A crackdown on illegals?
Two stories caught my attention today on the illegal immigration front. The first, a Reuters piece but also reported by the NY Times and others, is the arrests of some 1,200 illegal aliens and seven managers (current and former) of the Netherlands based IFCO Systems North America.
Of the companies roughly 5,800 US employees, about half had problems with their Social Security numbers in 2005. The story here is that at last, in a very big and public way, the INS is finally cracking down on this problem.
While it's difficult to determine the size of it's US subsidiary, world revenues for IFCO Systems, based in Amsterdam, were $573.3US million in 2005.
Until now, it had been feared that any INS and Homeland security crackdown would be limited to migrant workers and small businesses. It was thought big business was exempt from action on this issue, shielded by Republicans in Washington. This action on IFCO's US arm serves notice that no company is free to hire at will those who cross our borders illegally.
In almost an addendum to the Times story, Homeland Security announced the addition of 20 teams to track down some 590,000 immigrants who've ignored orders to leave the country and cooperation "with state and local officials to try to identify and if possible deport a large share of the estimated 630,000 foreign-born individuals who are arrested on criminal charges and put into jail."
In another story, it's been reported there are fractures in the coalition of groups supporting illegals. It seems there are concerns, rightly so, by some that the planned May 1st boycott could backfire. There are worries that if they boycott, some could lose their job and further alienate them from US citizens and legal residents and fuel negative public opinion.
Their concern is legitimate. Citizens are already concerned about the illegal immigrant issue, with the worries over national security and the economic impact of so many illegals on jobs, the economy and government services. The displays of illegals and their supporters in the past few weeks has only heightened that concern as photos and film showed 10's and 100's of thousands in the streets of a number of cities marching under the banner of the Mexican flag and demanding "rights".
Yet despite the concerns by some, the arrogance of the majority was voiced by organizers like Nativo Lopez, a boycott supporter and president of the Mexican American Political Assn., who called for a more confrontational approach. "So what's the ruckus about a boycott? We need to put the focus of power with the worker and immigrants, not in the hierarchies, to resolve the immigration reform debate."
Thumbing her nose at Homeland Security, the INS and the legal residents of the US, Julita Rincon, 21, an illegal immigrant and University of Houston student who leads a student activist organization, issued this challenge, "If immigrants continue demonstrating in large numbers, are they going to fire all of them?"
I wonder if Homeland Security will take notice and pay Ms. Rincon a visit?
Workers, managers arrested in immigration case - Reuters
U.S. Cracks Down on Hiring of Illegal Immigrants - NY Times
IFCO Systems US
Immigrants Divided on Boycott - LA Times (Registration Required)
Immigration allies splinter - San Jose Mercury News
Divisions emerge over nationwide boycott, protest - Ocala Star Banner
Of the companies roughly 5,800 US employees, about half had problems with their Social Security numbers in 2005. The story here is that at last, in a very big and public way, the INS is finally cracking down on this problem.
While it's difficult to determine the size of it's US subsidiary, world revenues for IFCO Systems, based in Amsterdam, were $573.3US million in 2005.
Until now, it had been feared that any INS and Homeland security crackdown would be limited to migrant workers and small businesses. It was thought big business was exempt from action on this issue, shielded by Republicans in Washington. This action on IFCO's US arm serves notice that no company is free to hire at will those who cross our borders illegally.
In almost an addendum to the Times story, Homeland Security announced the addition of 20 teams to track down some 590,000 immigrants who've ignored orders to leave the country and cooperation "with state and local officials to try to identify and if possible deport a large share of the estimated 630,000 foreign-born individuals who are arrested on criminal charges and put into jail."
In another story, it's been reported there are fractures in the coalition of groups supporting illegals. It seems there are concerns, rightly so, by some that the planned May 1st boycott could backfire. There are worries that if they boycott, some could lose their job and further alienate them from US citizens and legal residents and fuel negative public opinion.
Their concern is legitimate. Citizens are already concerned about the illegal immigrant issue, with the worries over national security and the economic impact of so many illegals on jobs, the economy and government services. The displays of illegals and their supporters in the past few weeks has only heightened that concern as photos and film showed 10's and 100's of thousands in the streets of a number of cities marching under the banner of the Mexican flag and demanding "rights".
Yet despite the concerns by some, the arrogance of the majority was voiced by organizers like Nativo Lopez, a boycott supporter and president of the Mexican American Political Assn., who called for a more confrontational approach. "So what's the ruckus about a boycott? We need to put the focus of power with the worker and immigrants, not in the hierarchies, to resolve the immigration reform debate."
Thumbing her nose at Homeland Security, the INS and the legal residents of the US, Julita Rincon, 21, an illegal immigrant and University of Houston student who leads a student activist organization, issued this challenge, "If immigrants continue demonstrating in large numbers, are they going to fire all of them?"
I wonder if Homeland Security will take notice and pay Ms. Rincon a visit?
Workers, managers arrested in immigration case - Reuters
U.S. Cracks Down on Hiring of Illegal Immigrants - NY Times
IFCO Systems US
Immigrants Divided on Boycott - LA Times (Registration Required)
Immigration allies splinter - San Jose Mercury News
Divisions emerge over nationwide boycott, protest - Ocala Star Banner
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