Immigration raid spurs calls for action vs. owners

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

By DAVID PITT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — After the biggest immigration raid in U.S. history, hundreds of workers have been sentenced but not one company official as yet faces any charges — something critics say is typical of a federal government that is tough on employees but easy on owners.

Worker advocates and lawmakers say the fact that nearly 400 workers were arrested in the May 12 raid at the Agriprocessors Inc. plant in Postville — or more than one-third of the total number of employees — proves that company officials must have known they were hiring illegal immigrants.

"Until we enforce our immigration laws equally against both employers and employees who break the law, we will continue to have a problem with immigration," said U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, an Iowa Democrat whose district borders Postville.

Such raids are designed to get headlines and make it appear that the federal government is cracking down on illegal immigration, said Frank Sharry, executive director of the immigration reform group America's Voice. But he says even those who think enforcement is the answer can't seriously believe the 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. can be arrested and deported.


Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jO9WZoMijd4RZonKDKU4OabjtjkgD911E3I02

[BadGimp]

1. Anyone wanna bet teh owners were in on the raid?

EOM

[Igel]

7. Yes.

And earlier reports said they were cooperating in the investigation, which continued--causing the paper to suspect that they were investigating the plant.

Even the top guy was replaced, I read, which surely means something.


Thing is, the law was written to make it easy for employers to not be responsible. And if you change the law, you're making it easy to punish them when they might easily not have the knowledge to be responsible. Attempts to change the law fail. There's no way for an employer to know a person is an illegal worker.

The most recent two attempts flopped. One would take years and a lot of $ to set up a database; the database would be riddled with errors. The other takes the SSA database, which is riddled with errors. In either case, it would inconvenience workers, who would have to provide the information to remove errors--something a court headed by a former immigration-rights lawyer posted an injunction against. But without letting employers know who's working illegally, and being able to prove they know, there's no basis for an indictment. And there shouldn't be.

If there is an investigation against this company, it would have to come from illegal workers' testimony, or that of whistleblowers in the company.

[struggle4progress]

8. Uncle Sam will do your union-busting when you hire the undocumented! Since 05,

AgriProcessors had argued in court the undocumented have no organizing rights. And so the next salvo was -- the largest immigration raid in US history, directed at AgriProcessors' workers

[nerovitch]

2. Humans should stop eating meat. They will be healthier and live longer.

The fixation with meat eating is a terrible curse for the human species.

[Critters2]

3. Exactly! Thank you for saying so! The meat industry is corrupt

from top to bottom, and nothing will change--for the environment, workers, animals or communities--until Americans stop buying the USDA's propaganda that says we need meat!

Welcome to DU, btw! :hi:

You might want to join us in the Tofu Ghetto...here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=231

[garthranzz]

4. Anyone want to guess why they raided a KOSHER facility? Or why FEMA ?!!?

was involved? Or why state and local law enforcement were in on the "raid"? Apparently, it was something out of one of those doomsday movies.

See Mark Crispin Miller on the raid as a test run and staging ground (one of several) for a declaration of martial law.

[Critters2]

5. They raided Agriprocessors because everyone in the whole damn state

has known for years that they actively recruit and employ undocumented workers. It had become so blatant that it was hard to ignore. Being a kosher plant had nothing to do with it. Although many of us would have expected better from people claiming a religious motivation.

The only injustice here is that the employers have not been arrested.

[pleah]

6. It isn't about enforcing the law.

It is about terrorizing people. Just my humble opinion.