Thread: Forget the border...for a minute please?

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — About 100 people who came from Nepal to work at a north Alabama factory seemingly vanished from a pair of apartment buildings, along with a lot of furniture and appliances, and can't be located, officials said Tuesday.

Immigration agents are trying to determine what happened to the Nepalese workers, among hundreds brought to the United States to work at a DVD factory operated by Cinram Inc., said Lauren Bethune, a spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Homeland Security.

"We do not in any way consider it a security threat, but we do think it is important," she said.

A Huntsville television station, WAAY-TV, first reported on the missing workers.

Cinram's human resources director, Peter Hassler, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment. But a spokesman for a company that recruited the workers for Cinram said a contact in Nepal believes many of them have returned home.

"Most of the people he was talking to said they came to America, did what they wanted to do and went back home," said Doug Wilson, president of Ambassador Personnel in Thomasville, Ga. "These are people with pretty strong family ties."

Mary and Tim Snopl told the TV station they rented apartments in two buildings last fall to about 240 workers from Nepal. But Mary Snopl said scores of the workers are now missing, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of furniture, televisions and kitchenware.

"I don't know if they're living in Huntsville or somewhere else, I just know they aren't living with us and they aren't working at Cinram," she said.

Wilson said his company was seeking a list of items believed to be missing.

Reports last fall said Cinram had hired about 1,350 foreign workers to package DVDs at its plant in Huntsville. Cinram — which describes itself as the world's largest maker of pre-recorded multimedia products — said it turned to foreign workers because the area job market couldn't fill its needs.

Bethune said about 100 immigrants were believed to be missing. Agents are trying to determine exactly what type of visas they used to enter the United States.

"It's possible that they had work visas, they expired, and they went home," she said.

The workers can earn $8 an hour working 12-hour shifts packing DVDs in boxes. Besides Nepal, Cinram has used foreign workers from Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Ukraine.

50% crossing back and forth from Mexico, that are the lowest of the low on the food chain, that pay no taxes or contribute to the US, can't even support the airlines - These are the first illegal immigrants I want to stop. They are the worst criminals, thugs and drug dealers.

I'm sorry but I'm not believing the visa overstay stuff , Sure there are some but when I talk to Chris Simcox and I'm hearing stories of hundreds crossing that border on any given night , and just in one area , I tend to wonder
just how many are getting in that way

I see stories everyday of van loads of them crossing and heading into this country

Its like a never ending flow

The dirt farmers who sneak into our country in DROVES are a FAR GREATER problem than those who overstay their visas.

Originally Posted by alipacdude

When will people fully realize that just under %50 of the illegals here came into the Unites States on an AIRPLANE with a temporary visa. The question then is why does the STATE DEPARTMENT continue to grant tourist visas, temp. work visas, student visas etc, when millions refuse to go home when said visa expires? (Answer, because the State Department takes in millions of dollars in fees with this stuff. State's only foorm of INCOME as a federal agency)

Not sure I agree that the State Dept. is motivated by the fees. They are not a commercial operation. Their people need to satisfy their bosses, not necessarily bring in money. The bosses might be happiest if many come and stay.

State gets no money from the budget? Lives off fees? Hard to believe.

Originally Posted by evangelinot

50% crossing back and forth from Mexico, that are the lowest of the low on the food chain, that pay no taxes or contribute to the US, can't even support the airlines - These are the first illegal immigrants I want to stop. They are the worst criminals, thugs and drug dealers.

And they are sending 25 billion dollars> annually to Mexico. The US is
a natural resource to Mexico!!!