Thread: LA,CA Pro Illegal Wall Street Journal Article

Too bad they can't write an article titled, "Illegal Immigrants turn LA into a 3rd world hell-hole, Local US citizens in Uproar"

But then this is the pro-business WSJ. I'm surprised they even used the term "illegal" in their title, but throughout the article the term is sanitized in various ways.

Crackdown on Illegal Immigrants
Spurs Backlash Among Locals
L.A. Contends
Federal Raids Hurt
Region's Economy
By MIRIAM JORDAN
April 17, 2008; Page A4
The federal government's crackdown on factories employing illegal immigrants is triggering a backlash among local officials including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who says the federal raids could damage his region's economy.


Mr. Villaraigosa is due to meet Thursday in Washington with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who oversees immigration. The meeting follows letters to Mr. Chertoff by the mayor and the president of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce protesting actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

Los Angeles is home to the largest immigrant population in the U.S. More than one-third of its 9.9 million residents and nearly half of its work force are foreign-born. An estimated 450,000 to 480,000 of the city's workers are believed to be in the U.S. illegally.

The government has stepped up raids recently. On Wednesday, ICE agents raided Pilgrim's Pride Corp. poultry plants in five states and arrested more than 280 unauthorized workers. In Buffalo, N.Y., ICE officials arrested 11 people for conspiring to harbor illegal immigrants smuggled into the U.S. to work at Mexican restaurants in four states. About 45 illegal immigrants were arrested.

IMMIGRATION FIGHT

• The News: The federal government's crackdown on illegal immigrants is triggering a backlash among local officials.
• The Background: The government has stepped up raids recently and has arrested a record number of employees for immigration violations.
• What's Next: The mayor of Los Angeles will meet Thursday with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
ICE arrested a record 4,077 employees for immigration violations during worksite enforcement nationally in the year that ended Sept. 30, 2007, compared with 685 in 2004. In a phone interview Wednesday, ICE chief Julie L. Myers said workplace operations will continue across the country, including L.A. "We can't exempt any city or state from the governing immigration laws," she said.

Concern over immigration raids in L.A. spiked after ICE agents rounded up more than 130 illegal workers at Micro Solutions Enterprises, a manufacturer of computer imaging supplies, in February. Earlier this month, agents arrested an additional 69 workers during a routine inspection of warehouses next to the Los Angeles port complex.

ICE officials have also been asking Los Angeles businesses, including garment maker American Apparel Inc., to submit I-9 hiring forms and other payroll documents for scrutiny. Robert Schoch, special agent in charge for ICE investigations in seven Southern California counties, wouldn't divulge the name of any other companies that had been served with a notice to present documents, saying only that there has been a "significant increase."


In a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing, American Apparel said that as a result of the ICE investigation, it "could experience very substantial turnover of employees on short or no notice, which could result in manufacturing and other delays."

Some agricultural businesses, also highly dependent on undocumented workers, have in past years urged the U.S. Border Patrol to look the other way during harvest season. But it is unusual for a city to take such a public stance on federal immigration enforcement. Los Angeles is the biggest city to demand that federal immigration authorities back off from their crackdown.

Since Congress's failure last year to enact a comprehensive immigration overhaul, several cities and states, notably Arizona and Oklahoma, have passed local laws to punish employers who hire illegal workers. In Phoenix, however, Mayor Phil Gordon has begun publicly decrying the get-tough actions carried out by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose deputies have been arresting suspected illegal immigrants.

Mr. Villaraigosa expressed his concerns to Mr. Chertoff in a three-page letter dated March 27. "I am gravely concerned that ICE's current focus on nonexploitative employers in and around the City of Los Angeles could have severe and lasting effects on our local economy," he wrote. The mayor said it was "nonsensical" to spend limited ICE resources to target "established, responsible employers" in industries that employ "workforces that include undocumented immigrants."

Mr. Chertoff has contended that he has no choice but to attack the root cause of illegal immigration -- employment -- until Congress passes a bill to provide employers a legal means to address their labor needs.

"I'm in favor of immigration reform," said Ms. Myers, the ICE chief. "Until Congress takes action, we will continue to enforce the current laws."

Until recently, ICE mainly slapped businesses that hired illegal immigrants with fines, up to $2,000 per employee. "Those fines were sometimes even negotiated down," says Mr. Schoch, the ICE official in California. "It wasn't an effective deterrent. In the last couple years we stepped up efforts to bring criminal charges against employers."

The ICE has beefed up its teams of special agents and auditors. In fiscal 2007, the agency arrested 863 people, including company owners and executives, for purposefully hiring illegal immigrants and other crimes. That is up from 160 in 2004.

That has sent alarm bells through business communities, especially in immigrant-heavy areas like Los Angeles. Of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., about one million live in Los Angeles, according to the Migration Policy Institute. New York City is home to 500,000 illegal immigrants. Almost half of the Los Angeles work force is foreign-born compared with 15% nationally, according to a report released Wednesday by the nonpartisan research center.

"Employment of unauthorized workers is a national problem that we see on a larger scale here because of the mass of humanity in Los Angeles," said Gary Toebben, president of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, who also wrote a letter to Mr. Chertoff. He said that 200 business leaders accompanying the mayor to Washington are taking their concerns about ICE enforcement activities to elected officials.

Los Angeles city and business officials say immigrants are crucial to both high-tech and low-tech industries here. In particular, manufacturing, transportation and entertainment are believed to rely on large numbers of improperly documented immigrants. "These people are embedded in our economy," said Ilse Metchek, executive director of the Los Angeles-based California Fashion Association, which represents apparel-related businesses.

A February study by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, a nonprofit group, concluded that stepped-up immigration enforcement could cost the region's economy millions of dollars if it forces businesses to move away from the region.


sorry for not posting the link, but this appeared in the Thursday, April 17 issue.
Write to Miriam Jordan at miriam.jordan@wsj.com

This article written by the "New" WSJ is a plead for Amnesty imo . 480,000 illegals are city workers ? Good God where does a White or Black person work in LA?
When Murdoch bought the WSJ i knew it was only a matter of time , till the correct hacks where put in the correct spin positions

And ICE should feel for your pain because your illegal profits are being threatened precisely because you do business illegally hiring illegal aliens?

Hello, is there anybody there? Wake up, (slap, slap), you are doing business illegally, it's against the LAW. You have no valid argument for breaking the LAW. It's simple, hiring illegal aliens is wrong because 1) these people are exploited - you pay them less, hardly any benefits if at all - no labor protections etc 2) it's outrageously unfair to your competition 3) it depresses wages etc etc etc

Compete like everybody else by doing business LEGALLY! Maximizing profits as a producer (refer to your economics classes) does not include breaking the laws. So enough of the corruption!

duplicate post

http://www.alipac.us/ftopic-112122-0.html

LINK HERE:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120839057726721343.html

The problem is ILLEGALS, ILLEGAL EMPLOYERS, the CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, and other SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS. Since the ILLEGALS’ infamous L.A. march displaying their mexican flags demanding their rights United States citizens are distrustful of any organized protest demanding anything for the ILLEGALS. The situation will remain this way until our National Borders are secured and our Immigration Laws are Enforced. Our Elitist Politicians at the demand of their Elitist Political Contributors, Chamber of Commerce, and other Special Interest Groups will not allow the problem to be solved for fear of losing a dollar or maybe even an ILLEGAL vote.

Let me get this straight....our government taxpayer-paid officials and elected officials are going to meet with the profiteers of illegal immigration and hear them ask for special exemption from enforcement of laws that they are admitting to have violated? This makes me sick.....they should feel the pain of doing business illegally ......every state department of revenue needs to audit and come after them for unpaid taxes, under-reported wages, fine them for not carrying worker's comp. insurance and the like...NOT giving them special exemptions b/c their profits might be affected. I can't believe that they even are getting a sit-down with our elected officials on this....

If you believe there are only 480,000 illegals in LA, then you believe there are only 7 million in the whole USA.

My reply to the author

Dear Miriam Jordan:

I just read your article with the above title. As an Angeleno, born and raised, I have to take exception to your article. I would like to make some editorial corrections.

The way your article should read (these are only a few of the changes that need to be made).

crackdown with "following the letter and spirit of the law"

"Villaraigosa, who says the federal raids could damage his region's economy"

with

"who says federal raids could damage radical Latino groups from successfully competing their goal of taking over the Western United States."

Los Angeles is home to the largest immigrant population in the U.S.

with

Los Angeles is home to the largest ILLEGAL immigrant population in the U.S.

An estimated 450,000 to 480,000 of the city's workers are believed to be in the U.S. illegally.

with

An estimated 450,000 to 480,000 of the city's workers are KNOWN to be in the U.S. illegally.

Concern over immigration raids in L.A. spiked after ICE agents rounded up more than 130 illegal workers at Micro Solutions Enterprises,

with

Concern BY LEGAL RESIDENTS AND US CITIZENS THAT immigration raids in L.A. spiked after ICE agents rounded up more than 130 illegal workers at Micro Solutions Enterprises,

Earlier this month, agents arrested an additional 69 workers during a routine inspection of warehouses next to the Los Angeles port complex.

WITH

Earlier this month, agents arrested ONLY 69 workers during a routine inspection of warehouses next to the Los Angeles port complex.

In a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing, American Apparel said that as a result of the ICE investigation, it "could experience very substantial turnover of employees on short or no notice, which could result in manufacturing and other delays."

With
American Apparel said that as a result of the ICE investigation, it "could experience very substantial losses of illegal alien employees on short or no notice, which could result in our being arrested for aiding and abetting illegal immigration."

undocumented

with

Illegal alien

Los Angeles is the biggest city to demand that federal immigration authorities back off from their crackdown.

This statement is ABSOLUTELY ABSURD!! 75% of Californians think there should be a wall on the border and bumped up internal enforcement of illegal immigration, increased workplace enforcement and criminal penalties for those who hire illegals.

Since Congress's failure last year to enact a comprehensive immigration overhaul

with

Since the American people's relentless efforts in telling their representatives to not repeat previous immigration law tragedies...


Of the 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S.
with
Of the 30 million...

unauthorized workers
with
illegal aliens

"Employment of unauthorized workers is a national problem that we see on a larger scale here because of the mass of humanity in Los Angeles,"
with
"Employment of unauthorized workers is a national problem that we see on a larger scale here because THERE IS NO POLITICAL WILL TO PROTECT THE LIVES OF US CITIZENS, THERE IS NO POLITICAL WILL TO BUILD A FENCE ON THE BORDER AND THEIR IS NO POLITICAL WILL FOR INTERNAL ENFORCEMENT BECAUSE BIG BUSINESS MAKES HUGES PROFITS FORM HIRING ILLEGAL ALIENS AT HALF THE COST TO HIRE US CITIZENS."

improperly documented immigrants
WITH
ILLEGAL ALIENS

A February study by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, a nonprofit group, concluded that stepped-up immigration enforcement could cost the region's economy millions of dollars if it forces businesses to move away from the region.

WITH

A February study by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, a nonprofit group, concluded that stepped-up immigration enforcement could SAVE ANGELENOS THE $35 MILLION DOLLARS A MONTH, YES A MONTH, THAT THEY SPEND ON SOCIAL SERVICES TO ILLEGAL ALIENS. IT COULD ALSO SAVE CALIFORNIANS $10.5 BILLIION A YEAR FOR SIMILAR COSTS.

Next time Miriam, report the truth.

Regards,

Sign me -tired of paying for illegal's free ride

Originally Posted by jimpasz

duplicate post

http://www.alipac.us/ftopic-112122-0.html