Thread: ICE raids not the answer to natural disasters

ICE raids not the answer to natural disasters
By John Leschak in Editorial/Op-ed
Issue date: 9/11/08
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On the eve of Hurricane Katrina's third anniversary, the Gulf Coast suffered another humanitarian disaster. On Monday, Aug. 25, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted the largest workplace raid to date, arresting nearly 600 immigrant workers at a manufacturing plant in Laurel, Miss. Like the government's horrifically inept response to Katrina, the Laurel raid reveals the racism and classism of America's political establishment.

Many of the arrested workers came to Mississippi to help rebuild after Katrina. Now the people who helped revive the Coast face deportation. This mass deportation will result in incredible losses on the workers' families. According to research by the Pew Hispanic Center, there are over five million children in the United States with undocumented parents. In the aftermath of the Laurel raid, hundreds of children did not show up to school. Who is caring for these children while their parents are being detained?

Of the 595 immigrants arrested, almost 500 are being detained at an ICE detention center in Jena, La. If Jena sounds familiar to you, it should. Last year, the small, rural town was put in the national spotlight by the campaign to free the Jena Six. The racism of Jena's criminal justice system is apparent both in the excessive charges against the Jena Six and in the history of Jena's prison, which has been forced to close twice in response to accusations of racially motivated abuse.

As both W.E.B. Du Bois and Martin Luther King said, racism is not for racism's sake. Rather, racism is largely motivated by the economic concern of maintaining a constant supply of low-wage labor. The economic impetus of the ICE raid in Laurel is two-fold: First, it maintains a low-wage workforce by preventing unionization; second, it maintains a low-wage workforce by expanding the availability of prison labor.

Mississippi is one of the least unionized states in the entire country. According to investigative journalist Elizabeth Schulte, "In 2003, only 5 percent of workers in the state were members of unions, compared with the national rate of 12.9 percent." The manufacturing plant raided in Laurel, owned by Howard Industries, is one of the few that is unionized.

In 2000, Howard's workers chose representation by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1317. However, the union's contract with the employer expired at the beginning of August. To increase its ability to negotiate a new contract, Local 1317 made great efforts to sign up immigrant workers. According to Jim Evans, an AFL-CIO member in Mississippi, the raid will help Howard Industries resist the union's demands for a new contract.

Mississippi also has a history of exploiting prisoners for labor. In the antebellum period, blacks were charged with "crimes" such as trespassing, vagrancy, loitering and disturbing the peace. According to sociologist Michael Hallet, "Once imprisoned for petty crimes, former slaves, now inmates, were leased in large numbers to private vendors." This convict-lease system continues today-with prisons leasing inmates to corporations such as Boeing, Dell, IBM, Microsoft and Victoria's Secret.Although some may be cashing in on immigrants' misfortune, ICE raids are not in the best interest of the working class. We should oppose raids, rather than cheering them on.

John Leschak is a second-year law student. You may e-mail him at jlesch2@pride.hofstra.edu.


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I didn't think you could exploit prisoners for labor. They need to work to pay for their room and board. What is wrong with putting them to work? It gives them something to do besides watching tv and exercising. I think they have it too easy as it is.

Ugh here we go again! Illegal aliens are NOT prisoners. They have not been FORCED to come and settle here illegally. They are also not slaves, they have choices. Every single illegal alien lies, cheats and steals while living illegally in the USA. We punish criminals don't we?

No different than a poor man robbing a bank to "give his family a better life", no? No different than the new "Bonnie & Clyde" of last year who stole people's identities and lived large on other people's dimes, no? Does anyone care what happens to their children? No, they don't. Why would I care about children of illegal aliens? They are NOT my problem!

They made their choice, now they must pay the consequences. Feel bad for the kids, but hey like Vincente Fox says "GET OVER IT!"

Many of the arrested workers came to Mississippi to help rebuild after Katrina. Now the people who helped revive the Coast face deportation. This mass deportation will result in incredible losses on the workers' families. According to research by the Pew Hispanic Center, there are over five million children in the United States with undocumented parents. In the aftermath of the Laurel raid, hundreds of children did not show up to school. Who is caring for these children while their parents are being detained?

They came to Mississippi because they knew a natural disaster would provide jobs paid by non other than US taxpayers. And ugly to say, but they probably came to see what was left that they could haul off.
Rebuilding? Okay. Licensed and knowing what they are doing is questionable as after Hurricane Andrew hit Homestead FL the same things happened: incredible scams by taking money up front and never doing the job, or doing the job so that it did not meet code, after which they would disappear, which meant the homeowner would have to find another contractor to rip out and repair what these guys did.
Just watch the masses now head to Texas to pull the same sort of scams.

Originally Posted by vortex

Many of the arrested workers came to Mississippi to help rebuild after Katrina. Now the people who helped revive the Coast face deportation. This mass deportation will result in incredible losses on the workers' families. According to research by the Pew Hispanic Center, there are over five million children in the United States with undocumented parents. In the aftermath of the Laurel raid, hundreds of children did not show up to school. Who is caring for these children while their parents are being detained?

They came to Mississippi because they knew a natural disaster would provide jobs paid by non other than US taxpayers. And ugly to say, but they probably came to see what was left that they could haul off.
Rebuilding? Okay. Licensed and knowing what they are doing is questionable as after Hurricane Andrew hit Homestead FL the same things happened: incredible scams by taking money up front and never doing the job, or doing the job so that it did not meet code, after which they would disappear, which meant the homeowner would have to find another contractor to rip out and repair what these guys did.
Just watch the masses now head to Texas to pull the same sort of scams.

100% correct vortex! Having been through 2 major floods and being ripped off once before wising up, I URGE you to call your state's consumer affairs office to see if your contractor has had any complaints lodged against him. Also make sure their license is active. If there is no record, DON'T hire them! Do NOT sign ANY blank work order forms either. I refused to sign one and they still took me to court demanding $8000 for hauling debris from my 1st floor to the curb. Luckily, I never signed the form and they lost. FEMA is no help with avoiding shady contractors. Another thing make sure the workers speak and understand ENGLISH!!!

Someone might want to let John Leschak know the "immigrants" he finds so endearing, and speaks so fondly of, entered this country in violation of US immigration law!

I highly doubt these illegal invaders were motivated by kindness when they flocked to the south, to steal jobs from American citizens who were more than willing to participate in the reconstruction of their own cities. It was just another example of illegal invaders responding to an opportune moment which they could personally enrich themselves.

John, the United States does not deport legal immigrants! Pretty embarassing when a second year law student cannot distinguish between the terms legal and illegal!

Just what this country needs, another illegal invader-loving lawyer. However, if this analysis is any indication of his legal aptitude , we have little to worry about...

NoBueno wrote:

However, if this analysis is any indication of his legal aptitude , we have little to worry about...

Let's just hope he doesn't have enough political connections to get appointed to a judgeship in coming years.

Originally Posted by vortex

NoBueno wrote:

However, if this analysis is any indication of his legal aptitude , we have little to worry about...

Let's just hope he doesn't have enough political connections to get appointed to a judgeship in coming years.

Your right VT! LOL..I doubt he passes the bar exam! If he does, i'm sure la raza would find him appealing! He has their rhetoric already down pat! I wonder if Hofstra has a second year class entitled , The art of building a legal defense based upon the principles of la raza...