Hispanics hand Warner a verbal drubbing

The Deseret News ^ | 12/14/2001 | Jerry Johnston

[Utah Girl]

      U.S. Attorney Paul Warner says he has no regrets about this week's sweep of 271 illegal airport workers.

Alejandro Laguna, former airport employee, lectures U.S. Attorney Paul Warner at roundtable.

Chuck Wing, Deseret News

      "I make no apologies for these prosecutions; I make no excuses for these prosecutions," Warner told a gathering of local Hispanic leaders at the Centro Civico Mexicano on Thursday.
      The meeting was called to discuss the "roundup" of illegal airport workers and the arrest of 69 earlier this week. Most of those in custody are Hispanic.
      "If the process is offensive, I'm sorry," Warner said. "That's the way it is."
      The tears, anger and comments that followed Warner's remarks showed that the Hispanic community indeed found the process offensive.
      For more than an hour, Warner and Utah's Latinos seemed to talk at cross purposes, with Hispanic leaders asking questions about suffering families and mistreatment of detainees and Warner responding with comments about the rule of law.
      Warner tried to defuse charges of racism early by saying the singling out of individuals was a blind process and investigators operated in good faith.
      "I categorically reject we were targeting Latinos," he said. "We targeted a place — the airport."
      When asked why no employers had been called to justice, Warner said the investigation did not develop enough evidence against them.
      "The employers have the same screening process you do," said local activist Bob Gallegos.
      In an interview later, Warner said: "If I can prosecute an employer, I'd be happy to do it. What's good for the goose is good for the gander."
      During his own news conference following the meeting at the Centro Civico Mexicano, Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson said he also felt the employers should be held to a higher accountability.
      Anderson criticized the system set forth by the federal government of giving illegal aliens a "wink and a nod" to work at low-paying jobs that the U.S. economy depends on, and then turning around and prosecuting those workers.
      "We need integrity in our system," Anderson said. "(The undocumented workers) have been lulled into these circumstances. And the ones who are most responsible for this are not the ones facing jail during the holidays."
      Many of those arrested may have worked at other restaurants or hotels in the past with no problems, Anderson said. They may not have realized the security differences between a job at the airport and somewhere else, he suggested.
      Anderson said he did not condone the falsifying of documents or the giving of false information on a job application. He also agreed that airport safety was the highest priority. But he again stated Thursday that the roundup should have been handled differently.
      The mayor is now hoping for the prosecution to move swiftly so those arrested can be released as soon as possible.
      Several high-profile defense attorneys were on hand at the Centro Civico Mexicano representing their clients, as well as the family members of many Hispanics now in jail. Vicky Newton was there to plead the case of her brother, a Chilean immigrant.
      "He has never broken the law," she said. "He has a condo and a car. He pays taxes. But they're treating him like an assassin."
      Indeed, the most heated exchanges came in discussions of "equal treatment under the law" when lawyers and leaders chided Warner and his associates for throwing people in jail over the kind of immigration violations that are usually handled with a simple fine. Warner replied that we are in a "post- 9/11" world now and "the airport is a sensitive place."

[Utah Girl]

I hate to be a hard nose, but the law is the law. Anderson does not have any suggestions on how it should have been handled, except that he would have warned the illegals to just disappear before the roundup. He is such a jerk. How about following the law and helping those illegals get a green card, Mr Anderson???

[Utah Girl]

More of Rocky's antics.

[VaBthang4]

"If the process is offensive, I'm sorry," Warner said. "That's the way it is."

Bravo.

The tears, anger and comments that followed Warner's remarks showed that the Hispanic community indeed found the process offensive.

Then carry your tail south of the border. I am sure that the process involved in enforcing the law there is equally as offensive to morons who dont obey the law but down there at least someone might care.

IDIOTS!

[Bikers4Bush]

Illegal means illegal. If they come here and take the chance of being caught then they have nothing to bitch about when they ARE caught.

[freedomcrusader]

Vicky Newton was there to plead the case of her brother, a Chilean immigrant.

"He has never broken the law," she said.

Really? Then neither he nor she has absolutely nothing to worry about. Or is she LYING, and it is, in fact, the case that he broke the law by (1) being here illegally, and (2) lying about it on his employment forms?

[freedomcrusader]

Wow, that was terrible!!! I meant to say: "Neither he nor she has anything to worry about."

Also, "He and she have absolutely nothing to worry about.", would have sufficed.

Ack!!!

[Clemenza]

What a bunch of whiners! I would like to see the Mormon Militia reunite and send these pinkos to hell.

[Utah Girl]

LOL! Rocky Anderson is a former Mormon, therein lies a lot of the conflict he has with everyone.

[OldFriend]

Well, I'll be........a man who did the RIGHT thing and is not apologyzing for it.

[TheDon]

These hispanics are sure generating a lot of bad press for themselves.

[mvscal]

When asked why no employers had been called to justice, Warner said the investigation did not develop enough evidence against them. "The employers have the same screening process you do," said local activist Bob Gallegos.

On the other hand, this is a fair question. How did find all these illegals and not get any evidence against their employers? Funny how the law and order types are all over the Mexicans, but give a free pass to their employers.

[Utah Girl]

And I tend to agree with that. The company(s) should also be investigated to see if they are turning a blind eye to following the law.

[Utah Girl]

I've really liked Paul Warner in all of this. He's been blunt and followed the law. Too bad if it hurt someone's feelings. If the law is so bad, then it should be changed, not ignored.

[Dakmar]

I'm kind of p.o.ed that these people think they can come here and tell us how to run our country. The only reason they are here is because the countries they come from are even more screwed up.

[Utah Girl]

I'm with you, I just hate the booming base in car stereos and the obscenely loud hip-hop. The good news is, the town I live in enforces that law that forbids extremely loud car stereos.

[freekitty]

" Several high-profile defense attorneys were on hand at the Centro Civico Mexicano representing their clients, as well as the family members of many Hispanics now in jail. Vicky Newton was there to plead the case of her brother, a Chilean immigrant. "He has never broken the law," she said. "He has a condo and a car. He pays taxes. But they're treating him like an assassin."

What Vickey Newton, like others, don't mention the obvious problem is these people are not here legally. Let them bellyache. Warner is right and I say hang tough.

[cascademountaineer]

You have to tackle both ends of the situation. Otherwise Illegal immigration will continue. However these people arrested are breaking the law. By not showing respect for the laws and immigration processes of the country in which they have come to reside, they by default send a message that they have no respect for the rest of the laws of the country.

You cant simply pick and choose which laws you want to obey, and which ones you dont. If that happened, society itself would break down.

[ikanakattara]

Illegal aliens need to be deported.

[mvscal]

You cant simply pick and choose which laws you want to obey, and which ones you dont. If that happened, society itself would break down.

Nor can you simply pick and choose the laws you want to enforce.

The employers suffer no consequences for their illegal actions and we enjoy the low cost services provided by these employers and yet the illegals are supposed to be the bad guys? Sorry, I'm not buying it.

[mvscal]

"We need to get rid of them before they get a chance to mobilize against us."

Who's going to pick your lettuce or bus your tables, cook your food, clean your house, landscape your neighborhood, load your baggage, work at your meat packing plants and thousands of other jobs that you sneer at, but have to get done?

[ibbryn]

Easiest way to stop employment of illegal aliens is to offer a $10,000 reward to those who turn in the employers. Anyone gets the reward, citizen or not. The first day it was offered you'd have illegal aliens who work in dead end, low paid jobs lining up to turn in their (former) employers. They'd take their $10k and go home. Then next day every employer would recheck all their paperwork and fire any illegals they had. The third day, there'd be no illegals working. Fourth day...

[Polybius]

Who's going to pick your lettuce or bus your tables, cook your food, clean your house, landscape your neighborhood, load your baggage, work at your meat packing plants and thousands of other jobs that you sneer at, but have to get done?

How about the American citizens that are sitting on their butts collecting welfare? How about the legal aliens with legal work permits and Green Cards?

I am a foreign born Hispanic myself and the people who clean my house and mow my lawn are native born "Anglo" Americans. If they were not around, I guess we would just have to do those jobs ourselves.

[cascademountaineer]

That was my point. Its a two sided problem. And Id actually like to see the INS tackle some issues dealing with employers. They are the ones after all, that to a certain degree are responsible for this.

However it doesnt excuse what these people have done. They show little or no respect for America or the American people by undercutting wages of everyday people and showing disrespect for the laws that everyone else is supposed to obey. Businesses that do obey the law are forced into competing with businesses that cut costs and overhead by employing illegals. It is not fair to the average American, especially when the current job market is mixed. And its definitely not good for the economy because inferior products may win out simply on the basis that the companies that employ illegals pay less overhead than the companies that do not break the law.

This isnt a perfect solution, and I agree with you on your points. Ive been hoping to see crooked businesses held accountable for a long time. And this issue is a major factor that needs to be seriously addresed.

Someone, somewhere needs to address this issue. The border situation is absolutely beyond ridiculous. The concept that we can send American kids half way around the world to protect someone elses borders but we cant, or arent even willing to protect our own is an indictment against not only the entire system. But also the people that protect the entire rotten racket and keep it going.

[EBUCK]

I don't think we should even call it a "Border" until it is guarded. There is no reason that the Marines in MCRD San Diego that are going thru boot can't spend a month on the border. We did it while I was there and cause there was some rioting going on in LA (thank you OJ!!). Rumor had it that after the first coupla days we were there the "flow" was stopped dead.

[mvscal]

How about the American citizens that are sitting on their butts collecting welfare?

Screw those deadbeat losers. I have much more respect for the wetback who comes here to work his ass off in a low paying job to support himself and his family. They don't disrespect America by being here. They're here to make a living just like anyone else. Sorry, I'm just not going to criticize someone who comes here to work. Legal or not.

[WarHawk42]

"He has never broken the law," she said. "He has a condo and a car. He pays taxes. But they're treating him like an
assassin."

Umm, yes he did.  He broke the law when he entered this country illegally.  Dummy!!

WarHawk42

[Polybius]

They don't disrespect America by being here. They're here to make a living just like anyone else. Sorry, I'm just not going to criticize someone who comes here to work. Legal or not.

They disrespect America by thumbing their noses at America's law.

I guess that is a critical difference in philosophy. Some people have a respect for the rule of law. It appears that you do not.

Once America becomes a country where the rule of law means absolutely nothing, then America will become just another Banana Republic, an authoritarian state at either end of the political spectrum or a country existing in a state of near anarchy as Russia exists today.

[cascademountaineer]

They don't disrespect America by being here.

Yes they do. Know who they disrespect? its not the crooked businessman. Its the guy trying to feed his family with bills to pay. Thats who they disrespect.

If we yanked welfare, and stemmed the tide of illegal immigration, guess what? the working wage would go...Up.

In other words, anyone who is unemployed, those "dead beat losers" as you call them - who by the way are also your fellow citizens, many of them who are also single mothers that are legit and just trying to make it in the world. Would be attracted or forced into working. Even menial jobs.

You talk about migrant labor like thats the only issue. In fact its a rather minor issue when the problem is looked at overall. Sorry for the reality check but illegals arent just in some field somewhere. They are on loading docks, construction crews, a few even got busted handling baggage at an airport. And no, Im not kidding. I wish I was.

The lesson here is that it drives down the living wage for everyone involved. You seem to have missed that. You also seem to have some kind of perception that illegals are only hispanic and that they are only working in the fields. Both are dead wrong. Remember Nikolay Soltys? Its unfortunately attitudes like these that are keeping American workers shafted by raising the cost of overhead for decent employers that do obey the law.

Its not fair to anyone. Either American citizens or legal immigrants who end up getting scapegoated because of the law breaking behavior of a few.

I thought along the same lines as you once. Then I grew up, got real and gained some perspective. I reccomend maybe you do the same.

[TLBSHOW]

is there a plan?

[TN Republican]

[Arnold Bronstein]

WHAT ARROGANCE. How crazy are these illegal aliens to think they come illegally into our country and then get hysterically angry when they get caught like we Americans are being unfair to them. ARE THEY CRAZY OR WHAT? We should throw them, citizen are not, out of the country just to reduce the insanity in this country. GET RID OF THEM AND BE DONE WITH THOSE IDIOTS.

[Frank Vera]

There is only one solution to illegal immigration.

Implement asset forfeiture laws. It is illegal for them to be here. It is illegal to hire them. It is illegal to transport them. It is illegal to harbor them.

Seize all the assets and property of illegal aliens, the businesses that hire them, the vehicles that transport them, and the homes of those that harbor them.

If the bureaucrats realize that, they can make MILLIONS, by enforcing the laws. Illegal immigration will end.

Those delusional few that have stated that these poor, misunderstood “migrants want to work” need to go to any welfare office or county hospital for a reality check.

These “migrants”, criminals, are stealing from our children, parents, and from U.S.

[MissAmericanPie]

Hopefully those we kick off welfare will do those jobs, yes?

[185JHP]

I suspect it has to do with campaign contributions. You're right - employers are the uncastigated co-conspirators in this crime.

[Priscilla]

Hey Maalaea! Who is going to what??? Look at old school books, WE Americans did our own work! That is right! The first time foreigners did our work was the disasterous Bracero program of WW2. It was then that the Zoot Suiters entered the picture! Gangs, and more Gangs, the gang infestation entered California's picture, before that, there were no wetbacks here and no gangs. source: My 77 year old Mother in law! She still remembers! She lived in East L.A. back then.

[Brownie74]

Bump!! Thanks for the link.