Federal, state investigations of Agriprocessors (maybe the left will stop playing games)

Posted Fri, Jul 11, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Neither Alternet nor New America Media are reputable sources, but, for what it's worth, Wendy Feliz Sefsaf of NAM offers "Meat-Packing Giant Raided by ICE Faces Criminal Investigation" (alternet.org/immigration/91182). Discussing the Agriprocessors raid from May, she says:
No fewer than seven federal and state agencies are coordinating on investigations of Agriprocessors.

The Iowa Division of Labor Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Equal Employment and Opportunities Commission (EEOC), the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Iowa Attorney General's Office are all either conducting or cooperating on investigations into the plant.

Doris Meissner, a former Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute said, "From everything we hear about this, it sounds like the federal government is marshalling all of the authorities that it has in order to bring the broadest set of charges -- and that's what it should be doing. It's a positive sign that they seem to be working with the state attorney general...

...According to lawyers in the case and agency representatives, there are likely to be civil charges related to immigration, wage enforcement, safety and other labor issues which usually result in fines, however, criminal charges related to immigration, child labor and sexual harassment and assault are far more serious and potentially wide reaching. Anyone with "knowledge or intent" of child laborers for instance is subject to criminal prosecution -- in theory this could include management, human resources representatives and owners alike...
One of the dodges some on the left use to support illegal immigration is to demand that those who employ illegal aliens should be arrested. They want the illegal aliens themselves to stay in the U.S. for various reasons. What they fail to understand (or state) is that by blocking enforcement against illegal aliens that keeps a pool of illegal labor in the U.S., and they'll just go to work for someone else. But, hopefully if Agriprocessors' management is actually prosecuted they'll stop trying that dodge at least temporarily.
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migration policy institute
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Comments

judybats (not verified)

Sun, 07/13/2008 - 08:12

I keep seeing 'They're just busting the immigrants, what about the employers?' Some of that is from the Sirota types who sincerely are against exploitation, workplace abuses, etc. Unfortunately, like you said, they are largely for employer-ONLY enforcement and favor a utopian trans-national labor movement where if labor law is enforced, all the problems of illegal employment will magically disappear. Then there's the types who are just paying lip service to employer enforcement in this one case but have a track record of opposing any and all enforcement, including against employers. It will be interesting to see what both groups say if there IS serious enforcement against the company.

Scrapiron (not verified)

Mon, 07/14/2008 - 15:30

And no one can explain why so much 'contaminated' food is reaching the people. Infected/diseased people handling your food so some left wing political supporter can make millions is what these people are asking you to support. Outbreaks of diseases not seen in this country for 50 years, even the most stupid should not ask why.