LAT: What Was Behind the Big Raid

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON — When Peter Smith, a senior immigration enforcement agent in upstate New York, led the raid on a cavernous IFCO Systems wood products plant just outside of Albany this week, he was taken aback by what he saw.

"There was a lot of drilling, cutting, dismantling of old pallets, pneumatic nail guns, power saws. Most of these guys were working in jeans, tennis shoes, short-sleeve shirts; some had sawdust in their hair," he said. "No legal facility would let workers work in those conditions."

Wednesday's raid at the plant in Guilderland was one of about 40 at IFCO facilities in 26 states. The operation offered a look into the shadowy world of businesses that the government says do more than turn a blind eye to hiring illegal immigrants: They make such workers part of the basic business plan.

In IFCO's case, the government says, managers systematically recruited illegal immigrants — helping them procure false identification, assisting with transportation beyond the border, even coaching them on how to avoid trouble with the police. Then, the workers allegedly were given jobs in substandard conditions.
....
Last year, IFCO Systems North America generated revenue of $576 million, according to the company, which is part of a Dutch conglomerate.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-immig22apr22,0,1052363.story?track=tottext

[marbuc]

1. What was behind the big raid?

Politics, politics, politics. Bushco wants people to think they're doing something about immigration.

[snappyturtle]

5. Sadly, I agree.

Even if the gov't does a few more raids it will turn into nothing just as their feeble attempts to go after employers of illegals in 1986 did. It's politics.

[snappyturtle]

2. Simply amazing......

Dutch! Maybe that's why after Katrina the Dutch were anxious to "help" us better understand levy construction.....they had the manpower situation all wrapped up. Somedays, I just get these evil notions....sorry.

[ananda]

3. re Dutch..

There's something about the -Dutch- factor in business that really disturbs me.

I always think of slavery in that connection... along with other bad things.

Sue

[MADem]

7. Hell, they own a shitload of American supermarkets

If you shop at GIANT, Stop and Shop, Tops or any store offering PEAPOD service, you are shopping at a Royal Ahold (called by some of the employees Royal A-hole...) outlet, HQ'd in the Netherlands...

[acmavm]

4. There must be a big mistake. Illegal immigrants don't have an impact

on American workers. Hell, I know that's the truth. I've read it right here on DU a thousand times.

<snip>
In announcing the arrests Thursday, Glenn T. Suddaby, U.S. attorney for the district, said that "being able to hire that cheap labor" gave a company a competitive advantage. Whereas workers in similar plants make $9 to $14 an hour, according to industry reports, IFCO employees in Houston were reportedly making about $6.50 an hour. And immigration authorities said a former IFCO bookkeeper had told them "Mexican workers" were underpaid for overtime.
<snip>

[Rose Siding]

8. It's the employers' illegal practices that have the greater impact

1001 :hi:

[MADem]

6. Jesus, what predatory bastards!!! Great article, thank you for posting it

...According to court documents, a former employee told immigration officials that IFCO commonly hired workers without Social Security cards, that IFCO seemed to do so nationwide, and that an assistant general manager had told the employee to minimize tax withholding from the workers' paychecks because they would not be filing taxes.

Once investigators planted an informant inside the New York facility, Sciocchetti said, they learned that Belvin and other managers seemed to spend time on helping employees work around their illegal status and on moving illegal workers from plant to plant.

The informant had helped authorities with a previous case, against smugglers of immigrants in Texas, according to court documents, which said he had no criminal record or charges pending and was paid for his informant work by officials.

Under the surveillance of immigration officials, the informant applied for a job with Belvin on April 6, 2005, saying he had no papers but would buy them over the weekend in New York. Agents reportedly recorded Belvin telling the informant he could start working and asked him to bring in papers the following Monday...

THERE's yer friken "immigration problem!" It's not the workers looking to feed their families in a hostile environment that are the issue, it's bums like these who enthusiastically and deliberately encourage desperate people to skirt the law.

[mrcheerful]

9. Come on, this is business as usual. Sure make head lines then go back to

the way things were before the bust. The governments been doing this right along, a big stash of drugs are found 100's are arrested, fined and jailed, then nothing nada, business goes back to normal. They been playing this game with the illegals for decades, bust a business here, close a sweat shop there then when all the smoke clears its right back to open up another one, often next door to the one that got busted. Dopes.