U.S. Officials Defend Ploys to Catch Immigrants

[Kajikit 65]

U.S. Officials Defend Ploys to Catch Immigrants

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

Published: February 11, 2006

Despite criticism from advocates for immigrants, federal immigration officials said in recent days that they would not forswear the practice of impersonating occupational safety officials to round up illegal immigrants.

Last July, federal agents arrested 48 workers at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina on charges of being illegal immigrants after the agents tricked the workers into attending what was billed as a mandatory training session sponsored by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Afterward, the federal Labor Department, North Carolina officials and immigrant and job safety advocates criticized the ploy. They argued that the sting might cause immigrant workers to distrust safety officials just as the authorities were stepping up efforts to reduce the disproportionately high injury rate among Hispanic workers.

Lawyers for several labor and immigrant groups said yesterday that they were dismayed that when they met with officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Jan. 30, the officials refused to rule out again using a safety-related ruse to lure immigrant workers.

Marielena Hincapié, director of programs at the National Immigration Law Center, said, "They said they would not commit to not doing this anymore, despite the fact that this would have a chilling effect on workers."

Ana Avendano, a lawyer with the A.F.L.-C.I.O., also criticized immigration officials for not providing the assurances that safety advocates were seeking.

"We told them that the population of workers that we're dealing with is suffering the highest mortality rate and highest injury rate on the job," Ms. Avendano said. "If immigration officials are going to use OSHA as a ruse, all they will do is reduce the trust of workers to go to OSHA with concerns about safety problems."

Dean Boyd, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, emphasized that ruses were standard law enforcement policy. "We're not going to rule out valid investigative techniques," he said.

cont. at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/11/national....html?th&emc=th

[kc456 0]

I have no problem with immigration law enforcement, but it seems wrong to do it under the guise of occupational safety.

[Jasman0717 8]

I think law enforcement used to do the same thing with criminals. If you break the law you pay!

[kc456 0]

Yes, but can they find any other way? What they are doing will discourage people from attending safety orientations.

[I'm Gone 60]

About time the Feds got off their butts and did something. It's all most worth getting arrested to get out of a mandatory government training class. LOL

Edited February 13, 2006 by mdyoung

[kc456 0]

These are all one-offs anyway. Until USCIS/whoever goes after the employers, the violations will continue.

[peejay 327]

Like most of these stories, they love to distort by writing about "immigrants". This story is not about "immigrants". It is about "illegal aliens". It is about foreign nationals that have entered our country illegally without a visa (most likely) or overstayed a visa (not as likely) and are working illegally here for less than prevailing wages. Which is why these unscrupulous employers so love to hire them.

And it is why these inaccurate stories are written to generate sympathetic propaganda to muddy the waters by lumping legal immigrants and illegal aliens together. Legal immigrants with proper authorization have nothing to fear. And illegal aliens get what they deserve...deportation. Too bad these employers don't get what they really deserve...fines and jail.

You can blame George W. and our US Congress for this chronic joke.

[idocare 3]

Well said peejay,

You do have to remember that illegal aliens became that statis because they either broke the law in the past to be here or are presently breaking the law now. Why should they have rights in this country, according to our laws they should be deported so it seems that someone is lax in doing their job.

[Jaylen Brit 0]

I totally agree that employers should face stiffer fines and penaliteis for employing illegals.. they employ them, treat them like dirt, give them no benefits, and pay them nothing, and the excuse is always 'without illegals all the prices would be higher' - but how do we KNOW this? Not EVERY business employs illegal workers and they aren't all struggling to survive. What they really mean is their profits would be lower...

[wait4ever 0]

It would be interesting to hear what OSHA has to say about this tactic. I don't have a problem with deporting illegal immigrants, but I can see how this might have an effect on workplace safety. What the immigration advocates are trying to say is that distrust of OSHA safety among immigrants may lead to serious safety incidents not being reported. The downside of this is that workplace safety might suffer for the illegals and the US citizens working with them, if there was a fear of reporting incidents to OSHA or of participating in safety training.

[arwensun1965 0]

As Jay said Employers are only moaning because there profit will go down, and this is about illegal immigrants not about peeps who have done all of this the right way.

[miranda 0]

I don't mind them doing this at all. When my fiance gets here he will have nothing to fear because we have gone about this in the right way. He will be a legal immigrant. Those who are illegal may face more danger, but in the end, they're here illegally anyway. That may sound cold, but it's irritating. Just before I moved from North Carolina a law was passed stating that illegal aliens would be able to get a driver's license. It would be different from the regular drivers license, but basically serving the same purpose. WHAT'S THE POINT?! Once they identify themselves as an illegal alien needing that license, deport them! I get very angry on this subject. There are many hispanics in North Carolina, I grew up with many whose family immigrated legally, but in the area I lived in everyone just lumped them all together as "Wetbacks" and other racist terms.

Sorry, that is a sore subject for me. I'll get down off my soapbox now.

[peejay 327]

Sorry, that is a sore subject for me. I'll get down off my soapbox now.

Miranda,

Don't get mad, get pro-active. Right now the Senate Judiciary Commitee is debating putting 2 massive amnesty bills on the floor of the US Senate to let ALL of these illegals that broke the law to enter the USA without a visa to be allowed to stay. Everyone else waits in line to do it right and Big Business pushes its illegal workers to the front of the line ahead of everyone. This is absolutely appalling! More rewards for the illegals and the crooks that employ them in violation of our laws. This is exactly 20 years since the last massive amnesty that was shoved down our throats in the Immigration Reform Control Act of 1986. Ronald Reagan and the US Congress promised that in exchange for an amnesty of illegals in 1986 they would pass legislation to enforce immigration laws and penalize employers that hired illegals in the future. THEY LIED! Just look at the joke we have in 2006 with the millions of illegal aliens everywhere. They lied big time!

Don't be fooled again by more promises and lies. Write your Senator to vote against the Spector / McCain / Kennedy guest worker amnesty bills. It is 1986 all over again. Tell your Senator that you want an "enforcement only" bill from the Senate exactly like the US House's HR4437 bill. Enforcement of the law and no amnesty for scofflaws. Don't let the crooks sneak another amnesty bill under our noses ever again. It is just plain wrong to reward crooks and scofflaws.

How's that for a soapbox!!!

[Disipar 0]

Enforcement is the way to go on this type of illegals. People from Mexico for instace view it as their RIGHT to invade the USA illegally. This is nothing like someone overstaying because they just need to be with a spouse and had a denial. These people may plan for years to illegally enter the USA and to then bring their entire family, friends, purely with the intention of working illegally or sponging off USA beneficence.

Applause for the immigration officials posing as Occ. Safety officials to round them up! Very appropriate since it is obvious, people who will not deign to learn the language of the country they will work in, ARE going to be a danger in the workplace, as well as a nuisance. Communication is critical in many workplaces in order to describe working in a safe fashion, as well as any warning that might need to be issued.

And why do these planned illegals not simply learn English well to fit in? Because they do not wish to fit in. And I speak from experience of living beside such twice in my life and trying to help them fit. They dont wish too. They want fancy rims and stereos and to blair them at all hours and throw their bottles in your yard. That's Macho.

But even that is not why they do not want to learn English. It is because there is an organized effort on their part to make Spanish the dominant language not only in the USA, but worldwide. I've spoken to them about this. So don't think it is paranoia. They brought it up in some rantings upon an American site that would not let them post in Spanish.

We should arm ourselves with knowlege and pens, and turn aside this invasion like any other.

DISIPAR

PS. (I am the same race as they are ... but know how to follow a law)

[aidan80 9]

Enforcement is the way to go on this type of illegals. People from Mexico for instace view it as their RIGHT to invade the USA illegally. This is nothing like someone overstaying because they just need to be with a spouse and had a denial. These people may plan for years to illegally enter the USA and to then bring their entire family, friends, purely with the intention of working illegally or sponging off USA beneficence.

Applause for the immigration officials posing as Occ. Safety officials to round them up! Very appropriate since it is obvious, people who will not deign to learn the language of the country they will work in, ARE going to be a danger in the workplace, as well as a nuisance. Communication is critical in many workplaces in order to describe working in a safe fashion, as well as any warning that might need to be issued.

And why do these planned illegals not simply learn English well to fit in? Because they do not wish to fit in. And I speak from experience of living beside such twice in my life and trying to help them fit. They dont wish too. They want fancy rims and stereos and to blair them at all hours and throw their bottles in your yard. That's Macho.

But even that is not why they do not want to learn English. It is because there is an organized effort on their part to make Spanish the dominant language not only in the USA, but worldwide. I've spoken to them about this. So don't think it is paranoia. They brought it up in some rantings upon an American site that would not let them post in Spanish.

We should arm ourselves with knowlege and pens, and turn aside this invasion like any other.

DISIPAR

PS. (I am the same race as they are ... but know how to follow a law)

Disipar,

Sounds like you have something against Mexicans (your fellow country men?) or just different people? I live next door to a family of Mexicans (on a very normal street) and I have to say.. I been here 6 months and in all that time I’ve not witnessed anything the like of what you are talking about! If anything the people next door appear to be as normal as any group of people I’ve encountered. No bottles being tossed, loud music and no fancy rims .. in fact the only fancy rims I’ve seen on this street where a very white American’s car!

I never knew it was a requirement to “learn English” to be in the US? I always thought English and Spanish where the two dominant languages in the US, maybe I’m wrong? I think your version of “fitting in” and other people’s version of “fitting in” are quite different. Legal or illegal you can’t deny a man or woman their right to be different, if you deny them that you’ll eventually deny yourself the same right.

Without this coming across the wrong way, you entire post came across to me as almost fascist in a lot of ways! I’m glad I don’t live next door to you, you might take offence if I put up my Irish flag or get annoyed if I played some music or even worse get really pissed off I failed to speak proper (American?) English in my non American accent.

I’m not trying to defend anyone that’s here illegally I just don’t like it when people get on their “I’m better than them” horse and claim they “sponge” what? Sponge?.. I came here legally and I don’t cant and wouldn’t “sponge” how can an illegal “sponge”? I don’t care what group of people you claim to be from, you’re no better than anyone else in this place!

Edited April 13, 2006 by aidan80