BREAKING NEWS - Judge Blocks Part of Arizona Law

[Janice]

Obama Administration Cracks Down on Employers of Illegal Immigrants
July 10, 2010 · Leave a Comment
http://www.allgov.com/ViewNews/Obama_Administration_Cracks_Down_on_Employers_of_Illegal_Immigrants_100712

CHICAGO (Reuters) – The government is taking a new approach in its effort to crack down on illegal workers by quietly auditing the employment records of thousands of companies suspected of hiring undocumented immigrants rather than staging high-profile worksite raids, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

The Times said the Obama administration had conducted such audits at more than 2,900 companies so far — a number it said dwarfed the number of companies affected by the immigration raids at factories and farms during the eight-year administration of Obama’s Republican predecessor, George W. Bush.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known as ICE, has imposed $3 million in fines on businesses found to be in violation.

The Times said the government forces the businesses to fire every suspected illegal immigrant discovered on their payrolls — not just those who are working during the audit — and makes it much harder for the companies to hire other unauthorized workers as replacements.

But the Times said most of the workers discovered by the audits were not being deported once they lost their jobs and that the government had moved away from the practice of bringing criminal charges against immigrants who lack legal status but have otherwise clean records.

ICE chief John Morton told the Times, said the purpose of the audits was to create “a culture of compliance” in which employers would routinely verify the immigration status of their workers. He said ICE was most interested in finding “egregious employers.”

With congressional elections ahead in November, illegal immigration has become a growing concern. Hispanic have traditionally tended to vote for Democrats but the Republican Party has been recruiting them.

The U.S. Justice Department filed suit this week against Arizona because of the state’s new law requiring police to investigate the immigration status of anyone reasonably suspected of being an illegal immigrant.

(Reporting by James B. Kelleher; Editing by Bill Trott)

[JJ1956]

But the Times said most of the workers discovered by the audits were not being deported once they lost their jobs and that the government had moved away from the practice of bringing criminal charges against immigrants who lack legal status but have otherwise clean records.

So they are forcing employers to fire illegals (good) but then not deporting them. So the end result is more unemployed illegal immigrants on the streets?

[Webby]

That works well for the Obama camp. He doesn't actually do anything and without the deportation his voting block is still in tact. He can say he had to act but since they weren't deported they could be back to work in a couple of days somewhere else.

[Janice]

Maybe you would prefer the GWB approach. Create a media circus by high-profile raids that deport illegals at the cost of the taxpayer and then do nothing to the employer....collecting token fines for the camera.

[JJ1956]

Maybe you would prefer the GWB approach. Create a media circus by high-profile raids that deport illegals at the cost of the taxpayer and then do nothing to the employer....collecting token fines for the camera.

Way to pull out the Bush card!

I didn't see anyone here defending Bush or even mentioning him. Notice how when Obama's policy is questioned we either get the 'Bush diversion' or we get called racists.

Bush is gone. Obama is president because people wanted better. I'm still waiting for the better.

[Janice]

Maybe you would prefer the GWB approach. Create a media circus by high-profile raids that deport illegals at the cost of the taxpayer and then do nothing to the employer....collecting token fines for the camera.

Way to pull out the Bush card!

I didn't see anyone here defending Bush or even mentioning him. Notice how when Obama's policy is questioned we either get the 'Bush diversion' or we get called racists.

Bush is gone. Obama is president because people wanted better. I'm still waiting for the better.

Bush may be gone but, we are living with his legacy today.

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

[Steve_Pickering]

And we will live with a worse legacy when Obama is gone in a couple of years.

[Janice]

And we will live with a worse legacy when Obama is gone in a couple of years.

Yes, I guess we will just have to suffer through:

All of the cures that comes from stem cell research. (Executive Order 13435)

All those children that are now getting health care will just have to suffer being healthy as last. (SCHIP expansion)

All of those women will suffer terribly with the equal pay and the loss of wage discrimination. (Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act)

All of those war veterans will suffer with the financial aid they can receive.(Enactment of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010)

All of the people that have access to health care will just have to suffer those consequences too. (H.R.3590 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act)

All of us will just have to cry over our credit card interest rates...now being regulated. (Credit CARD Act of 2009)

Wow....let the suffering begin.

[MarkM]

Ouch.

[Sweet Magnolia]

There was an INS raid on Tyson Foods in Arkansas, illegals were rounded up, Tyson was fined. Tyson is still going strong as a food producer and it is the opinion of quite a few that he just hired more illegals to work at lower wages than legal hires. Somehow, it doesn't seem to be a big deal to the lawmakers that the laws be enforced.

I personally get irritated when asked to "Press 1 for English" and have to go through a Spanish menu to withdraw money from my bank. It is also frustrating to be in a store and see one Hispanic female with three or four Hispanic males, and at least one child, and the female is usually obviously pregnant. They have a buggy loaded with food (some of it would be considered a luxury that some working people can't afford) and the female pays for the food with a food stamp "credit card" with an American flag on it. Yes, I have seen it.

It is especially frustrating when I know a widow (no, it isn't me), with two young teen boys, subsisting on "survivors benefits" and unable to work due to severe health problems who cannot get food stamps or medical coverage for herself. She is, as the saying goes "SOL" - she and her sons receive $2.00 per month too much! Go figure.