Commentary: Putting a sinister spin on immigration crackdown

[rodeodance]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/18/navarrette/index.html?section=cnn_topstories&eref=yahoo


Commentary: Putting a sinister spin on immigration crackdown

POSTED: 10:46 a.m. EST, December 18, 2006
By Ruben Navarrette Jr.
Special to CNN

SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- The worry used to be that illegal immigrants were stealing welfare. Then it was jobs. Now, we're told, they're stealing people's identities.

For as long as anyone can remember, illegal immigrants have been working with the aid of bogus Social Security numbers. And this was seen for what it was -- a violation of U.S. immigration law.

But last week, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement rounded up 1,282 illegal immigrants by raiding meat processing plants in six states -- Colorado, Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and Utah -- the operation was marketed as a crackdown on identity theft.

ICE chief Julie L. Myers told reporters that agents uncovered a scheme in which illegal immigrants and others had stolen or bought the Social Security numbers of U.S. citizens and lawful residents for the purpose of getting jobs with Colorado-based meat processor Swift & Co.

No! And ICE agents just figured this out? Dick Tracy, they're not.........READ the 'why" the spin.....