Thread: Gee, why didn't ICE think of this?

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070627/D8Q1AOKG0.html

Jun 27, 2:27 PM (ET)

By MELISSA NELSON
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PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The sheriff's department has developed a remarkably effective - and controversial - way of catching illegal immigrants: Deputies in patrol cars pull up to a construction site in force, and watch and see who runs.

Those who take off are chased down and arrested on charges such as trespassing, for cutting through someone else's property, or loitering, for hiding out in someone's yard, or reckless driving, for speeding off in a car.

U.S. immigration authorities are then given the names of those believed to be in this country illegally.

"It's not wrong for them to run, but it's not wrong for us to chase them either," said Sheriff Frank McKeithen, who created his Illegal Alien Task Force in April to target construction sites in this Florida Panhandle county.

Immigrant advocates say the technique is repugnant, and the ACLU says its constitutionality is questionable.

Illegal immigrants are leaving town. And builders are worried the crackdown will deprive them of the labor they need to take part in a building boom in which Panama City's Beach cheap spring-break motels are being torn down and replaced with high-rise condos.

The sheriff said the raids are justified under a long-standing Florida law prohibiting employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

His department has conducted dozens of these raids over the past three months, sometimes using five or six patrol cars, and has reported more than 500 people to immigration officials since November.

The Mexican American Legal Defense Fund is investigating the arrests because "the intimidation factor is of great concern," said Elise Shore, regional counsel for the organization.

Benjamin Stevenson, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in Florida, said he finds the tactic troubling.

"Why are they sending out six or seven agents to investigate a paper crime, and are they causing them to run in the first place through intimidation?" he asked.

As the debate over illegal immigration plays out in Washington, McKeithen is among a growing number of state and local officials taking it upon themselves to enforce immigration laws that up to now were regarded as a federal responsibility.

For example, Farmers Branch, Texas, is trying to prohibit apartment rentals to illegal immigrants in the Dallas suburb. Georgia passed a law requiring employers to verify the immigration status of all new employees.

Barbara Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami, would not comment on the sheriff's tactics.

McKeithen has asked Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum for a legal opinion on his tactics. A spokeswoman for McCollum said the office is researching the request.

McKeithen is already under fire from civil rights groups over the videotaped 2006 death of a 14-year-old boy who was roughed up by guards at a juvenile boot camp operated by the sheriff's department. Eight former employees are facing manslaughter charges.

The sheriff said that more recently, his officers have been making fewer arrests of workers who flee, and are concentrating more on asking employers for the paperwork on their employees. Sheriff's deputies then arrest workers whose documents are found to be fraudulent.

Mexican illegal immigrant Jose Madrid, 28, said he has been unable to find a construction job over the past six weeks because of the crackdown, and hasn't been able to send money to his parents and his 7-year-old son back home.

"We immigrants, we are leaving Panama City. People are afraid they will be deported," he said. "The companies don't want to hire illegal people. Now they're only hiring those with papers."

Developer Louis Breland is finishing the first phase of a $750 million beach condo project.

"Subcontractors could not function without immigrant laborers for painting, rebar and steel work. They are the best workers," he said. "Without them, the cost of construction would be 10 times as much and nothing would get built."

"We immigrants, we are leaving Panama City. People are afraid they will be deported," he said. "The companies don't want to hire illegal people. Now they're only hiring those with papers."

Hold on folks, what have we here... an epiphany?
Yes, when laws are actually enforced, all sorts of new and interesting things can happen...

You know I am sick and tired of being threatened that prices are going to go up if we send all the Illegal's back home. That is a darn lie. You know what will happen? The corporations will try to raise the prices of everything and that includes Wal Mart the biggest traitors of all and then no one will buy a damn thing. All of you house builders and you retailers will maybe not have CEO's that tries to run countries and make 40-50 millions a year and maybe your profits won't be in the billions.
The United States Citizen won't buy one damn thing from you. The Corporations that support amensty are greedy buggers. They don't deserve our money anyway.
Hey you know what? You can't take that damn money with you. What you do take with you is the crap you dish out to millions of people here in the United States. You can't hide from GOD.

Originally Posted by PhredE

"We immigrants, we are leaving Panama City. People are afraid they will be deported," he said. "The companies don't want to hire illegal people. Now they're only hiring those with papers."

Hold on folks, what have we here... an epiphany?
Yes, when laws are actually enforced, all sorts of new and interesting things can happen...

That is the same part that caught my eye. Where is the problem in that? What's the issue? The law is being upheld - that's what is supposed to happen.

Developer Louis Breland is finishing the first phase of a $750 million beach condo project.

"Subcontractors could not function without immigrant laborers for painting, rebar and steel work. They are the best workers," he said. "Without them, the cost of construction would be 10 times as much and nothing would get built."

So which is it, construction costs would increase, or nothing would get built?

I know one thing. I'd never buy a property developed by Louis Breland. He sounds like a guy who likes to do things on the cheap.

It would be nice if they did this in Miami. I am sick of seeing them doing jobs Americans would do and want. Also it is not true that condo prices are lower due to illegal workers. I haven't seen no price cuts on new projects where I know there is a large percentage of illegals workers. If these construction company owners know that their subcontractors hire illegals both the owners and subcontractors should be fined and jailed.

I don't know how the SB 1639 Bill will eventually play out, but I know that there are a number of legal tactics that will have a chilling effect on illegal immigrants. Americans have a fairly good grasp of our legal system--English Common Law--and the public education system and our Judeao Christian heritage can do a more or less adequate job of inculcatung law abiding behavior into those raised in this country.

But for recent arrivals from rather foreign cultures, as well as for those brought up deep within a subculture that has not assimilated there must be dozens of legal violations. How many uninsured drivers do you suppose there are? How much domestic abuse? etc.I have been looking into Selective Service Registration which applies to males in the US born after 1960. Realistically, guys coming across the border informally would not have the foggiest idea, but registration is required even of illegal aliens and it is a very serious offense not to do so, only with some exceptions.

It's just hard to get a government entity to act. I tried to inform our local ICE over four years ago about illegal construction workers, but they had assigned that problem a low priority.

No matter what happens in Congress this effort is far from over. There will be many lawful and civil methods to address the problem of illegal immigration, even if some attempts fail due to court challenges.

"It's not wrong for them to run, but it's not wrong for us to chase them either," said Sheriff Frank McKeithen

Beautiful

I believe the low life of the US Chamber of Horror Mr Donahue...would to his best to make The American Citizen suffer with higher prices etc... if he and his Global elistist buddies don't get their way on this Immigration bill/NAU/SPP...but Franky my Dear Scarlet I don't give a damn...we Americans will figure it out like we have always done...so I say to them ...bugger off...

"Subcontractors could not function without immigrant laborers for painting, rebar and steel work. They are the best workers

Translated...they work cheap, don't complain, don't need any safety briefing or safety training, don't belong to any union and don't ask any questions.