Thread: AL: ACLU opposes call for probe of foreign workers

ACLU opposes Fairhope's call for probe of foreign workers
7/13/2007, 4:05 p.m. ET
By GARRY MITCHELL
The Associated Press


MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — The ACLU of Alabama has accused Fairhope officials of "anti-immigration bias" in pursuing background checks on foreign workers in the Baldwin County city.

Fairhope Mayor Tim Kant said the city's police department is checking with federal authorities to verify background information on foreign workers in the area following the June 28 arrest of Euclyn Ellis, 21, on a sodomy charge.

Ellis, a Jamaican who worked at the Marriott Grand Hotel at Point Clear, was charged with second-degree sodomy involving a 13-year-old girl. He lived in an apartment complex built for foreign workers next to Fairhope High School.

He remained in the county jail Friday.

Criminal investigations of the foreign workers are completely unwarranted unless directly related to a criminal investigation, said Nikki Cox of Montgomery, a spokeswoman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama.

In a statement Friday, Grand Hotel officials said no private information about its workers would be released without written consent from the worker or a court order. Releasing such information would be a clear violation of their privacy, the statement said.

About one-third of the hotel's 700 employees are foreign workers from various countries around the world. The hotel partners with U.S.-based organizations that provide international internships and seasonal jobs for them.

During screening, their backgrounds, including any criminal records, are investigated by federal immigration officials. All federal rules and regulations are followed in hiring them, hotel officials said.

Kant said his request for background checks was out of his concern for the safety of school children in the area since school opens in about one month.

Besides foreign workers employed by the hotel, many others work in farming and construction jobs, including those at a middle school going up next to the high school.

The information sought from the government by Fairhope only regards whether or not the background checks have been done, the mayor said. He added that Fairhope is not seeking information on any particular individual.

If the workers' visas are in order, "we ought to be able to verify that," the mayor said.

But the ACLU contends the action calls for "indiscriminate investigations of foreign workers," which the ACLU says violates the workers' constitutional rights. It's also outside the scope of the city's authority, the ACLU said in a statement.

"The city should be focusing their attention and resources on actual criminal activity. We don't feel the mere fact that you are a foreign-born worker is connected to any criminal activity," Cox said Friday.

She said fears that immigrants perpetrate more crimes than permanent residents are based on stereotypes and unfounded myths.

Kant's plan reveals that anti-immigrant bias, not crime prevention, is the true motivation for these investigations, Cox said.

Fairhope will not do any criminal investigation of any foreign workers unless facts surface to justify such an investigation, the mayor said in response to ACLU's criticism.

Immigration attorney Klari Tedrow of Birmingham said background screening for seasonal workers is not as intense as for those seeking permanent residency. But she said their names are run through the nation's criminal database.

Tedrow also said federal immigration officials are not required to disclose personal information on visa-holders.


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The ACLU of Alabama has accused Fairhope officials of "anti-immigration bias" in pursuing background checks on foreign workers in the Baldwin County city.

The ACLU works for everybody BUT Americans!

Originally Posted by CCUSA

The ACLU of Alabama has accused Fairhope officials of "anti-immigration bias" in pursuing background checks on foreign workers in the Baldwin County city.

The ACLU works for everybody BUT Americans!

Once again they conveniently omit the most important word: ILLEGAL.