Illegal Immigrants and the Law
In a move that might make Joey Sobrino happy (or maybe not), the Dept of Homeland Security (those wonderful folks who brought you the Katrina fiasco), have unleashed their forces against illegal immigrants at six Swift Company meat packing plants. "Operation Wagon Train" nabbed nearly 1300 alleged illegal workers and whisked them off to undisclosed locations without the benefit of legal advice. Apparently lots of kids were left here and there without parents, or any means of finding out what happened to them. A small price to pay for keeping our homeland safe and pure. After all, they are lawbreakers.
Except that it just keeps nagging at the back of my mind, why hasn't the Swift company been charged with anything?
Especially since they publicly admit that 40% of their work force could be effected if this continues!
Another thing to notice here, aside from the detail that these people are all innocent until proven guilty, is the different techniques of law enforcement for working class people and their... 'betters,' shall we say? Mass arrests, heavily armed police with SWAT equipment, removal to undisclosed locations, no chance to talk to lawyers or see about their children. Compared to people like Dick Cheney and JonBenet Ramsey's parents who get to schedule when they will be willing to talk to the police and can show up in their chauffeur driven limos.
posted by Clemens @ 11:29 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I can't say I am to happy about the way they did that (the kids should have gone with them).
The company should absolutely be held accountable for hiring illegals.
If 40% of there workforce is affected by this crackdown, that is a scary thought. We obviously need a guest worker program.
--Joey
Now how would the kids go with them? Under arrest? Most of them are legal Americans. Do you expect the Feds of Homeland Security to provide day care and education? Do you expect the Federal gov't to provide ANYONE with free daycare? You might have a point if you were talking about a couple of dozen families, but a thousand?
Let's just put that one down to another Bush initiative with unintended consequences.
You are surprised at the 40% figure? It has been common knowledge for years that this is happening in certain industries. The chicken factory here in Lykesboro, for example. And those industries have been pleading for a rational guest worker program.
The President wanted a guest worker program. His party controlled Congress right up til a few days ago. Guess who stymied el Prez, the lobbyists, and common sense.
Is there a Plan B?
And, first last and always, if this is simply a program to enforce our laws and not a racist assault on working class people, why haven't the employers been charged?
Oh I guess I never posted a response. Oh well, the gist of it was that yeah, if the kids are legal that is tricky. If they aren't, we just need a rapid deportation process.
I support the Whitehouse's guest worker program, though I am still against widespread unconditional amnesty.
I don't believe the law is so much racist, as you suggested, as it is politically expedient. Going after illegals with little power(read:can't vote), popular and easy, going after influential donors and job providers, not as popular and considerably more difficult.
There is an element of racism, naturally, but there is also a real fear among the lower middle class Americans that they will be out competed by Mexican immigrants. How many Americans would be willing to sleep 7 to an apartment on mattresses on the floor just to send some money home?
Ironically their under the table status forces them to accept poor paying jobs. If they were free to shop their skills (or work ethic) around more openly they might get a better deal.
We definitely need/want Mexican (or any other nation) workers but we also want to know who and how many we are letting into the country.
--Joey
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