lily
06-01-2008, 11:03 PM
Punish the workers and let the employers and owners off scott free.....that'll teach them a lesson!
Immigration raids tend to spare employers
No company officials face charges after the biggest raid in U.S. history
updated 1:20 p.m. ET, Sun., June. 1, 2008
DES MOINES, Iowa - 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.
"Even if you wanted to pursue an imbalanced enforcement-first strategy, the
only thoughtful way to do it would be to go after employers, make examples
of them and try to scare other employers into compliance," he said. "They're
not doing that."
Company conducting investigation
The owner of the Postville plant, Aaron Rubashkin, has said that the company
is conducting its own investigation "into the circumstances which led to the
recent work site enforcement action, and is fully cooperating with the
government." He said the company could not respond to specific allegations
due to pending legal issues.
Court documents filed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent prior
to the raid at the Postville plant indicate that authorities believed
company supervisors were violating a number of federal laws including
harboring illegal immigrants. An application and affidavit for search
warrant alleged that:
a.. Based on 2007 fourth-quarter payroll reports, about 78 percent of
Agriprocessors' 968 workers were using false or fraudulent Social Security
numbers in connection with their employment.
b.. Agriprocessors was notified by the Social Security Administration in
five separate letters of 500 Social Security number discrepancies for each
tax year from 2000 to 2005.
c.. A Department of Transportation investigation found that an
Agriprocessors supervisor was forcing workers to buy cars from him and
allegedly registered the cars under falsified identities. An investigator
found at least 200 cars were bought in this manner.
d.. The Iowa Department of Labor uncovered workplace safety problems
including 39 citations since last October. Fines of around $182,000 were
reduced on Tuesday to $42,750 after the company agreed to correct some of
the violations, which included improper storage and handling of hazardous
chemicals and inadequate training in the use of respirators and handling of
blood-borne pathogens.
e.. Allegations of child labor law violations are under investigation by
the state. The investigation was initially halted by the ICE raid, but have
resumed, said Iowa Workforce Development spokeswoman Kerry Koonce. If
confirmed, the violations could be prosecuted as misdemeanors under state
law.
f.. Occupational Safety and Health Administration logs show records of
incidents that led to five amputations, dozens of reports of broken bones,
eye injuries and hearing loss at the plant between 2001 and 2006.
Immigration officials said the 389 arrests at the plant meant it was the
largest single-site immigration raid in U.S. history. Of those arrested, 297
pleaded guilty and were sentenced. The guilty pleas included use of false
identification documents to obtain employment, false use of a Social
Security number or cards and unlawful re-entry into the United States.
About 60 of the workers taken into custody were released for humanitarian
reasons and do not face criminal charges, while 20 others were detained on
immigration violations only and face deportation proceedings, said Bob Teig,
spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in the Iowa's northern district.
Five other defendants did not enter pleas and have cases pending in U.S.
District Court in Cedar Rapids.
Immigration raids tend to spare employers
No company officials face charges after the biggest raid in U.S. history
updated 1:20 p.m. ET, Sun., June. 1, 2008
DES MOINES, Iowa - 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.
"Even if you wanted to pursue an imbalanced enforcement-first strategy, the
only thoughtful way to do it would be to go after employers, make examples
of them and try to scare other employers into compliance," he said. "They're
not doing that."
Company conducting investigation
The owner of the Postville plant, Aaron Rubashkin, has said that the company
is conducting its own investigation "into the circumstances which led to the
recent work site enforcement action, and is fully cooperating with the
government." He said the company could not respond to specific allegations
due to pending legal issues.
Court documents filed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent prior
to the raid at the Postville plant indicate that authorities believed
company supervisors were violating a number of federal laws including
harboring illegal immigrants. An application and affidavit for search
warrant alleged that:
a.. Based on 2007 fourth-quarter payroll reports, about 78 percent of
Agriprocessors' 968 workers were using false or fraudulent Social Security
numbers in connection with their employment.
b.. Agriprocessors was notified by the Social Security Administration in
five separate letters of 500 Social Security number discrepancies for each
tax year from 2000 to 2005.
c.. A Department of Transportation investigation found that an
Agriprocessors supervisor was forcing workers to buy cars from him and
allegedly registered the cars under falsified identities. An investigator
found at least 200 cars were bought in this manner.
d.. The Iowa Department of Labor uncovered workplace safety problems
including 39 citations since last October. Fines of around $182,000 were
reduced on Tuesday to $42,750 after the company agreed to correct some of
the violations, which included improper storage and handling of hazardous
chemicals and inadequate training in the use of respirators and handling of
blood-borne pathogens.
e.. Allegations of child labor law violations are under investigation by
the state. The investigation was initially halted by the ICE raid, but have
resumed, said Iowa Workforce Development spokeswoman Kerry Koonce. If
confirmed, the violations could be prosecuted as misdemeanors under state
law.
f.. Occupational Safety and Health Administration logs show records of
incidents that led to five amputations, dozens of reports of broken bones,
eye injuries and hearing loss at the plant between 2001 and 2006.
Immigration officials said the 389 arrests at the plant meant it was the
largest single-site immigration raid in U.S. history. Of those arrested, 297
pleaded guilty and were sentenced. The guilty pleas included use of false
identification documents to obtain employment, false use of a Social
Security number or cards and unlawful re-entry into the United States.
About 60 of the workers taken into custody were released for humanitarian
reasons and do not face criminal charges, while 20 others were detained on
immigration violations only and face deportation proceedings, said Bob Teig,
spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in the Iowa's northern district.
Five other defendants did not enter pleas and have cases pending in U.S.
District Court in Cedar Rapids.