Florida Sheriff Uses Intimidation Tactics to Catch Illegal Aliens

[Rage for Order]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070627/ap_on_re_us/sheriff_illegal_immigrants_1

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. - The sheriff's department has developed a remarkably effective — and controversial — way of catching illegal immigrants: Deputies in patrol cars pull up to a construction site in force, and watch and see who runs. Those who take off are chased down and arrested on charges such as trespassing, for cutting through someone else's property, or loitering, for hiding out in someone's yard, or reckless driving, for speeding off in a car. U.S. immigration authorities are then given the names of those believed to be in this country illegally.

"It's not wrong for them to run, but it's not wrong for us to chase them either," said Sheriff Frank McKeithen, who created his Illegal Alien Task Force in April to target construction sites in this Florida Panhandle county.

snip

Illegal immigrants are leaving town. And builders are worried the crackdown will deprive them of the labor they need to take part in a building boom in which Panama City's Beach cheap spring-break motels are being torn down and replaced with high-rise condos.

Developer Louis Breland is finishing the first phase of a $750 million beach condo project. "Subcontractors could not function without immigrant laborers for painting, rebar and steel work. They are the best workers," he said. "Without them, the cost of construction would be 10 times as much and nothing would get built."

more at the link

I don't agree with the sheriff's method. That said, I feel so sorry for the developer with the $750 million condo project. Can you imagine? He's going to have to pay US citizens at least $5 more per hour to do the work. He'll have to lower his profit margin! The horror! :sarcasm:

[Rage for Order]

1. More from the article...

The sheriff said the raids are justified under a long-standing Florida law prohibiting employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. His department has conducted dozens of these raids over the past three months, sometimes using five or six patrol cars, and has reported more than 500 people to immigration officials since November.

The sheriff said that more recently, his officers have been making fewer arrests of workers who flee, and are concentrating more on asking employers for the paperwork on their employees. Sheriff's deputies then arrest workers whose documents are found to be fraudulent.

Mexican illegal immigrant Jose Madrid, 28, said he has been unable to find a construction job over the past six weeks because of the crackdown, and hasn't been able to send money to his parents and his 7-year-old son back home.

"We immigrants, we are leaving Panama City. People are afraid they will be deported," he said. "The companies don't want to hire illegal people. Now they're only hiring those with papers."

[glowing]

7. Look what happens when you take away a job... people leave.

Big corp. doesn't want legal immigation... they want slave labor.

[rubberducky]

2. Butttttttt, wasn`t the builder supposed to be fined????

[Rage for Order]

3. Part of the problem is...

The builder hires subcontractors to do all the work, and they are the ones who employ the illegals. The builder gets off the hook by virtue of the fact that he hired a legal company which happens to use illegal alien workers. The main builder can claim ignorance, thereby avoiding fines, because it's the sub contractors responsibility to verify its workers' eligibility.

[rubberducky]

5. I understand that contractors have subs, but

it just seems tha SOMEONE should be responsable. The "illegals" are living a nightmare. What a damn shame that these people are caught in this limbo. I have never understood how you reconcile punishing the victims. Most of the time the employers will never be punished. The "illegal" employees will pay the price. How freaking sad is that?

[EFerrari]

6. It's called scapegoating. First, we f#ck up their government

and reduce them to abject poverty, then we rip off their labor, then we hate on them for stealing American jobs. Get with the program. :(

[Rage for Order]

8. I agree

The developer should ultimately be responsible for those who he lets work on his job site. They can whine all they want, but if they are put in the position of suffering a large enough financial loss they will insist that their sub contractors be more thorough when screening job applicants. The way the system is set up now, the developers, the people with all the money, walk away while the small business owners, i.e. sub contractors, and illegals are punished.

[rocktivity]

9. The builders hire subcontractors BECAUSE they will hire cheap labor illegals

They should be held equally responsible, or forced to do their own hiring.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Rage for Order]

4. Also...

Based on the article, it sounds like they are putting more pressure on the employers, which is a good thing.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

10. "Subcontractors could not function without immigrant laborers for painting,.." BULLSHIT!

Why can't we get decent paying contracts then??! :mad:

[QC]

11. Breland is a big Bushevik.

He's a contributor to Progress for America, a 527 that makes the Swift Boat Veterans look classy.

In Madison, Alabama, where he lives, he is attempting to de-annex one of his developments from the city, which it has been a part of for about forty years, in order to evade taxes.

In short, he is a real pig.

Oh, and the project referred to in the article, the one that would just be too expensive to build without illegal labor? The cheapest apartment in the place will set you back nearly $600,000. Yeah, he's really passing the savings on alright.

[Disturbed]

12. The builders hire subcontractors.

Charge them under the RICO ACT. they are conspiring to commit illgal acts.

Another problem is many Illgal Immigrants start their own businesses and then hire their Illegal Immigrant family members and friends. They do this by having the business under someone's name that is an American Citizen.

[QC]

13. Does seem there's some conspiring going on. n/t