Over 1,200 janitors fired in MN immigration audit

[peejay 327]

Over 1,200 janitors fired in MN immigration audit

November 9, 2009

By The Associated Press AMY FORLITI (Associated Press Writer)

More than 1,200 janitors fired in Twin Cities after company checks immigration documents

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Roughly 1,250 Twin Cities janitors with suspect employment documents were fired from their jobs in October as their company carried out an audit prompted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an immigration attorney said Monday.

The janitors worked for ABM Industries Inc., a New-York based company that provides janitorial services nationwide.

John Keller, executive director of the nonprofit Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, said the firings happened in phases over the month of October. He said he first learned of the audit in early June, when his office received a call from the workers' union.

ABM had sent employees letters that said ICE was requiring workers to show additional documents proving they had legal status to work in the U.S., Keller said.

"Federal law prescribes specific procedures by which employers conduct employment verification activities. Our policy is full compliance with the law," Tony Mitchell, ABM Industries Vice President of Corporate Communications, said in a statement.

A copy of ABM's letter to employees was posted Monday on the Web site of Minnesota Public Radio News, which first reported the firings. The letter said, "ICE has informed ABM that the documentation you previously provided to confirm your employment authorization in the United States does not satisfy the I-9 Form employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act."

The letter directed employees to bring in additional documents. The deadline was extended multiple times to give workers more time to provide the proper paperwork — with the final deadline in October.

"We don't really know what initiated the investigation," Keller said. "It sounds like it began under the previous administration in 2007."

The Obama administration has conducted similar audits on businesses. Immigration officials sent notices to more than 600 businesses in July of plans to audit their I-9 forms, which document employment eligibility. The businesses weren't identified.

In the Twin Cities audit, Keller said, the vast majority of the 1,250 fired workers turned out to be undocumented. Keller said to his knowledge, no one was arrested or deported.

Tim Counts, an ICE spokesman in Minnesota, said the agency doesn't discuss ongoing enforcement activity.

Keller said he hadn't seen an audit of this scope before.

"It's usually a very limited review of a much, much smaller number of people," he said.

http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/over-...audit-1.1577091

[Nessa 23]

terrible.

[Heracles 417]

This is bullshit!, "They're just targeting brown people". The 10.2% of Americans out of work, many in foreclosure, would never do these jobs anyway.

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Strangely enough, 1,200 Americans will now opportunities for work.

Edited November 10, 2009 by Booyah!

[Nessa 23]

poor things lost their jobs. just terrible. how are they gonna help Mexico's economy now? What's happening to the United States?

[Chica Yeyé 41]

poor things lost their jobs. just terrible. how are they gonna help Mexico's economy now? What's happening to the United States?

Nessa, #######.

[mawilson 2,133]

Oh no, not janitors!!! Anyone but janitors!

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

Damn janitors and their evil cleaning ways, they are changing America's cleaning traditions!

Deport their clean behind!

[Heracles 417]

poor things lost their jobs. just terrible. how are they gonna help Mexico's economy now? What's happening to the United States?

[Danno 1,228]

poor things lost their jobs. just terrible. how are they gonna help Mexico's economy now? What's happening to the United States?

[peejay 327]

I find it ironic that these illegal aliens have unionized to fight for rights they are not entitled to in the first place. Considering that these companies hired illegal aliens in the first place to replace American workers that unionized themselves and to break the unions. The same thing happened in the meatpacking industry (amongst others).

Cheap labor or cheap votes. The American worker has taken it up the ####### from both the Right and Left political elites that run the country for the benefit of themselves and their cronies for years. Where is the "change"?

Actually I see no reason to waste time, money, or effort to arrest, deport, and detain illegal aliens. E-Verify should be the law of the land for every employer in the USA. They will self deport or they can contact their own country's embassies to repatriate them home. These people are the responsibility of their own governments.

Are you listening Obama, Pelosi, Reid? We have 18% American unemployment / underemployment. Why do you keep promising Green Cards, work authorization, and citizenship to millions of illegal aliens? Why do you block and delay E-Verify? Who do you work for and what are your priorities?

Edited November 11, 2009 by peejay

[Pooky 3,874]

It's not exactly a clean sweep, now, is it?

For a start, there's no-one to clean and no-one to sweep, either.

It's a dirty business, to be sure.

[peejay 327]

It's not exactly a clean sweep, now, is it?

For a start, there's no-one to clean and no-one to sweep, either.

It's a dirty business, to be sure.

The truth is that Napolitano's D.H.S. (on the orders of her boss Obama) has hobbled immigration and workplace enforcement to the point that it is even a worst joke than when that nitwit Bush was running the show. These illegal aliens will just use the same fake ID elsewhere and go to work somewhere else. This one incident is the fruit of investigations started back in 2007. No doubt Napolitano couldn't sweep this one under the carpet, but she did manage to keep Obama's pets from being arrested and deported. In the end you can bet these millions of amnestied illegal aliens will vote for who brung 'em.

The question is...how does this benefit the vast majority of the American people? The answer is...it doesn't! So why do these politicians publicly promise to amnesty illegal aliens and let them become voting US citizens? The answer...if you're too stupid to figure it out for yourself you get what you deserve for voting these pricks into office in the first place.

[DeadPoolX 9]

Hmmm... they should watch out. Janitors can be dangerous as the image below shows.

[peejay 327]

Hmmm... they should watch out. Janitors can be dangerous as the image below shows.

I think you are mistaken...these are extraterrestrial aliens...not illegal aliens.

[Heracles 417]

The question is...how does this benefit the vast majority of the American people? The answer is...it doesn't! So why do these politicians publicly promise to amnesty illegal aliens and let them become voting US citizens? The answer...if you're too stupid to figure it out for yourself you get what you deserve for voting these pricks into office in the first place.

I am still waiting on Scandal to answer this in that other bullcrap thread he created. Give me your poor... yada yada yada snooze....

Edited November 11, 2009 by Booyah!