Posted on 04/16/2008 11:54:30 AM PDT by Tennessee Nana
Federal agents began a probe into immigration violations today in Chattanooga and several other states.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents along with Chattanooga police raided the Pilgrim's Pride plants in South Chattanooga this morning.
They loaded vans with suspected illegal immigrants.
Other agents hit Pilgrim's Pride plants in Florida and Arkansas.
The probe centers around an alleged scam to provide fake identification for illegal immigrant workers.
Pilgrim's Pride reportedly is cooperating in the investigation.
Far too many times this is happening lately and we had pretty much eliminated it in the past, so one can only assume, that the third world practices are becoming the norm in the U.S.
Sorry, but these practices that endanger life and health of Americans will NOT be tolerated no matter who is at fault.
I'd like to see a sentence along the lines of "The CEO was sentenced to one year in the county jail, with a cellmate name "Igor, The Lonely One".
This is all great news but until all states have an Arizona style punish-the-guy-that-hires-them law or some other PUNATIVE actions against the higher ups, these raids will be marked off as a "cost of doing business".
I agree.
I'm certainly happy, and grateful that ICE and Homeland Security are out and about cracking down here and there; but will remain guardedly optimistic. With the May 1 protests coming up, the cynic in me says that this is a show of force for public consumption, and something to be pointed to when Americans complain that nothing is being done.
Getting the illegals back home is important, but we also need to tag the executives creating incentives and niches for them to come here in the first place.
If you are purchasing meat or poultry at your local grocery store, I’m told that there is NONE that hasn’t, at some point in the process, be handled by illegal aliens. Our U.S. grown fruits and vegetables are being picked by illegal aliens. I’ve yet to see a port a pot or handwashing station out in the fields and gawd only knows what goes on in the processing plants.
So even here in the US, we are all really taking our chances. Best thing I’m told to do is a chlorox and water soak/wash for all my meats, fruits and vegetables.
“With the May 1 protests coming up, the cynic in me says that this is a show of force for public consumption, and something to be pointed to when Americans complain that nothing is being done.”
Timing is everything. It’s not like ICE just learned that Pilgrims was employing illegal aliens. I hear too that the Pope is suppose to be addressing our ‘immigration’ problem (and lack of compassion) while he is here and that the Minutemen are outraged after learning that the church’s funding some kind of support in Mexico for our illegals.
IMO it’s all a dog and pony show to garner sympathy. Why else would they be spending tax payer money to round up and deport a bunch of illegals (never the executives) that can easily cross back over the border next week?
Wednesday –April 16 2008- Little Rock , Arkansas- KeepArkansasLegal, an immigration reform group based in Arkansas, would like to express support for the raid on Pilgrim’s Pride Poultry Plant in Batesville ,AR. We would also like to encourage the effort to prosecute the executive officers of this negligent company.
Illegals make up less than 5% of the US workforce and are less than 3% of the GDP. Studies that claim to show illegal aliens are a benefit to the economy mix illegal aliens with legal immigrants to hide the cost of illegal immigration. Illegal immigration has become a problem for the State of Arkansas as thousands of illegal aliens are smuggled into the state to be used as cheap labor by greedy corporations like Pilgrim’s Pride. The friends and family of those illegal workers end up on state benefits such as free education and food stamps. While Arkansas Citizens were busy filing their taxes, illegals were getting that tax money and a few greedy corporations were paying their illegal workers under the table. While the majority of companies in Arkansas are legitimate businesses that use the capitalist system, Pilgrim’s Pride decided to use the exploitation system that is used in corrupt regimes like China and Mexico .
We can expect the PR spin that will occur after this raid. Pilgrim’s Pride will get a pass for hiring hundreds of illegal aliens by claiming it was fooled by people who can’t even speak English, just like the excuse used by Petit Jean Poultry. A fake SSN can be checked on websites like checkmyssn.com. Many in the press will write guilt-trip stories about the families of illegals far more than they wrote about the family of Daniel Francis who was killed by an illegal alien in Arkansas . Groups like the AR Friendship Coalition will try to bring race into the issue and the Mexican Narco-Regime will complain about the raid since they believe US taxpayers are responsible for Mexican Citizens.
We believe that more raids should be done on crooked companies that hire illegals until they reform or go out of business. Companies that hire illegals should be forced to pay for all the expenses of processing and deporting the illegals they hired and the corporate executives should serve jail time for at least negligence. We also believe that state and local governments should do their part to force illegals out of the state. We urge the people of Arkansas to support the ballot initiative under review by the Attorney General which will require proof of citizenship to obtain state benefits. We also urge voters to support candidates who have the best record on opposing illegal immigration in upcoming May 20th election. We must follow the example of Oklahoma in reducing illegal immigration as much as possible!
Kenny J. Wallis
President KeepArkansasLegal
501-412-4063
http://keeparkansaslegal.blogspot.com/
###
Arkansas Ping!
Good !...;0)
MAJOR BARF ALERT
Human Toll of ICE Raids
Families were ripped apart by Wednesday’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at Pilgrim’s Pride. Many of those often described as living “in the shadows” are frightened.
“I’ve been working this for eight years, just house to house, to gain their trust,” said the Reverend Michael Feeley, “and now, people are scared.”
He is speaking for an uneasy Hispanic community in the wake of the arrests. Phones at his St. Andrews Center and at La Paz de Dios have been ringing off the hook since the raid began. “The families here in town, they’re traumatized,” the reverend confessed. “Any family would be. You know, we had kids going home on the school bus today from some of the local schools not sure who if anyone would be home.”
The school system worked to make sure students would have a place to go after class today, but with a primary bread winner behind bars, what about the future?
“Economically,” explained Feeley, “things were rough, anyway, for a lot of them. And now you take away the person or persons making any kind of money and that’s tough.”
“ICE and maybe the other agents did, I’m sure, what they had to do,” he continued, “but it’s been a terrible tragedy, I think, for this community.” As groups mobilize to feed and help families caught up in the crack-down, Rev. Feeley urges the community to remember the issue is not solely about law and order.
“There’s human damage here,” he said. “Laws have been broken or have alleged to have been broken and I’m distressed about that, but I’m even more distress over kids who haven’t done anything wrong who don’t have a parent home tonight and others who are not sure what to do.”
http://www.wrcbtv.com/news/index.cfm?sid=3930
“the issue is not solely about law and order.”
No, Rev Feeley, the issue is solely about law and order
Boo Hoo...;0)
Whatever electronic gadgets our lower income families own, have nothing to do with "dirt poor Americans" no longer existing. It has everything to do with those items becoming dirt cheap.
"Very few Americans hope their children grow up to have manual labor jobs. I do not intend for my two girls to work the fields picking lettuce. "
You are not the only person who want's better for their children. You may be the only person who believes that 'better' comes without a little manual labor. I have been blessed with more than my parents and their parents combined. It did NOT come without hard work, much of it manual labor. Many years of it farm work.
"My point is that certain manual labor jobs can move to Mexico instead of moving Mexicans to the jobs. We are ALL better off if this happens. Mexicans with jobs, money, futures, investments, etc have more incentive to stay home and DEMAND RULE OF LAW from their corrupt politicians. "
Ah yes, the rising tide theory. Problem is, these jobs do not go to Mexico and pay "dirt poor American" wages. They pay 'dirt poor Mexican' wages. Not much of a revolution will be waged on that budget. And in the bargain, the American jobs ebb.
Mexicans do indeed need to clean their own house. It won't be done by importing their would be revolutionaries here, or by our pacifying them there.
Tennessee Raid Ping!
Appreciate the effort ... some reason they didn't hit any Tyson plants, KNOWN for the illegal-Mexican workforce for DECADES now??
Rallies against ICE raids set
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