undocumented immigrants arrested in refineries

The undocumented immigrants were contract workers at twelve different locations, including seven petrochemical refineries, three power plants and both cargo and pipeline facilities.
Scott Hatfield with Immigration and Customs Enforcement said they obtained positions and jobs inside with the Brock company by providing fraudulent IDs to show they were authorized to work in the US.

Link: abclocal.go.com...

The article states the companies will not face any trouble because they've been cooperating with the government.

I realize faked documents are sometimes hard to spot...but I wonder if the employers should change their hiring practices......maybe require more documentation......these employers weren't held accountable......should they have been let off the hook? Employers and individuals who hire illegals should receive fines and jail time.

There is a simple solution to this. When someone presents a sales-tax exemption certificate, there is an 800 number you can call to confirm it. There should be the same thing for ID.

Jail time? Fines? Because someone tricked you? That is 18th century 'justice', not proactive facilitative government.

Give employers user-friendly tools to confirm ID's.

[edit on 21-5-2005 by Chakotay]

Originally posted by ms_Bhavn
I realize faked documents are sometimes hard to spot...but I wonder if the employers should change their hiring practices......maybe require more documentation......these employers weren't held accountable......should they have been let off the hook? Employers and individuals who hire illegals should receive fines and jail time.

I used to work in an Industry with a LARGE amount of illegal aliens working for it. I was a Superviser and was told to look the other way and not ask any questions. Right now, in Arkansas there are entire company's that have "mistakingly" hired 80-90% illegals.

Almost every Poultry Plant in Arkansas is run with almost completely Illegals.

The one I worked for was raided ONE TIME and they hauled off 90% of the workers.

Two weeks later half of them were back and we were never raided again. I have had the SAME MAN work for me under 5 different names and SS numbers.

They are not "sneaking" into the companys hell most companys send BUSES to the border to pick up workers.

This does not go on behind the companys backs it goes on BECAUSE OF THE COMPANYS

[edit on 21-5-2005 by Amuk]

chakotay

Great idea! I like that.....a national number to confirm status.

Then employers won't have any excuses.

Amuk

I agree. Alot of employers are enablers. I witnessed this during my first summer job....whenever immigration would show up the employer would rush in and warn the illegals that immigration was there... and at times they would even help them hide....the ones they caught would get arrested, deported, and within the week most would be back at work.
It's crazy and doesn't work... they need a new method....
I like the idea chakotay mentioned in his reply a national number...

chakotay,
Great Idea, unfortunately, it will not work.
There is a "system" in place that should already be able to confirm working status. It is the Social Security card. You als have the Temporary Work Visa, which also are supposed to track this.
It is too bad, that in today's society, both of these methods are easily circumvented. With stolen SS numbers, Stolen Identities etc.
I disagree with the justice system not pursuing the employers, since most of the time, the employers become "aware" of this status of the illegals as AMUK has so aptly demonstrated.