Interesting read about the raid in Laurel.

[Duckdawg10]

Read the liberal spin here. Bunch of politically correct bull!! Poor ILLEGAL mexicans!

This is the NY times

LAUREL, Miss. — In another large-scale workplace immigration crackdown, federal officials raided a factory here on Monday, detaining at least 350 workers they said were in the country illegally.

Howard Industries, one of the largest employers in the region, manufactures electrical transformers, among other products.
Numerous agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement descended on a factory belonging to Howard Industries Inc., which manufactures electrical transformers, among other products.

As of late Monday afternoon, no criminal charges had been filed, said Barbara Gonzalez, an agency spokeswoman, but she said that dozens of workers had been “identified, fingerprinted, interviewed, photographed and processed for removal from the U.S.”

The raid follows a similar large-scale immigration operation at a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, in May when nearly 400 workers were detained. That raid was a significant escalation of the Bush administration’s enforcement practices because those detained were not simply deported, as in previous raids, but were imprisoned for months on criminal charges of using false documents.

The mass rapid-fire hearings after the Postville raid took place in a temporary court facility on the grounds of the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo, Iowa. An interpreter was later sharply critical of the proceedings, saying the immigrants did not understand the charges against them.

An immigrant rights group in Jackson, Miss., the state capital, was critical of Monday’s raid, saying families with children were involved.

“It’s horrific what ICE is doing to these families and these communities,” said Shuya Ohno, a spokesman for the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance. “It’s just hard to imagine that this is the United States of America.”

In Laurel on Monday afternoon, several dozen family members of immigrants waited for news of their relatives at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. There were several small children. A priest at the church who identified himself only as Father Sergio refused to allow interviews with the families or answer any questions, saying only: “People are afraid. We need to calm them. There are mothers and children involved.”

Entrances to the sprawling plant, in an industrial section south of town, had been blocked off by ICE. A nearby fast-food restaurant was full of the blue-shirted agents, one of whom would say only that a “little inspection” was under way at the facility.

A woman entering the church grounds with four small children said several of the youngsters’ parents had been detained. The woman, Mary Troyer, said she was a translator for many of the families.

“I don’t like this at all,” Ms. Troyer said. “I don’t understand it. They have come here to work. It’s very sad.”

The ICE spokeswoman, Ms. Gonzalez, said the workers would be taken to an ICE detention center to “await the outcome of their cases.” She said 50 would be “released into the community” instead of being sent to the center, for “humanitarian reasons,” including medical difficulties or the need to take care of children.

She said no lawyers were present while the workers were being interrogated. “Everyone will have due process under law,” Ms. Gonzalez said.

Late Monday afternoon, the grim-faced workers, some of them handcuffed, were lined up near white and silver buses as the rain poured down.

In a statement issued after the raid, Howard Industries, one of the largest employers in the region, acknowledged that it was “visited” by immigration agents trying to determine if its employees were citizens or otherwise legally authorized to work in the country.

“Howard Industries runs every check allowed to ascertain the immigration status of all applicants for jobs,” the statement said. “It is company policy that it hires only U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.”

Bill Chandler, executive director of the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance, called the Laurel raid a violation of human rights.

“We’re very disturbed at what’s happened,” Mr. Chandler said. “It’s a real contradiction between our proclaimed values of hard work and family in Mississippi and the actions of local law enforcement, and ICE. I think it’s a real affront to our values. They’re creating their own terrorism by going after workers.”

After the Iowa raid, the federal interpreter said many of the immigrants did not understand the charges to which they pleaded guilty. But federal officials said the judges in the cases believed that the guilty pleas had been made freely and voluntarily.

[dukbum]

no more taco for u....u go home

[cwink]

The news editor from the local paper said that all 6 Mexican resturants in town were closed yesturday.. Humm, wonder why?

[Gomez(birdboy)]

I can tell u dis...this is one alien,smarter dan E.T.....dey will nedder catch me...step on it Greenhead...kick de Bobby out -e is slowing us down

[jacksbuddy]

“Howard Industries runs every check allowed to ascertain the immigration status of all applicants for jobs,” the statement said. “It is company policy that it hires only U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.”

And everyone who believes this, please raise your hand. We have a bridge that you need to buy.

Give me a break! Not only do we need to deport these illegal aliens and their families, but we need to throw these employers under the jail for hiring them. In fact, these employers need to be forced to pay all investigation and deportation expenses associated with these actions. And I DO mean ALL expenses - even if it forces them and their families into destitution. (Notice I did not say bankruptcy, because I do not feel they should be allowed that protection in this instance.)

You cannot tell me that Howard Industries did not know that they were employing illegal aliens. (That is one of the very important duties of Human Resources. If they could not adequately determine the citizenship of 350 of their fellow employees, then they are dumber than anyone can give them credit for being.) And this after they got a government grant to 'create jobs'. And who do they hire? The good citizens of the great state of Mississippi, who are integral parts of our communities and neighborhoods? Who also provide for the betterment of our society? Noooo. They gotta go and import desperate migrants who can easily be taken advantage of, and who cannot contribute to society - but rather take from it.

The ONLY good to come out of this is that upper management may have been able to reap some larger than normal profits by taking some unethical - and possibly illegal - short cuts. I say 'may have', because they probably had to increase their quality control expenditures due to language and ignorance barriers.

Don't get me wrong. I'm as Republican as the next guy - - probably more so than some others on this board. But right is right, and wrong is wrong, and this is just flat WRONG!

This opinion may get my post deleted before many have had the chance to read or comment on it, but I hope not. If you don't like my rant, get over it. My $0.02

[fireplug]

This opinion may get my post deleted before many have had the chance to read or comment on it, but I hope not. If you don't like my rant, get over it. My $0.02

This isn't the MDWFP web site. I think you are ok. And you are correct as well.

[peewee]

I would imagine if you have an emergency the next couple days you MAY be able to be seen in the local ER.

[redduck]

Being from the local area I took it upon myself to go to wally world. I covered the whole store from toys, to grocery area and no Mexicans were to be found. Normally you would see from at least 40 to 60 or more in the store but not Tuesday. Not a single one. Seems our local population has vanished.

[ACEINTHEHOLE]

Redduck, Wal-mart was really bad when we lived in Bay Springs. I would not let my wife go there alone, and even when I was with her they would often catcall in the parking lot towards her. I hate this for the Americans who are out of a job at Howard but am glad something was done.

FoxNews said this was the biggest single bust yet in the country. That is pitiful. 600 people is what the said and Howard would face a 7 million dollar fine. I have heard Howard was already struggling and this will probably put them under.

[redduck]

Local news said late last night that false ID's were found in HR at Howards by ICE team investigators. I don't know if these were for use or had been taken from individuals. But it ain't looking good. Billy and family will survive but who knows.

[bigoak]

There is a huge hispanic population in Laurel and they don't all work at Howard Industries. There are a couple more companies that are probably pretty nervous right now.

[duramax]

Simply deporting illegal aliens on a relatively small scale like this (remember, there is supposed to be around 15million illegals in the country) will not stop them from coming in. What needs to be done is there has to be a law where the employers who get caught doing this need to be fined heavily. Like $5,000 to $10,000 for every illegal alien after the 10th is found. I say this because some will slip thru the cracks and giving businesses a 10 illegal buffer will keep from penalizing a clarical error. That means that if they busted 600 of these law breaking illegals, then this business should be fined 5 or 10 grand for the of the other 590 illegals (590 x $5,000= $2,950,000). Tell me that wouldn't stop employers from hiring them. There wouldn't be a place for them to work, therefore there would be a mass deportation of illegals, all by themselves.

[ACEINTHEHOLE]

Duramax, I was thinking the fine was 10,000 for employing one. Maybe I am wrong on that though.

[jacksbuddy]

Howard would face a 7 million dollar fine. I have heard Howard was already struggling and this will probably put them under.

Sorry if I sound like a hard case right now because I'm really a nice guy - I promise - but I have zero sympathy for them on this. 'Immigration Status' and their related issues are very near and dear to my heart. However, Howard Industries should have to pay this fine PLUS they should be forced to return the jobs creation grant they had gotten earlier.

[duramax]

Duramax, I was thinking the fine was 10,000 for employing one. Maybe I am wrong on that though.

That may well be true. But who knows what the real immigration laws state. They haven't been followed in quite some time.