With the illegal immigration debate heating up, immigration agents Thursday raided the largest palletmaker in the U.S., arresting 1,180 undocumented workers and nine managers.
The raids, which spanned 26 states, were timed to coincide with the unveiling of a new crackdown on illegal immigrants and the companies that recruit and employ them.
“Employers and workers alike should be on notice that the status quo has changed,” said Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff.
Immigration leader Jamie Contreras, one of the organizers of the march on the Washington Mall last week, said the raids are nothing new ,and the Bush administration won’t succeed in intimidating the 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the country into backing off their push for legalization.
“It’s shameful that the government is going after companies trying [to] run a business and people who are trying to work and make a living for their families,” he said. “They are trying to turn the American Dream into a nightmare, but we are not going anywhere.”
Contreras had never heard of the pallet company, IFCO Systems, but he said there were millions of companies employing illegal immigrants.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested nine current and former IFCO Systems managers on charges they conspired to transport, harbor and encourage illegal workers to reside in the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain.
Federal authorities checked 5,800 IFCO employee records last year and found that 53 percent had incorrect Social Security numbers.
IFCO, with more than 40 locations around the country, including one in Richmond, Va., said in a statement Thursday that the company conducted more background checks to have the matter resolved.
Area business leaders support the crackdown on unscrupulous companies, but they oppose proposed legislation that would make companies responsible for making sure documents are not fake.
D.C. Chamber of Commerce spokesman Chris Knudson said he did not know what kind of impact a real crackdown would have on the economy because no one has any handle how many undocumented workers are here.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports giving undocumented workers already in the United States a chance at citizenship.
Immigration probes
» Investigation of IFCO systems began in 2005.
» IFCO allegedly transported undocumented workers, paid rent and deducted money from paychecks.
» Immigration investigations in the United States have resulted in 2,358 criminal convictions in last two years.
