Thread: Employers of illegal aliens not owning up

http://news.bostonherald.com/immigratio ... eid=145221

Outlaw firms keep mum or play dumb: Employers of illegal aliens not owning up
By Casey Ross
Boston Herald Reporter

Saturday, June 24, 2006

The illicit employment of undocumented immigrants at luxury homebuilding projects across Massachusetts involves at least 15 companies whose officials are denying responsibility or refusing to talk after a Herald investigation found illegal workers on their sites.

On projects from Cape Cod to the North Shore to Metro West, interviews with illegal aliens revealed their employment was filtered through complex webs of companies - often separating them from general contractors and subcontractors officially responsible for the work.

In some cases, managers of companies directly overseeing illegal workers on the sites admitted to a Herald reporter that they were working illegally as well.

“I’m undocumented. I don’t care. All I have is a federal tax ID for my company,” said a Brazilian immigrant named Jefferson who was supervising work at the Villages at Brookside, a luxury housing project in Bourne being developed by Northland Residential Corp.

Officials with Northland Residential said Jefferson has been dismissed from the project and a subcontractor repsonsible for that portion of the work, Max Framing Inc., has been suspended until the company verifies the legality of its workers.

“We were not aware that (Jefferson) was a subcontractor of (Max Framing) and is possibly of illegal status,” said Jack Dawley, a partner at Northland Residential. “Our contract is with Max Framing, and we took all precautions to comply with state and federal laws, including immigration laws.”

Max Framing has not answered questions about its involvement in three Northland Residential projects in Bourne, Plymouth and Belmont, where workers admitted to being illegal.

Meanwhile, investigators for Attorney General Tom Reilly have launched an investigation into employment practices at the site in Plymouth after a supervisor told the Herald he was employing a 15-year-old boy.

Northland Residential, which is cooperating with the attorney general’s investigation and agreed to several interviews with the Herald, is only one of many companies found to be linked to the employment of undocumented workers.

In Marlboro, a work supervisor framing luxury condos at a complex called Stonegate Village said he was funneling under-the-table payments from a subcontractor to several of his workers. The project’s general contractor, Fairfield Development, said it is investigating. The framing subcontractor, Phoenix Framing, did not return repeated phone calls.

At residential projects in Peabody and Saugus, an official with general contractor Martins Construction said she was unaware of several admitted illegal workers hanging drywall on the projects. The drywall subcontractor, VPS Drywall of Nashua., N.H., declined to comment.

cross@bostonherald.com

It's sad but you know these people in one way or another are going to find a loop-hole or some scam to keep on hiring illegals. They have too much money to loose at this point. All I can say is I hope there's lawsuits or something with sub-standard construction so their pocket or their reputation gets ruined.

Launching investigations...heard that for the gazzillionth time. Who's investigating who, the decision will depend on who's judging. MORAL character, ethics, high standards, honor, integrity, law-abiding, God-fearing, God-loving, gratefulness. We once had all of these attributes... with humble supplication and prayer, dilligence and great effort we may yet again. Otherwise, no way.

I’m undocumented. I don’t care. All I have is a federal tax ID for my company,” said a Brazilian immigrant named Jefferson who was supervising work at the Villages at Brookside, a luxury housing project in Bourne being developed by Northland Residential Corp.

OH BOY. IF THIS DOESN'T TELL YOU WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET ACROSS TO ALL OF YOU, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL. THEY ARE THE BOLDEST GROUP OF ILLEGALS I'VE YET TO SEE. THEY ARE THE ILLEGALS FROM BRAZIL. THEY ARE JUST ARRIVING AND THEY ARE HEADED AROUND THE COUNTRY. THEY'RE COMING IN MASSES AND FLORIDA IS THEIR FIRST STOP!!

"I'M UNDOCUMEMTED, I DON'T CARE". THERE IT IS FOLKS, COMING TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SOON. YOU WILL KNOW THEY'VE ARRIVED BECAUSE THE FIRST THING THEY DO IS TO RAISE THE BLUE AND GREEN BRAZILIAN FLAG AND THEY PREFER TO FLY IT WITHOUT AN AMERICAN FLAG. THEY HAVE A STRONG MESSAGE FOR AMERICA. I DON'T KNOW WHO HAS EMBOLDENED THEM, PERHAPS I'M THINKING THAT CHAVEZ FROM NEARBY VENEZUELA IS THE ONE.

They are "in charge" and no one is going to stop them, not even the President of the U.S. In fact they will DISREGARD ANYTHING even an executive order. There is no such thing to them.

It's disturbing to try and work with people that have a blatent disregard for our laws or our country.

It angers me to no end when they talk about fair and compassionate reform when these people don't know the meaning of the words.

It's crazy, Crazybird. I hope our elected officials don't wait until our country is SWARMING even more with terrorists and people who admit that : "I'm undocumented. I don't care. "

IT IS OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS JOB TO SEND A MESSAGE BACK THAT SAYS : "YOU BETTER CARE."

Oh my goodness, is that too hard for them ? Get out the violins, they can start packing if serving the LEGAL CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES is "too hard" for them.

Being a representative "FOR THE PEOPLE" requires more than kissing babies on the cheek.

At least if they want to continue to get a paycheck from US !!

IT IS OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS JOB TO SEND A MESSAGE BACK THAT SAYS : "YOU BETTER CARE."

That's for sure and they are failing at that big time.

Legal,

I think you know my story, but for the newbies, here's my experience with a Brazilian family. The link is to my story.


http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-25749-.html

Another thing that needs to change...that just being born here conveys
citizenship. If a person is born to a non-citizen who is NOT a green card
holder... then the baby shouldn't be a citizen. In the ER, I took care of a child of Brazilian parents, who proudly presented her with her Medicaid card. Now these folk arrived in their big Mercedes, with 2 (men's and ladies) Presidential Rolexes and expensive jewelry, handmade clothes and shoes and with even the child wearing more real jewelry (diamonds) than I'll ever be able to afford. They explained that this is the "greatest country". That it is well known in Brazil to come to Disney World in Orlando, Fl. for the last month of pregnancy and to just stay till the baby's born...then you have a US citizen and can get help. These people are millionaires. OUTRAGEOUS! My tax money going to people like this!