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| Arrival of aliens ousts U.S. workers |
| 2006-04-10 |
| An Alabama employment agency that sent 70 laborers and construction workers to job sites in that state in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina says the men were sent home after just two weeks on the job by employers who told them "the Mexicans had arrived" and were willing to work for less. Linda Swope, who operates Complete Employment Services Inc. in Mobile, Ala., told The Washington Times last week that the workers -- whom she described as U.S. citizens, residents of Alabama and predominantly black -- had been "urgently requested" by contractors hired to rebuild and clear devastated areas of the state, but were told to leave three job sites when the foreign workers showed up. "After Katrina, our company had 70 workers on the job the first day, but the companies decided they didn't need them anymore because the Mexicans had arrived," Mrs. Swope said. "I assure you it is not true that Americans don't want to work. "We had been told that 270 jobs might be available, and we could have filled every one of them with men from this area, most of whom lost their jobs because of the hurricane," she said. "When we told the guys they would not be needed, they actually cried ... and we cried with them. This is a shame." Mrs. Swope said employment agencies throughout Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi faced similar problems, when thousands of men from Mexico and several Central and South American countries -- many in crowded buses and trucks -- came into the three states after Katrina, looking for employment and willing to work for less money. The number of foreign workers who flooded the area after the hurricane has been estimated at more than 30,000. Many of them have been identified by law-enforcement authorities and others as illegal aliens. "The men we sent to jobs in Alabama were local fellows looking for work, men who needed jobs," Mrs. Swope said. "After driving 50 miles to the work sites where they had been promised $10 an hour, they discovered the employers had found substitutes who were willing to work for less." |
| Posted by:Fleamp Shereting6721 |
| #19 See comment #10, anon. Otherwise, sit down and watch the "Sex and Violence" episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-04-10 20:34 |
| #18 ??? |
| Posted by: anon 2006-04-10 20:07 |
| #17 Dr. Kargol: Some youngsters on the other hand, are attracted to it by its very illegality. It's like murder – make a thing illegal and it acquires a mystique. Look at arson – I mean, how many of us can honestly say that at one time or another he hasn't set fire to some great public building. I know I have. The only way to bring the crime figures down is to reduce the number of offences – get it out in the open – I know I have. [In loving memory of Graham Chapman] |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-04-10 20:02 |
| #16 Grouch Marx wrote a book about his dealings with the IRS called, "Many Happy Returns". Histerical factual accounts. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2006-04-10 19:30 |
| #15 Remember that we have until the 17th this year because the 15th is on a Saturday ;) |
| Posted by: Jan 2006-04-10 18:22 |
| #14 Sea, it's getting awfully close to April 15. Couldn't we relax that policy just a bit wrt one specific agency? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-04-10 17:00 |
| #13 :/ |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-04-10 16:55 |
| #12 sheesh Mom, you never let us have any fun :-( |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-04-10 16:54 |
| #11 SOP35/Rat, a reminder that Rantburg does not advocate "open season" on federal authorities or burning down federal structures. Thankyewverymuch. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-04-10 16:28 |
| #10 Good comments. You all know this same horseshit and so do I. I'm doing my taxes now. And I wonder why ? We all know the old saw about NO TAXATION without representation. That's exactly where all of us law abiding citizens are. Do we ALL have to stop paying taxes ? Do we need to start burning down federal structures ? No one is paying any regard to us taxpayers and we all know it. |
| Posted by: SOP35/Rat 2006-04-10 16:24 |
| #9 Marvin the Martian pic? |
| Posted by: mojo 2006-04-10 15:44 |
| #8 The problem isn't overworked Feds, it's ober bribed Congresscritters. Every time an employer is raided, you can be a contributor call the congrewss critter to ask, "WTF? Didn't I give enough?" |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-04-10 13:57 |
| #7 "Why didn't she contact state and federal representatives ? Immigration ? Sheriffs ?" Conflicting laws and policies are on the books. ICE must make the arrest, and then they only usually do so if they are breaking another criminal law, such as dealing drugs. Local sheriffs aren't allowed to pick up and detain illegals for merely being here and have even asked for the law to be changed so they could aid overworked Feds. For a long time, many midwestern states had only one office and a few agents to handle a huge multi-state region and the smugglers knew it. One coyote was caught with the State Patrol schedule for Iowa, timing the drive through to avoid detection. The current policy is partial control of the southern border, with amnesty for any who make it across to the interior, with little law enforcement past our own borders. Not only do they work for less, they send much of it back to Mexico. The unfairness of these contradictory policies is further highlighted when trying to decide who should be deported and who should stay, who should get temporary work permits, paying back taxes and put on the rolls for income tax. The way I see it, they have to get a database of who is here so rational decisions can be made and that means getting them to register and get a tamper-proof ID card. |
| Posted by: Danielle 2006-04-10 13:16 |
| #6 SOP35/Rat Call them all you want, I've done it several times when I was in the carpenters union. They won't do a goddamned thing. Local police/ Sheriffs office won't touch them with a 10 foot stick. Federal building just transfers your call around until you get mad and hang up after 20 minutes. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2006-04-10 12:55 |
| #5 Is the Surprise Meter tied up on another assignment or is it once again available for posting? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-04-10 11:35 |
| #4 This really is the heart of the matter. Americans know these ILLEGALS are here. Why didn't she contact state and federal representatives ? Immigration ? Sheriffs ? Why didn't any of the workers who were thrown out contact someone and raise hell? Everyone just rolls over and accepts this ? This is outrageous. These employers should not be fined, they should be jailed. Actually, I would prefer that we just declare open season on them. We could stop this in a couple of days. |
| Posted by: SOP35/Rat 2006-04-10 11:23 |
| #3 Construction is made for illegals even more than agriculture. Shifting, temporary job locations for employers who form a new corporation for each job or year. Now that they've got the skills in the drudge jobs, drywall, insulation, etc. it will be hard to keep them out. The other big industry in the midwest is meat packing. Calling Upton Sinclair. |
| Posted by: Luther Billis 2006-04-10 11:21 |
| #2 No way. The construction companies love illegals. |
| Posted by: gromky 2006-04-10 11:10 |
| #1 Why don't they send THIS STORY to TEDDY!!!!!This is is B.S.Round up these constrution companys and fine the SH*T out of em' |
| Posted by: ARMYGUY 2006-04-10 10:42 |