Thread: La. sheriff fears illegals helping with Gulf oil spill clean

La. sheriff fears illegal immigrants helping with Gulf oil spill cleanup
Published: Wednesday, June 09, 2010, 4:30 PM Updated: Wednesday, June 09, 2010, 4:31 PM

Workers collect snare boom used remove oil washed ashore from the Deepwater Horizon spill, Wednesday, June 9, 2010, in Belle Terre, La.

NEW ORLEANS -- A sheriff in suburban New Orleans has asked federal authorities to investigate reports that illegal immigrants are working on the Gulf oil spill cleanup effort.

St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack A. Stephens said Wednesday that he asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement weeks ago to look into the reports.

Share Stephens says he wants to protect the community from "criminal elements" and not "people who want to earn an honest buck."

Immigrant rights groups lament that the request comes at a time when many people are searching for work.

Stephens says his office has set up checkpoints and is working with agencies on a credential system for BP cleanup contractors.

ICE spokesman Brian Hale says the agency has conducted training on hiring requirements and performed work authorization checks, all of which were valid.


http://blog.al.com/live/2010/06/la_sher ... immig.html

BREAKING: La. Sheriff Ordered ‘Illegal Alien’ Probe of Oil Spill Workers
By Brentin Mock

St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens acknowledged today that his office requested federal immigration officials search for undocumented workers among those cleaning up BP’s oil spill. After a spokesperson for the sheriff’s department initially denied involvement*—and federal officials insisted they had conducted a “training,â€

This is the short local version from NOLA (New Orleans,LA) paper. One of the comments is very enlightening - it is the same thing that happened during the Katrina clean up. Illegals were brought in by "contractors" and locals could not get any work and those that had been working were "let go" for the cheaper illegal labor.

St. Bernard Parish sheriff fears illegal immigrants helping in oil spill cleanup
Published: Wednesday, June 09, 2010, 4:59 PM Updated: Wednesday, June 09, 2010, 5:04 PM
The Associated Press

St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jack Stephens has asked federal authorities to investigate reports that illegal immigrants are working on the Gulf oil spill cleanup effort.

Stephens said Wednesday that he asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement weeks ago to look into the reports.
ICE spokesman Brian Hale said the agency has not conducted any work site enforcement at the request of local officials and has not made any arrests.

Stephens said he wants to protect the community from "criminal elements" and not "people who want to earn an honest buck."

Immigrant rights groups lament that the request comes at a time when many people are searching for work.

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill ... _fear.html

THIS IS THE COMMENT

BP has put many, MANY, M A N Y, people through testing and safety classes and they are not hired.

These men and women are my neighbors and friends. PEC/Premier Safety Management, Mandeville, did work classes required to go to work, people sat through the classes for a DAY, signed up for work and are still waiting.. Call BP they have some list they claim to put people on but my friends are never called. Go to some company in Houma that said they are hiring, went to their day long classes, still they are not hired.
I have heard the Mexicans and foreign laborers are working for a little of nothing, on contract labor, they speak no English so they have no idea how much they are to make. The boss of the group pays the workers like $15 per hour keeping $5 per hour for him self times 5 or 6 workers plus the boss is the supervisor who gets some $22 to 25 per hour. so the system works for the foreign worker, not the local American workers who need the work. My friends have written letters to BP, Houston and no one answers as to how to get hired for the oil clean up.
Get rid of the foreign workers who will work for less than American workers.
Immigration should be all over this searching every labor company and labor group payroll records.

From May 20, 2010, Panama City, FL newspaper.

Concerning Arresting Contractors Who Hire Illegals

May 20, 2010 10:20 AM

Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen today addressed a question raised in the community after yesterdays arrests of nearly a dozen illegal aliens at the Panama City Marina who allegedly used stolen social security numbers to obtain employment.
Many have asked why the Sheriff did not arrest the contractors who hired the illegals to work. “I agree the contractors hiring the illegals should be charged,â€