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81 illegal immigrants rounded up at Poconos sweatshop
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.d ... /706220316
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.d ... /706220320
http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.d ... /-1/news16
Note the element of irony here: This company got $9 million in government assistance to create jobs for local people, then hired scores of illegal immigrants.
$9 million in government assistance? Outrageous! But I'm sure the same scene is being replayed where the Open Borders Lobby can avail itself of taxpayers money.
However, I would rather see such enterprises fined, instead of executives imprisoned. If goverments keep paying more and more for imprisonment it will burden the taxpayers further. Right now I'm tying to find out how much the hardest hit (infiltrated) counties in the US are paying for the investigation, trial and incarceration of illegals caught in other crimes. Has it reached a billion dollars in LA yet? More?. A recent bust of four drug dealers in an Oregon county will probably cost those taxpayers at least a million when incarceration is figured in. The investigation consumed months of time, too.
Welcome to Alipac irishone!!!!!!!
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WELCOME TO ALIPAC IRISHONE, really glad you have joined us, hope you are going to stay around to fight to put our country back to rights.
Great article and it is time to expose this kind of operation, it is unbelieveable what is happening in our country!!
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Quite amazing. One sort of expects something like this to be happening (after all, many illegals are employed somewhere), but the sheer audacity of that "temp agency" operation is amazing. And the manager of the plant it probably lying -- temp agency or not, it's a common practice to verify the papers of people you hire.
Reader reaction at source source link .
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http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.d ... /706220316
'They work those people like dogs'
Andrew Scott and SUSAN KOOMAR
Pocono Record Writer and Senior Managing Editor
June 22, 2007
EAST STROUDSBURG — Officials at Iridium Industries knew temporary workers there were illegal aliens and employed them in sweatshop conditions, according to former employees including Dorothy Crespo of Stroud Township.
Crespo was fired from the plastics company Wednesday — one day after federal agents arrested 81 illegal aliens at the plant. Iridium blames the situation on a temporary staffing agency, which neither Iridium nor federal investigators have named.
"They worked (the immigrants) seven 12-hour days a week, paid them no overtime and gave them only one day a month off," said Crespo. "I believe Iridium knew they were illegals and knew they wouldn't complain (out of fear of being deported)."
American citizens at the plant work three 12-hour days a week.
Crespo's story was corroborated by two other former employees and one current employee who contacted the Pocono Record.
"They work those people like dogs," said a plastics mechanic employed at Iridium for more than two years.
Crespo said she knew "one girl who got up at 3 a.m. and drove from Scranton to work 12 hours every day.
"They all worked hard. They sent money back home to their families," she said.
The immigrants came from Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and Ecuador.
Iridium, owned by Eli and Jack Sassouni of New York, got more than $9 million in taxpayer-funded incentives — grants and low-interest loans — since 1999.
Ex-workers describe the production floor as having no air conditioning and inadequate bathroom facilities for the number of employees.
The company had 130 full-time workers before the raid; its number of temporary workers is not known.
The immigrants operated machines that make plastic squeeze tubes, imprinting designs on tubes, and packing them to be sent off and filled with lotions, said Crespo. Iridium's customers include L'Oreal and Victoria's Secret.
Iridium officials did not return calls for comment Thursday. The company issued a statement Wednesday saying federal investigators are targeting the temp agency.
The sting began with complaints to Monroe County CareerLink.
"We had a few remarks from past (Iridium) employees who said something fishy was going on," said John Casella, CareerLink director.
Casella contacted state Rep. Mario Scavello, R-176, about two weeks ago.
"The federal government acted pretty quickly," Scavello said.
Tuesday was Crespo's day off, so she missed the raid that began as night shift ended around 6 a.m. A friend later told her what happened.
The next day, Crespo was fired after working nearly three months as a packer. The termination came less than a week before her heart surgery, scheduled for Monday at Pocono Medical Center.
"They told me it was because I wasn't meeting their employee performance standards, but how can that be when they have no such standards?" asked Crespo, who is 54.
Crespo said the company never voiced any complaints about her job performance. But she missed four days of work — two consecutive days in May for an emergency medical visit and two more consecutive days in early June when her uncle died. Managers complained about her absences.
"I believe they fired me because they know I have upper-respiratory issues, since I told them that right at the start," she said. "Everything was fine up until I actually got sick and found out I needed heart surgery. I told them well in advance that the surgery is going to be June 25 and the doctors couldn't reschedule, but they told me they would fire me if I took any more days off for any medical appointments."
Another ex-Iridium employee described how illegal aliens came to work even when they were seriously ill.
He called Iridium "a very, very awful place to work."
Crespo agrees. "In my opinion, Iridium is not a good company to work for because of how they treat their employees," she said.
"My experience and the experiences I saw others have were negative."
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COMPANY STATEMENT
To Whom it May Concern,
(Tuesday), as part of an ongoing investigation in this area, Federal Agents visited our plant. Special Agent Jason Rundell's first words to me were, "You are not the target here. You are the victim."
Rundell said that the raid was aimed at one particular temporary employment agency which was operating in the area.
We have business relationships with various temporary employment agencies in the area.
As stipulated in our agreements, it is the responsibility of those agencies to authenticate the identity and legal working status of all of the individuals which they provide.
At this point, we do not know the status of any of the workers detained.
Until yesterday, we had no reason to question their legal status.
As Agent Rundell left yesterday, he thanked me and our administrative staff for our cooperation.
Thank you.
Wayne Migliaccio
Plant Manager
Iridium Industries, Inc.
Related Pocono Record Stories
Feds remain tight-lipped on Iridium illegal immigrant probe
Illegal workers fallout: Mystery temp agency identified
Scavello calls for investigation into Iridium grants, loans
Poconos temp agencies say they scrutinize IDs
Reactions to the Iridium raid
Money well spent? $9 million in incentives went to Iridium
Immigrant advocates: Blame employers
Iridium blames temp agency for illegal workers; employee disagrees
Are temp agencies a link in putting illegal immigrants to work?
Iridium says it's not their fault
Did illegals work for temp agency?
81 alleged illegal workers nabbed at East Stroudsburg plastics plant
Reader comments at source link.
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http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.d ... /706220320
Feds remain tight-lipped on Iridium illegal immigrant probe
Michael Sadowski
Pocono Record Writer
June 22, 2007
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials continue to be tight-lipped concerning the investigation of 81 illegal immigrant workers arrested Tuesday.
The immigrants — who officials confirmed did not have proper documentation to work in the United States — were taken from work at Iridium Industries (Artube) in East Stroudsburg on Tuesday and housed in temporary detention centers.
Officials nabbed 81 workers, 75 of whom were from Indonesia. There were also two each from Mexico, Ecuador and Malaysia, according to Ernestine Fobbs, public affairs officer for ICE in Washington, D.C.
Now the question has become, "Who is at fault?"
Fobbs continued to deflect questions Thursday, stating only that the investigation is ongoing and she could not comment on it.
Iridium officials publicly pleaded innocent, saying the investigation centers only on an unnamed temporary employment agency that supplied the company with workers.
The name of the temp agency (or agencies) has not been identified by ICE or by Iridium.
Company officials, who communicated only through a Wednesday e-mail to comment on the operation, said they were told at the outset of the operation that the investigation had nothing to do with the East Stroudsburg tube maker.
Fobbs did not disclose what temporary agency is at the heart of the investigation. She also couldn't say whether Artube Iridium is at fault.
"Even if they did receive their employees from a temp service, did they knowingly hire the illegal workers?" Fobbs said. "The key word is knowingly. That's something that will come out in court and in the investigation."
Just because workers may have been supplied by a temp service, Fobbs said that may not exonerate the company of all wrong-doing.
"We all take the responsibility of who works for us," Fobbs said. "You can't just turn a blind eye and say, 'I didn't know.' If they never knew, however, they may be exonerated completely. But that is something for the court to decide."
Iridium continues to do business thanks in part to Stroudsburg's ERG Employment Agency, which placed 25 legal workers at the plant following the raid. "We saw a business opportunity and an opportunity for the community," said Alan Scholder, ERG district manager.
Scholder said the firm has about 500 workers looking for jobs.
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COMPANY STATEMENT
To Whom it May Concern,
(Tuesday), as part of an ongoing investigation in this area, Federal Agents visited our plant. Special Agent Jason Rundell's first words to me were, "You are not the target here. You are the victim."
Rundell said that the raid was aimed at one particular temporary employment agency which was operating in the area.
We have business relationships with various temporary employment agencies in the area.
As stipulated in our agreements, it is the responsibility of those agencies to authenticate the identity and legal working status of all of the individuals which they provide.
At this point, we do not know the status of any of the workers detained.
Until yesterday, we had no reason to question their legal status.
As Agent Rundell left yesterday, he thanked me and our administrative staff for our cooperation.
Thank you.
Wayne Migliaccio
Plant Manager
Iridium Industries, Inc.
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WORKSITE ENFORCEMENT
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arrests have risen dramatically among illegal immigrant workers in the country since fiscal year 2002 (all years are fiscal years):
2007 (through May, fiscal year ends June 30)
Criminal arrests: 613
Administrative arrests: 3,226
2006
Criminal arrests: 718
Administrative arrests: 3,667
2005
Criminal arrests: 176
Administrative arrests: 1,116
2004
Criminal arrests: 160
Administrative arrests: 685
2003
Criminal arrests: 72
Administrative arrests: 445
2002
Criminal arrests: 25
Administrative arrests: 485
*Criminal arrests deal with employers, managers, etc., that hired illegal workers. Administrative arrests generally refer to workers unlawfully present in the United States, according to the ICE.
Related Pocono Record Stories
'They work those people like dogs'
Illegal workers fallout: Mystery temp agency identified
Scavello calls for investigation into Iridium grants, loans
Poconos temp agencies say they scrutinize IDs
Reactions to the Iridium raid
Money well spent? $9 million in incentives went to Iridium
Immigrant advocates: Blame employers
Iridium blames temp agency for illegal workers; employee disagrees
Are temp agencies a link in putting illegal immigrants to work?
Iridium says it's not their fault
Did illegals work for temp agency?
81 alleged illegal workers nabbed at East Stroudsburg plastics plant
Reader reaction at source link.
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http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.d ... /-1/news16
Money well spent? $9 million in incentives went to Iridium
SUSAN KOOMAR
Record Senior Managing Editor
June 21, 2007
$9-plus million in public money went to Iridium Industries (Artube) through government economic development programs. Here's an overview:
August 1999
$700,000: Pa. Industrial Development Authority Loan
$175,000: opportunity grant (direct cash from state)
$270,000: job creation tax credit
$3,485 million: bond issue
$200,000: small business loan
$100,000: loan from Monroe County Revolving Loan Fund
October 2002
$660,000: Low-interest Pa. Industrial Development Authority Loan (paid back, according to state Rep. Mario Scavello)
May 2007
$3.7 million: Bond issue approved by Monroe County commissioners to help pay for purchase, installation of new equipment
Officials who helped Iridium Industries get public tax-free bond money and low-interest loans were upset at news that 81 alleged illegal workers were arrested there Tuesday.
"We've never had an issue with this kind of thing," said Chuck Leonard of Pocono Mountains Industries, which is Monroe County's economic development agency. "It's a distressing thing. I'm hoping it's a lapse on behalf of a temp agency they use. We're disappointed that it's happened in our community."
Former Iridium employees complained to a local job center official about illegal workers at the plant. It's not clear if the problem would have been discovered through government oversight of grants and loans awarded to the privately owned business.
"I'm really disappointed in a company that received state money," said state Rep. Mario Scavello, R-176.
Scavello helped Iridium get a $660,000 low-interest state loan to help create 30 jobs at the plant. The loan has been paid in full, he said.
Companies should shoulder some blame even if illegal workers at their site come from a temp agency, Scavello said on Wednesday.
"I think they're still somewhat responsible," he said. "If you're going to find a company to bring employees into your place of business, you should know where they're coming from."
Leonard said many local businesses employ workers through temp agencies. He has not spoken to Iridium's owners since news of the raid.
"You have to allow the investigation to take its course," Leonard said.
Leonard said his agency refers anyone with reports of illegal workers to the state Department of Labor or U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"We don't have the capability or the staff to be able to check those kinds of complaints," Leonard said.
Iridium has about 130 full-time workers. Leonard hopes to retain those jobs.
"We hope the business can overcome the problems this might create for them and move on," he said.
Grants, loans and tax-free bonds are part of economic development incentives to help private businesses keep or create jobs.
State officials can audit a company's payroll to make sure job numbers are met, Scavello said.
Companies are also asked to file employment reports with the state Department of Labor and Industry.
Iridium received a $3.5 million bond issue for new equipment last month — a bond issue approved by county commissioners. The county is sometimes a conduit for state and federal money to local entities.
"Our function is to hold the required hearing at the request of the intermediary of the federal government to the recipient. I don't know where you'd draw the line on that (enforcement). I don't see that as practical," said county Commissioner Robert Nothstein. "We rely on the veracity of the people signing documents because they will be held culpable. If Iridium would have lied "¦ and assuming these temp agencies don't exonerate them, I'd have some concern. I'd probably try to put the hammer down."
Iridium is solely responsible for repaying the bond; taxpayers have no liability, according to local officials.
Related Pocono Record Stories
Feds remain tight-lipped on Iridium illegal immigrant probe
'They work those people like dogs'
Illegal workers fallout: Mystery temp agency identified
Scavello calls for investigation into Iridium grants, loans
Poconos temp agencies say they scrutinize IDs
Reactions to the Iridium raid
Immigrant advocates: Blame employers
Iridium blames temp agency for illegal workers; employee disagrees
Are temp agencies a link in putting illegal immigrants to work?
Iridium says it's not their fault
Did illegals work for temp agency?
81 alleged illegal workers nabbed at East Stroudsburg plastics plant
That was great JAK, we need to start exposeing people like these agencys and the waste of our tax dollars!! :evil: