Thread: Feds warn about hiring illegals

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?c ... 73016.html

Warn....and warn...and warn....but will they do?

Feds Warn Companies Using Illegal Workers
By ANDREW MIGA, Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The government plans to crack down ever harder on employers who harbor and hire illegal immigrants, pursuing companies that ignore the law so they can exploit cheap labor.
"We are going to move beyond the current level of activity to a higher level in each month and year to come," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Thursday. He pledged to "come down as hard as possible" on violators.

Federal agents on Wednesday arrested seven current and former managers of IFCO Systems, a manufacturer of crates and pallets, on criminal charges, and more than 1,100 people were arrested on administrative immigration charges at more than 40 IFCO sites in the U.S.

"Our nation's communities cannot be a wild frontier where illegal aliens and unscrupulous employees subvert our nation's laws," said Julie Myers, assistant secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Don Sherman, director of the Cincinnati Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, an advocate for immigrant workers and their rights, was skeptical about the government's move.

"I think the timing is very suspicious because there are a number of rallies coming up around the country promoting immigration reform," he said.
Chertoff denied the timing of the stepped up enforcement had anything to do with recent immigration demonstrations, saying the investigations began more than a year ago.

Messages left with IFCO officials were not immediately returned Thursday. In a statement Wednesday, the company pledged to cooperate with the investigation and comply with state and federal requirements.

The Netherlands-based company describes itself as the leading pallet services company in America. It reported $116 million in profits last year on sales of $576 million.

More than half of the company's roughly 5,800 employees during 2005 had invalid or mismatched Social Security numbers, the government alleges.

The case began after officials got a tip that IFCO workers in Guilderland, N.Y. were seen ripping up their W-2 forms because they did not intend to file tax returns, Chertoff said.
Six of seven current and former IFCO managers charged with felony conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens were released on bond and are to appear May 4 in Albany, N.Y., where the criminal complaint was filed and the investigation began at a suburban IFCO facility.

The managers could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each alien involved, as well as forfeitures.

"Just a small fine or a slap on the wrist is not a deterrent," Myers said.

Most of the 1,187 illegal immigrants arrested are being processed for deportation, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Tina Sciocchetti in Albany.

"They were getting cheated on their overtime," she said. "There were 10 to 20 people living in a house sleeping on air mattresses. They weren't the greatest employment conditions."

In other recent high-profile immigration cases:

_The operators of three Baltimore restaurants pleaded guilty to immigration charges last week.

_Nine people affiliated with two temporary employment agencies with business in New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania were charged in an alleged $5.3 million scheme involving illegal immigrants.

If Congress provides the money, officials said they plan to add about 200 more agents by the end of next year as they go after companies that violate immigration laws. There are now about 325 agents.

Federal officials also are asking Congress for greater access to workers' Social Security data to help uncover illegal aliens who use bogus identification data.

___
Associated Press writers Michael Virtanen in Albany, N.Y., Daniel Sewell in Cincinnati and Pam Easton in Houston contributed to this report.

___
On the Net:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement: http://www.ice.gov

IFCO Systems: http://www.ifco-us.com/

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

If they want to get a bunch of illegals - all they have to do is park those buses at the door of some processing plants when the shifts change.

This is insulting - it is insulting!!!

I read on another site that a congresscritter named King that has been talking some sense lately, said employers had the means to check these out.

I saw a news report that said they had no way to verify them as yet.

Chertoff denied the timing of the stepped up enforcement had anything to do with recent immigration demonstrations, saying the investigations began more than a year ago.

Now that's something. After all this time they enforce the law just a little...and then has need to defend himself for doing so. We've come a lonnnng way, baby. Down the wrong danged road.

MJ

My opinion...I think Bush is pushing enforcement and really sweating it. Many Republican voters are considering not voting or voting Democrat this November. If we have a Democrat majority in congress, his chances of impeachment are pretty high...

jlo's

My opinion...I think Bush is pushing enforcement and really sweating it.

jlo, I'd say that our hard work is working.