Posted on 04/27/2006 4:19:08 AM PDT by Dane
Beardstown plant to close Monday for immigration rallies
By LISA KERNEK STAFF WRITER
Published Wednesday, April 26, 2006
BEARDSTOWN - The Cargill Meat Solutions pork-processing plant will close Monday to allow workers to take part in a national day of immigration-rights rallies.
The Beardstown plant is one seven across the nation that Cargill will close that day, company spokesman Mark Klein said Tuesday.
"There seems to be a lot of momentum related to May 1, and it makes sense to go this way," Klein said. "We have similar feelings about immigration-reform proposals that a number of our employees have."
Approximately 35 percent of the 2,200 employees of the Beardstown plant are Hispanic, Klein said.
Congress is considering the biggest reform of immigration laws since 1986, and on Tuesday, President Bush urged the Senate to approve the legislation by Memorial Day. Lawmakers from both parties expressed optimism they could succeed.
Bush convened a bipartisan meeting at the White House as part of an effort to free the legislation from Senate gridlock. The bill would strengthen border protection and give most of the estimated 11 million immigrants who are in the country illegally a chance to gain citizenship eventually.
Bush said after Tuesday's session that he can "report to the American people that there is a common desire" for an immigration overhaul.
But the public remains divided, and Cargill opposes an aspect of the proposed reforms that would make felons of unauthorized immigrants.
"We think employers need better tools for verifying employer eligibility," Klein added. "And there should be a way to have earned legalization."
Closed Monday will be two Cargill pork plants, including one in Iowa, and five beef plants in Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas and Texas.
"This rally is for people to express their concern about immigration reform, and that isn't just limited to Hispanics. It includes Caucasians who were born here," Klein said.
Beardstown Mayor Bob Walters criticized the decision to close the plant.
"The bottom line is, employers cannot operate without illegals," Walters said.
He said he wrote an e-mail to U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, "informing him that the packing house is going to close, and that tells me how many illegals are working there. Why in the hell isn't somebody at INS (the Immigration and Naturalization Service) checking it out?"
Walters said the Cargill plant does help the city's economy, "but what they're doing (Monday) is wrong."
Klein denied that the company knowingly hires unauthorized immigrants.
Cargill is aggressive about verifying employment eligibility, voluntarily running a federal check of Social Security numbers to make sure they are legitimate, he said.
"We've also been audited over the years by what is now the Citizenship and Immigration Service, and we have done well," Klein said, referring to the former INS.
Walters said he has heard unconfirmed reports that Beardstown High School students are planning to skip classes Monday as well.
School Superintendent Robert Bagby said he was unaware of any students' plans to do so.
"We're taking a little bit of a different approach where we're going to use this as a learning opportunity for students," Bagby said.
Preliminary plans are for a high school assembly featuring a guest speaker from Western Illinois University and a panel discussion on immigration, Bagby said. The assembly is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday.
The school district enrolls 1,600 students in preschool through 12th grade, and close to 40 percent are Hispanic, he said.
On March 31, some 100 junior high and high school students skipped classes for a demonstration calling attention to the proposed immigration law changes.
Well gee Mr. Walters, the liberal Justices on SCOTUS gave you the Kelo decision. Why don't you just declare eminent domain to close down a food plant that in your opinion doesn't hire the "right" kind of workers.
Sounds like a *motherlode* of criminal, illegal aliens at the Cargill plants. Is ICE coming to visit, anytime soon? Doubt it.
"The bottom line is, employers cannot operate without illegals," Walters said."
I've been an employer for 16 years, and don't employ any illegal alien mexicans, so that statement is BS.
Sounds like Cargill is addicted to cheap labor like America is addicted to (once)cheap oil.
So you are saying that America should be addicted to govt. mandated labor costs.
That was tried once, the place was called the soviet union.
More and more it looks as if 20 million aggressive and demanding illegal aliens have intimidated the timid and compassionate American population. If we, as a people, are too timid to even defend our own country from invaders, we no longer deserve to have a country, and we will surely lose it.
Yeah shut down that evil meat plant.
The far right and left have joined at the political circle in their hatred of business.
You do know that picture was taken at a California high school and was done by a group of students probably egged on by their liberal teachers.
How come there is not a peep from you about taking back the schools from the liberals(in the form of vouchers).
I said no such thing. The market determines that. Your analogy is idiotic, as usual.
Sound to me like the poster is saying that American companies should follow American law. Evidently you disagree. But we all already knew that.
L
The truth hurts, doesn't it.
Once again, another moronic statement from you. I have a hatred of criminal, illegal aliens and any criminal business who knowingly hires them.
I've been an employer for 16 years and haven't ever hired one. America doesn't need the trash.
If the Bush Administration had any concept of its duty to the Constitution and to provide for our security, on Tuesday the Cargill plant would still be closed because all the illegals who went to the "rally" would be getting their butts deported back to Mexico.
Wishful thinking, I guess.
You wouldn't know the truth, if you heard it.
I've been an employer for 16 years and haven't ever hired one. America doesn't need the trash.
Wow producing pork chops is now criminal.
BTW, I guess America didn't need the immigrant "trash" of Andy Grove either, founder of Intel. If that immigratnt "trash" hadn't come to America, you probably wouldn't be posting on FR right now.
He did it legally. Does your mommy know you're using her computer this early in the morning? Ummm, thought so.
Like I said before to you, the truth hurts, no wonder you resort to juvenile attacks.
Cheap labor? They're unionized. Their starting pay is something like double minimum wage. Most of their plants are in fairly small towns, and they are among the highest-paying employers in town.
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