Speaking of ICE, they've struck again -- this time at the Smithfield meat-packing plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina, rounding up workers at 4 in the morning.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are raiding communities today in St. Paul and Lumberton, North Carolina, demonstrating, once again, the abject failure of the U.S. immigration system...
Worksite law enforcement and other ICE actions around identity and immigration issues are a symptom of a failed immigration system, and no substitute for comprehensive reform. They represent a form of political theater that ends in real human tragedy—the devastation of communities, breakup of families, and the defilement of fundamental American values.
Once again, the Bush Administration has played the bully to show its base that it is tough on enforcement. By sending dogs, guns and shackles into trailer parks to round up hardworking immigrants, ICE agents looked more like thugs than the protectors of a great nation...
Our public policy must always be first informed with our humanity, fairness and the promise of America.
And over at Daily Kos, diarist anonymousisawoman had one of the first reports of the raids -- hours before it hit the Web anywhere else.
UPDATE: Change to Win statement:
We reject any immigration policy that relies on employing ‘shock and awe’ tactics against hard-working people, many of whom are citizens or fully documented legal immigrants, and we call on Congress to reform our immigration system so that every working man and woman in this country has a chance to achieve the American Dream.
Comments (2)
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I beg to differ. I whole heartedly welcome legal immigrants, but illegal immigrants depress the prevailing wage, steal working peoples ID's and social security numbers, and reward employers who don't want to pay benefits or decent wages. They also rack up health care bills under false names and leave us holding the bag with higher insurance costs. I understand wanting a better life, but it shouldn't be at the expense of the U.S. workers. When the illegals are removed from packing plants they have been forced to employ local citizens at higher wages. Illegals are the Walmarts of the workforce. Hoffa has rightly defended our roads against their uninsoectred trucks. ICE is defending us from undocumented cheap labor. A better tactic would be to organize all workers in the NAFTA and CAFTA zones so they had a living wage in their own country.
Posted by Wade Laszlo on August 23, 2007 at 10:58 PM
Posted on August 23, 2007 at 10:58 PM
Re: Wade.
The argument wasn't different back in the 1950s when today's immigration laws were being negotiated. So, that's why the laws are pretty permissive about educated, skilled immigrants coming in, but basically do not allow any "working class" or "laborer" immigrants. The quota for, say "maids and gardeners" is ZERO. There is no legal path to entry for anyone who wants to work hard, but has only a high school diploma and no in-demand skills. So a lot of people get in via the "family reunification" angle -- if they're related to a legal resident, they can get in, if they wait. People without that connection, if they really want to immigrate, come through illegally.
The laws have failed, and need some changing.
Posted by jk on August 27, 2007 at 10:31 PM
Posted on August 27, 2007 at 10:31 PM