Spring Valley pays illegal immigrant workers more than $7,000
By SUZAN CLARKE
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: August 27, 2007)

SPRING VALLEY -The village has paid more than $7,000 to illegal immigrant workers following a state Department of Labor order to make good on back wages.

The state issued the order after a revelation in The Journal News that the village had hired illegal immigrants in July for a public project at 65A N. Main St. One of the immigrants said Mayor George Darden hired him and asked him to bring other men to the job.

Their immigration status was not checked, and Darden paid the men in cash.

In total, the village has paid 19 men a total of $7,470 for 183.5 hours of work.

The men originally were paid $10 per hour, but the state said the type of work they were doing was subject to a $40 an hour prevailing wage, and the village was told to pay the back wages.

Darden said he made a mistake by hiring the men, but said he didn't intentionally or knowingly hire undocumented immigrants. He has said he didn't know the people who were hired were undocumented.

Read more about this story tomorrow in The Journal News.

http://www.nyjournalnews.com/apps/pbcs. ... /708270406