AP's Martiga Lohn offers pro-illegal immigration propaganda

Yet another PIIPP from the AP:

M.M. is a small man and he speaks softly, but he wants his words to be heard.

M.M. -- he asked that he be identified only by his initials because immigration authorities could deport him if they find him -- has lived in the area around the meatpacking town of Worthington for more than a dozen years, the past five illegally.

He disagrees with what politicians and officials are saying about getting tough on illegal immigrants, but he says most people like him are afraid to make noise.

"I want this to be heard for all the people," M.M. said this month at a community education center. "We are all afraid to speak up. That's what's happening. The reason we're afraid is we don't have the documentation. As human beings, we all have rights -- this is how it should be."

He apparently entered illegally and applied for asylum. His application was denied, and despite that he's continued to remain here. And, he has three U.S. citizen children. Obviously a difficult situation, and that's just the way the AP likes it. While we need to have some degree of fairness, supporters of illegal immigration would like to apply that same "fairness" to anyone who can manage to sneak over the border.

Then, we get into the corruption angle:

No one knows for sure how many of the immigrants living in Worthington -- they make up a third of the town's 11,300 residents -- are illegal. Social service providers don't ask. Neither do the police, unless they're investigating document fraud or other crimes related to a person's immigration status, Police Chief Mike Cumiskey said.

But Jose Comparan, an immigrant from Mexico, says a large share of the immigrants who work at Worthington's pork plant are living in the country illegally.

Sean McHugh, vice president of communications for Swift & Co., which owns the plant, declined to comment. McHugh said the Greeley, Colo.-based company is looking closely at the issue of immigration. The Worthington plant employs about 2,000 people.

So, basically, the local cops look the other way. A question: if the local pork plant cost the town money, would they still look the other way? Do they look the other way because the pork plant brings in most of the town's money? What do we normally call such a situation?

Immigration_piipps · Mon, 01/30/2006 - 11:59 · · Importance: 1