States balk at checking farm workers' documents

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Seattle Times/AP

By SHANNON DININNY

Associated Press Writer
GLEED, Wash. —

Some states are balking at a federal effort to require them to screen potential farm hands for immigration violations before referring them to jobs, another conflict in the long-running dispute over the states' role in immigration enforcement.

Most resent a new rule that didn't come with money to pay for the extra work. Some complain they can't work with the federal verification system. Still others argue that the requirement illegally targets a certain class of workers.

Everyone's unspoken concern: That weeding out illegal workers could leave crops to rot in the fields.

Farm worker advocates support states' refusal to crack down, fearing legal U.S. workers could be denied employment in the process. Agriculture groups, some of whom sought the change, say farmers and food packers shouldn't bear the brunt of the task.


Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008061245_apwstfarmlabor.html

[Bette Noir]

1. Deporting farm workers is an experiment that has been tried before.

Back in the early '70s, the INS cleared undocumented workers from the strawberry fields in Irvine, California. Unemployed legal residents, mostly Americans, were bussed from the Employment Development office to take their places. All of the new workers quit by noon, except two Israelis, who quit at the end of the day.

The strawberries did rot in the fields, and the landowners, powerful in conservative Orange County politics, were not pleased.

If the gummint it going to kick out the people who do the work, they better get used to the idea that the work won't get done.

[1monster]

2. That kind of farm work is really hard and not for people who have never done it before...

No one is going to just truck in unemployed workers to do the job and expect success.

Then again, if the working conditions were upgraded to humane, undocumented workers might not be so needed.

But, of course, that would cost more, and the big landowners/corporate farmers would not want anything that cut into their profit margins.

[Baby Snooks]

4. Orange County

Most of the Republicans in Orange County will never publicly admit it but none are happy with "immigration reform" because Ronald Reagan enacted a law that was meant to stop illegal immigration while preserving the rights of farmers and ranchers to continue to utilize migrant workers who amazingly went back and forth from Mexico. They never wanted to live here. They just wanted to work here.

The immigration reform groups never focus on the employers but only on the employees. They believe employers should have the right to cheap labor. Even illegal labor. What they don't want is the illegal labor to have protections under the law with regard to employment, education, housing, or medical care. They want to create a giant plantation in the United States and play "massah" once more.

The rabid Republicans as I call them are former Democrats who found the Republican Party more receptive to their racism and they merely took over the Republican Party and will take over the Democratic Party as well. Their philosophy is the philosophy of fascism and oligarchy.

The most glaring example of these "new" Republicans is Governor Rick Perry who has consistently screwed his own. Every time he takes the oath of office he turns around and shoots the bird at everyone who voted for him.

The sad reality is many Democrats are part of this fascist/oligarchist agenda and along with the Republicans really have formed their own party. The Republicrat Party. They serve no one but themselves. Certainly not the people and certainly not the Constitution.

The majority of Republicans in Orange County consider themselves conservative. Many are finding they have no party. Which many liberals are apparently finding as well.

Immigration reform is not really a conservative issue. It is not really a liberal issue. It is a fascist issue. Few people realize that.

[Xipe Totec]

5. It is an interesting social experiment

worth doing, just to teach every one a lesson on who they really depend on...

Tyler Durden: Hi. You're going to call off your rigorous investigation. You're going to publicly state that there is no underground group. Or... these guys are going to take your balls. They're going to send one to the New York Times, one to the LA Times press-release style. Look, the people you are after are the people you depend on. We cook your meals, we haul your trash, we connect your calls, we drive your ambulances. We guard you while you sleep. Do not... fuck with us.

[a la izquierda]

6. Nice post.

:)

[EFerrari]

8. We care for your children while you're gone

we cradle your elders when they face death alone.

Why would you attack that?

[a la izquierda]

10. I don't think it was meant to be an attack

on the immigrants.
I don't know...maybe I'm misreading both of your posts. :shrug:

[ohio2007]

3. Turn a blind eye as the harvet season is here. Just get those crops to market. nt

[EFerrari]

7. The last big round up in Iowa

featured undocumented workers SHACKLED and brought into improvised courts in groups and with no real recourse to counsel and charged with crimes they didn't understand.

God Bless America and who knows how many American citizens were caught up in that.

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/27/headlines#11

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/7/14/court_interpreter_for_workers_rounded_up

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

11. SHACKLED ?!?!?

Dammm..... WTF?!?!
:mad:


This is the 21th Century ...Right?

The way things are going, Aztec Calendar: December 21, 2012 looks better all the time.

[EFerrari]

12. It was insane. Maybe ICE gets a kickback if they use shackles.

:grr:

[struggle4progress]

9. Another Republicon: demand the states carry out a Federal responsibility