Thread: FL: Illegals face more raids

Illegal aliens roundup deemed success
May 21, 2007
But gray area exists, sheriff acknowledges
By Andy Meinen

The Bay County Sheriff's Office has found more than a dozen illegal aliens at construction sites over the past week, deputies said.

And though the raids have been ongoing this spring, deputies' tactics have evolved. Lately, deputies have asked project managers at several construction sites in the county to voluntarily give them employment records for workers. The manager or supervisor chooses employee records at random, said Sheriff Frank McKeithen, who insists his office's actions are not sweeps or profiling. Instead, he's just responding to citizens' concerns.

Many of the illegal aliens who deputies have charged are using Social Security numbers of other people, including people who are dead.

Four of the eight people arrested at a McCrory Construction site on Front Beach Road on Tuesday had Social Security numbers that matched deceased people's numbers, the sheriff said. Other numbers were from people as far away as California.

Undocumented workers found to be using someone else's Social Security number or a forged driver's license are charged with criminal use of personal identification information under Florida Statute 817.568.

"These people are breaking the law," he said. "This is going on every day in America, Bay County and your neighborhood."

Work records

So far, site supervisors have been cooperating and giving authorities employment records voluntarily. But managers and supervisors can get into trouble, too. If they knowingly hire illegal aliens, they can be cited $500 for the first offense and $500 for each undocumented worker the second time, McKeithen said.

Site managers also don't have to volunteer their employment records to authorities, the sheriff acknowledged. If a supervisor refuses, McKeithen said he would have to get a search warrant.

Assistant Public Defender Doug White agreed.

"Records themselves are protected," he said.

"There is an expectation of privacy."

If a manager or supervisor refuses to give employment records to authorities voluntarily, the sheriff has to present a judge with enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant, White said. What the threshold for probable cause entails can vary from judge to judge and case to case.

White also said there is a gray area when it comes to a manager freely offering someone else's information.

So far no employees have challenged authorities about employment records, but White contends they could have a legitimate complaint.

Reaction

The Sheriff's Office efforts have many people in Bay County expressing thanks and admiration.

McKeithen has received e-mails, cards and phone messages. One woman e-mailed McKeithen from West Virginia praising him for his efforts.

The federal government also has taken notice.

Last month the Sheriff's Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, had a meeting.

After that talk, McKeithen said ICE sent a new deportation officer to the area to help with the illegal aliens.

Previously, ICE had two agents to cover the area between Destin and Tallahassee, McKeithen said, so the new officer is helping.

The whole illegal immigrant situation boils down to jobs, McKeithen said.

Many of the complaints his office receives are coming from people in the county who can't get jobs because they claim undocumented workers took them, McKeithen said.

"These construction workers are trying to find jobs and they can't," he said.

http://www.newsherald.com/headlines/art ... php?a=1401

If figure they are pretending to care to carny sell us on the new Comprehensive Bill they are trying to push through.


The thing that scares me about any sort of immigration law reform is that every few years they re-invent the same laws. Each time they work in amnesty and gravy parts for the illegal aliens. They are always quick to hand out the amnesty and gravy parts but they never do get around to the enforcement parts of the laws.

Do we really need a shiny new set of laws when we have never given the old comprehensive laws a test drive?


http://www.vdare.com/rubenstein/051101_nd.htm

Notices of intent to fine employers:

1997: 865
1999: 417
2000: 178
2001: 100
2003: 162
2004: 3


Worksite arrests of illegal alien workers:

1997: 17,554
1999: 2,849
2000: 953
2001: 735
2003: 445
2004: 159