CNN: Bosses, workers seized in immigration raids

[jpillian]

A common theme in most of our recent immigration threads: punishing employers that hire illegal immigrants.

This is honestly the first time I can recall the employer being included in the prosecution.

---------------------------------

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/04/20/immigration.raids/index.html

"Bosses, workers seized in immigration raids

From Terry Frieden and Mike M. Ahlers

CNN Washington Bureau

Thursday, April 20, 2006; Posted: 9:20 a.m. EDT (13:20 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal immigration authorities rounded up more than 1,000 illegal immigrants at dozens of sites and charged nine individuals of the firm that employed them, federal law enforcement officials announced.

Seven current and former managers of IFCO Systems, which has offices in several states, were arrested and charged in connection with the employment of illegal immigrants, said U.S. Attorney Glenn Suddaby in Albany, New York.

Suddaby said two lower level employees were also charged in the case.

Wednesday's action against IFCO Systems -- an industry leader in the manufacture of wooden pallets, crates and containers -- came as Homeland Security and Justice Department officials prepared to announce steps to toughen internal enforcement of the nation's immigration laws.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and other Bush administration officials and a federal prosecutor will appear at the agency's Washington headquarters Thursday. They will announce the new strategy aimed at employers and disclose the results of the enforcement actions targeting IFCO Systems.

Customs officials said agents made more than a thousand arrests in nearly 40 locations including Houston, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; Phoenix, Arizona; and Albany, New York.

A customs official said federal authorities checked a "sample" of 5,800 IFCO employee records last year and found that 53 percent had faulty Social Security numbers.

"They were using Social Security numbers of people that were dead, of children or just different individuals that did not work at IFCO," Immigration and Customs agency chief Julie Myers told CNN.

"The Social Security Administration had written IFCO over 13 times and told them, 'Listen, You have a problem. You have over a thousand employees that have faulty Social Security numbers. And we consider that to be a big problem.' And IFCO did not do anything about it," Myers said.

Myers said a yearlong investigation revealed that IFCO managers had induced illegal immigrants to work there, telling some of them to doctor W-2 tax forms or saying that they did not need to fill out any documentation at all.

Myers and Suddaby will join Chertoff for Thursday's announcement.

Immigration legislation pending in Congress would increase penalties for companies that employ illegal immigrants.

The strictest immigration measures proposed have spurred a series of demonstrations by opponents nationwide in recent weeks. On Wednesday, hundreds of high school students protested at the Colorado Capitol in support of illegal immigrants, The Associated Press reported.

As public concern over illegal immigration has grown, federal law enforcement officials have sought to tighten enforcement of laws against employment of illegal immigrants. The charges include money laundering, harboring immigrants, illegal immigrant employment and wire fraud.

"It used to be in these cases that they amounted mainly to a slap on the wrist or a small civil fine," Myers told CNN. "We're now focusing on criminal cases and bringing as many criminal charges as we can when we find employers that blatantly violate work site enforcement laws."

Asked if senior managers knew or should have known about the alleged violations, Myers said, "There's no allegation of that at this time. It's certainly an ongoing investigation. I will tell you, though, that we are troubled by some of the things that we've seen at IFCO."

She said the company is cooperating with the investigation.

The criminal complaint against the seven managers charges them with conspiracy to transport, harbor, and employ illegal immigrants for private gain.

The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison for each illegal immigrant, officials said.

IFCO Systems, based in Germany, with more than 40 offices across the U.S., issued a statement late Wednesday acknowledging the federal action.

"IFCO Systems is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating a workplace free of discrimination," the company said. "It is our policy to comply with all federal and state employee requirements."

But the IFCO statement did not directly address the charges.

"Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials today conducted employee background checks at a number of IFCO facilities across the country. We are cooperating fully with representatives from ICE and hope to have this matter resolved as soon as possible," the statement said."

[Johnny Punani2]

That is what you have to do.

Arrest the people who hire illegals. Sentence them to jail time or massive fines. No jobs for illegals = end to illegal immigration.

[FlyinO]

The problem with this is it needs to be enforced in an uniform and equally distributed fashion. This might become a new trend(actually enforcing the law), but I wouldn't count on it. Persecuting some and letting others slide stinks of corruption. Maybe IFCO systems was out of favor of some government officials(probably becuase they gave fake identites to big brother, which is probably the real reason for the prosecutions), or was a thorn in the side to some influential official's more "favored" constituents. I may sound cynical, but I don't believe that any government organization truly acts idependantly.

[Fergasun]

I won't be happy until this is a normal occurrance.... twice a week from here on out, and make sure the execs are sent to jail and the workers deported with a red mark in their file.

[skinsbuck]

What pisses me off the most is seeing the amount of taxes I pay every year and some fool that's not a citizen doesn't pay squat. I wish there were a way of getting the millions of citizens that are cash and carry and bust their humps as well.

[DjTj]

What pisses me off the most is seeing the amount of taxes I pay every year and some fool that's not a citizen doesn't pay squat. I wish there were a way of getting the millions of citizens that are cash and carry and bust their humps as well.

I'm not going to comment on your desire to beat up immigrants, but at least according to this article, many of these immigrants were actually paying taxes.

If you're a big corporation, you're going to get nailed a lot faster if you're not paying taxes than if you're hiring undocumented immigrants. Looks like this company was using fake social security numbers and using false information in W-2's. This means that almost every employee was paying payroll taxes and anyone with a W-2 was having income tax withheld.

The problem isn't taxes, it's a system of laws that encouraged corporations to pursue this behavior for too long.

[Larry]

Actually, the part that tickes me off about this is my firm conviction that all of the higher-ups in the company have deliberatly created this bust. I'd bet you right now that the company has a firm written policy stating very clearly and specifically that all managers much make absolutely certain that every employee hired is an american citizen and a former boy scout.

And they've had a policy for decades of only promoting the managers who hire illegals, pay them peanuts, falsify paperwork, and send the profits up the chain.

[skinsbuck]

I'm not going to comment on your desire to beat up immigrants, but at least according to this article, many of these immigrants were actually paying taxes.

If you're a big corporation, you're going to get nailed a lot faster if you're not paying taxes than if you're hiring undocumented immigrants. Looks like this company was using fake social security numbers and using false information in W-2's. This means that almost every employee was paying payroll taxes and anyone with a W-2 was having income tax withheld.

The problem isn't taxes, it's a system of laws that encouraged corporations to pursue this behavior for too long.

I never mentioned beating up immigrants and I never would. The last part of my post mentioned "citizens" not paying taxes. A little off topic, but I think that's a huuuuge problem in the US also.:2cents:

[Kurd Cudins]

My maid's gonna have to start sleeping in the crawl space.