."

They are just out to get him. He can't ask everyone he does business with to produce green cards or birth certificates for all of it's workers.

[Miss Marple]

Well, you do have a point. However, I still think he was foolish not to get something in writing on this. I made sure, because I have a brother who is a union democrat, and I didn't want to hear about it for the next 5 Thanksgivings!

I just think if I could do it, Tancredo was a little careless in not doing so. You are probably right about the waiters, but that is a different situation in which he could justifiably claim ignorance.

I am not arguing the merits of the case one way or the other. I am merely seaking about smart politics.

[FreeLibertarian]

Another hypocrite is outed.

[watcher1]

Invade and conquer Mexico. Mold its governing institutions into something more congenial over the next generation or two.

Why not?
They are invading us and trying to mold our institutions.
Lets show them how it's really done.

[Go Gordon]

Hey, Mr. Also Clueless, if he is so upset about illegals and was intending to make an issue of it in the election, then he should have gotten the assurances IN WRITING. Then there would be no issue.

Sorry MM, you obviously have no understanding of construction and the way the industry works. I'm in the business. Let's just say you're talking theoretical politics, not reality in the construction business. Oh yeah, its also not his legal responsibility, and in fact he can be sued if he checked out the workers.

[watcher1]

You won't get to heaven by helping illegal immigrants.
But you think you will, don't you?
Please answer.

[hchutch]

I took the position I have taken because I felt that it is the best balance between security and the ideals that this nation was founded on. And I'm not going to change that position because of any attacks from anyone on this forum.

Heaven has nothing to do with it. Right now, I'm spiling for a fight, and I'm going to indulge in some Schadenfreude over the pickle Tancredo's gotten himself into. So, if you really want to start something over this, be my guest.

[hchutch]

After what he tried to do to that honor student - and the ham-handed way he went about it, he ran the risk of having a skeleton in his closet dragged out by the media if there was one.

In this case, Tancredo got burned. And the in-your-face way he went about it probably made it that much easier for the folks who don't like his stand on this issue to spring it on him. Well, he's got himself in a mess, and he's gonna have to get himself out of it.

Not my fault.

[Black Agnes]

Yes, actually, it is a violation of rights to ask, he could be sued. More to the point, as Marine Inspector pointed out, EVERY American has come in contact with a business that employs illegals. Do you eat produce? Eat at a restaurant? Eat chicken or processed meat? Live in a house built or worked on in the past 5 years or so? You too would be just as guilty as Tancredo. There are essentially NO contractors in many areas of the country that do *not* hire illegals. They 'have to' to stay in business. ONce one contractor does and lowers his prices, the rest have to follow suit or go out of business. And, since the customers are prevented by LAW from asking these important questions, there is nothing that can currently be done about it short of DEPORTING all the illegals!

[Polybius]

But it is 'fair' for the congressman to try and spend the least amount of money by going with a company that hirers illegals and thus spends less on their labor costs. Sounds like the congressman just doesn't like the looks of illegals, but when they are behind the scenes, like doing the dishes at a restaurant, then they are okay.

Wow! Let me get this straight.

Are you trying to say, lelio, that, when you go to eat at a restaurant, you go back to the kitchen and confirm the immigration status of every restaurant worker in the place?

When you go shopping at Safeway, you ask the store manager to give you an affidavit that all his employees have legal immigration status?

You do the same when you hire a bonded contractor to do a construction project for you?

I'm impressed.

[Miss Marple]

He can be sued if he asks the contractor to state in writing that all employees are legal? The GOVERNMENT does this, so I don't see why it is a poblem. I did it in my state.

I didn't check the individual workers. I merely made sure that the contractors would guarantee not to use illegal labor (and that includes child labor as well).

[Black Agnes]

bump to this! Had he requested the information, he'd have been labeled as a racist arsehole who didn't want 'Mexican looking' people in his house!

[Consort]

I was really trying to ascertain what your remark meant and I guess your last answer told me. "Go along to get along."

You jumped to the wrong conclusion. I'll put it another way: if anyone acting on his/her principles and beliefs and conscience gets it wrong, then a lot of other people are negatively affected. This ain't the age of mavericks, unfortunately.

[gubamyster]

Tancredo actually made this story part of the Congressional Record before the newspapers printed it:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/753674/posts

[Black Agnes]

The roofing company you hired had only 'white' people working. You live in Indiana, gee, what a surprise. In some parts of the country it is *impossible* to have any contracting work done with 'white' people. Don't believe me? Try it in south TX, or CO, or North East NJ for example. Now, tell you what, on seeing the obviously 'Mexican looking' person on the work gang, why don't you politely inquire as to their status. You will be either given forged documents, or you'll have the La Raza equivalent of Jesse Jackson's mob of discontented picketers in your front yard next day. Guaranteed. Do you inquire as to the status of the people that work on your car when you take it in to the shop? Or the people that mop the floor at your local elementary school?

[Black Agnes]

His contractor IS guaranteeing it didn't use illegals.

[Miss Marple]

I hired one of the few contractors who used local people. Most have Hispanics, and quite a few were cited for hiring illegals. Despite your sarcasm, the problems here are probably what they were in the Southwest 5 years ago.

As far as the landscapers, most of whom hire Hispanics, I simply asked that the company who did work for me guarantee that they comply with local and federal employment laws before I signed the contract. This is fairly easy to do, and Tancredo should have done so.

It isn't necessary to interview every worker and harass them. You simply tell the contractor that you expect him to abide by the law.

People in my state often do this to avoid liability. I do not understand why people think it is illegal or impossible to do.

Tancredo should have been more careful. Whether one agrees with his stand or not, he made a political mistake. Period.