Wordless Wednesday: ICE Arrests 595 in Mississippi Raid
Wednesday August 27, 2008
Forget Iowa; Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) trumped its previous "largest workplace enforcement operation" record with this week's raid in Laurel, Mississippi.
ICE arrested 595 undocumented workers at Howard Industries, an electric transformer manufacturing facility. Approximately 106 with humanitarian issues will go before a federal immigration judge who will determine whether or not they will be deported, while eight will be prosecuted on charges of aggravated identify theft. The remaining illegal aliens are being detained in Louisiana where they will wait to be deported.
No word yet on what charges, if any, will be made against Howard Industries.
Photo Courtesy of ICE
Comments
This must be for show, like the rest of the raids. If they wanted to get serious, they would start prosecuting a few company owners and then they would get on board. I’m sorry, I forgot the business owners make campaign contribution.
Are we suppose to feel sorry for these people? Some have been given ankle braclets because they have children – what they have are anchor babies and this policy needs to stop as well. A related story about a mexican restaurant owner and fellow illegals owning restaurants in the area – why isn’t he being arrested as well? We need to reclaim our country and our language or we won’t have them.
Anchor babies? Are you kidding? Do you know anything about immigration laws? Call INS and ask if you can stay in the country if you have a child, they will say absolutely not. Get your facts straight. There is nothing glamorous of classy about rounding up mothers, fathers, and teenagers, herding them up like cattle, and parading them to jail. The immigration system is broken and these poor immigrants are being scapegoated to cover up ICE and Bush administration officials inability and incompetence to enact real change. So classy of you to urge demand that people not feel anything for those in this unfortunate situation.
What country are you trying to “reclaim?” What language? Thomas Jefferson spoke 7 languages…I bet you can hardly speak English. Did you even go to school? The spew coming out of your mouth paints you of the lowest class in American society. Go to school and learn the facts before you pick on destitute immigrants whose labor allows you to afford the cheap t-shirt and pants you get at Wal-Mart!
Let’s not lose sight of the core of the problem here. The problem that has surfaced here is that American culture and American law contradict one another. On one hand, our businesses welcome immigrants and are happy to pay them low wages. On the other hand our laws dictate that illegal immigrants are just that, illegal.
This predicament is aggravated by the fact that immigration law is rarely enforced. These high profile cases, Mississippi and Iowa, are isolated events that take years to develop. The illegals are hoping that they will be overlooked. There must have been other illegal aliens working in Laurel that were not apprehended that day simply because they weren’t working for Howard.
The saying comes to mind, “Don’t fix the blame. Fix the system.” Let’s stop pointing the finger of blame at either side, and focus on fixing the system. Fighting among us solves nothing. We need reform!
I agree with you Michael. We need reform. I just find it reprehensible that people are allowed to spread myths and common street gossip on these posts with complete disregard for the hostile environment their opinions create.
Funny how ignorant people are. People come to this country to have a better life. Most of them work very hard to make a living and provide for their families. One sad thing is that since they are not athletes or highly educated, they don’t get a chance to become legal immigrants of the USA.
Did you watch the olympics? Did you see how many immigrants represented USA, and didn’t speak proper english. Its all about the red tape, we need immigrants, legal or illegal to do our dirty work, but God fobid if they ask to get documented, they are deported. One thing I must say is that those women who are illegal in this country and make babies for a living so they could get all the benefits in the world, should not be given any benefits. I pay my dues and everyone should do the same.
It is a shame that our country is dividing these families in an awful manner. Where do all these children left without parents go? Into CPS custody? CPS already has trouble providing our neglected and abused state kids with a safe environment where their needs are met, and here we have immigration breaking homes apart and increasing the number of abandoned children. Do immigration officials know the emotional and psychological damage these children are put through when they are torn apart from their loved ones? It is so ironic, Child Protective Services advocates for the rights of these children, and ICE violates these rights.
Unless we have open borders, there is a need to constantly enforce the laws that say only those that qualify under our laws can work or reside here. US Citizens, not businesses, have the right to decide through our elected representatives how many immigrants we are willing to admit each year. The US grants over one million green cards each year, many of them to non-white, poor, and/or lower-skilled people.
The supposed one-time legalization of 1986 coupled with the subsequent non-enforcement of immigration laws has encouraged over 12 million illegal aliens to reside in our country. US citizens will not allow another legalization. We already have a perfectly fine, generous immigration system, and it is an fact that not everyone that wants to immigrate to our country can qualify.
Chertoff states that the government is stepping up the enforcement. There will be more and more. The government is hearing from many citizens – and shame on you who do not want illegals deported. You are part of the problem. We cannot allow some portions of the population to break the law while others must obey. That leads to a major breakdown of society. Mexico already has a completely messed up country due to the rampant breaking of laws – by their own police. None of you know what these people are doing in the evenings. Do you? You are not responsible for them. Do some research.
These people knew what they were doing.
Luis, I couldn’t have said it any better!! very intelligent comments. I totaly agree with you. It makes me laugh when people say, “reclaim our country and our language” what are thy talking about? This is a country of immigrants, we all deserve a chance to belong here!!!
Sam, I also agree with you when you say that everyone should be paying for their own dues, I am Hispanic and I had never received anything for free, I am grateful for the chance of being here. I have paid my hospital bills when I had my babies, which by the way it’s. We have to start making severe changes if we ever want to be respected.
What most people do not understand is that illegal aliens are stealing our jobs. Those 600 jobs at Howard Industries could have been taken by Americans. Our schools are overcrowded. Our jails are full of criminal illegals. Our emergency rooms are full of illegals. They even get Medicaid to have their anchor babies at our expense. This has to stop!! American taxpayers cannot afford the cost of illegals. All we are doing is allowing big business to exploit these people for cheap labor and make slaves out of them. Fair is fair — go back home and come here legally!!
pathological laziness is what is call period! There is no such thing as illegals are taking American jobs. have you seen a gold or diamond mine? you get down, and outright dirty you bardards, and when you get the gold or perhaps diamond your are made. that is America for you my friends. being there done that!
This is not the faults of the immigrants, it the companies fault. If we wouldn’t hire immigrants, then they wouldn’t keep coming. Howards knew what they were doing. Many immigrants PAID to work there. But if Americans would do their jobs correctly and efficiently then we wouldn’t have a problem. I worked at Howards and have seen how the Americans work and very few work hard. Yet look at the immigrants working overtime, going to work even when they are sick, few Americans do the same. It makes me sad to say I am American. I wish I wasn’t. Even as it goes I know God doesn’t want it this way. We are all foreigners in this world, may God have mercy on this country.
What about the 12 billion that the illegal community paid into social security. Does anybody have family members on SSI or SSD? Think about that. As with all races there are good and then there are the bad. Immigrants taking American’s jobs? What a joke. Americans refuse to do any hard labor for little wage. To those of you who call the children anchor babies shame on you!!! You are talking about fellow American citizens How ignorant are you?!! Next time you go shopping for your nice Nike shoes or even clothes or DVDs check where they are made from. Every immigrant needs to apply, the ones who have worked and supported their family and have committed no crime should be allowed to take the next step in becoming legal. It does cost money to apply for residency it is not cheap. Just remember there are immigrants with American citizens. You never know, one day you might need help and the only one to help may be an illegal.
The US is made up of the diversity of different cultures! Hot Dogs and Hamburgers is a not a great culture to feel proud of. The majority of Caucasians are European descendant. There ancestors had to float there way through the Atlantic Ocean to get here. The real Americans are the Indians already established in these lands. History is plain and simple. Americans had to invade the terretories owned by the American Indians and the Mexican to go from “Sea to shinning Sea”… The is not something to feel proud of. There is bad in every cultures. But it seems that Americans tend to blame others to feel better about themselves. That is called short-minded and insecure.
When I hear people say Mexicans do nothing but corrupt the US. I feel sad for them. Their ignorance is way beyond my capacity to comprehend. The hardest jobs in America are done by immigrants. Clothing: (Asian and Mexican in sweatshops Farming: (Mexicans) Maintence: (Mexicans) Homecare: (Mexicans) Nannies: (Mexicans).
It’s funny to think that these people who are so againts immigrants and are in some ways border line racist can sit around and judge, while they have a Mexican nannies taking care and raising there children. Not realizing that in some way… The Most imporatant person in this child’s life is the “Mexican Mom” who is feeding, changing, and spending time with them. Not those parents who are too busy… Trying to built a “Wall” across Texas to keep away these hard working people away. It’s repulsive how American people can be so ungrateful.
But at the end of the day all the “Maria’s” or “Rosario’s” or “Lupe’s” have made an impact on society. By raising these children as their own, they are teaching them different values and morals to live up to. This will little by little end so much discrimination in this country.
That makes me happy because I know there is hope!