A Radical Policy Change?

What's going on here? First, the Bush administration more or less chooses not to enforce the law for several years, and now this:

In temporary courtrooms at a fairgrounds, nearly 300 illegal immigrants were sentenced this week to five months in prison for working at a meatpacking plant with false documents.

The prosecutions, which ended yesterday, signal a sharp escalation in the Bush administration's crackdown on illegal workers, with prosecutors bringing tough federal criminal charges against most of the immigrants who were arrested in a May 12 raid.

Previously, unauthorized workers have generally been detained by immigration officials for civil violations and rapidly deported from the country.

The convicted immigrants were among 389 workers detained at the Agriprocessors Inc. kosher meats plant in nearby Postville, in a raid that federal officials called the largest criminal enforcement operation ever carried out by immigration authorities at a workplace.

A very quick reaction: incarcerating illegal immigrants arrested in these types of raids is not cheap, but could be a very effective deterrent in the future. Why such a radical policy shift? And why now?

Comments

[Rohan Swee]

This is a very, very interesting story. Very, very interesting why in all the hoopla there's not a sign yet of any move against the owners of Agriprocessors. See:

http://tinyurl.com/638ddt

http://tinyurl.com/5q6j2u

[T2]

I looked through on-line Iowa newspapers for information about the town of Postville and any pre-raid articles about the reaction legal town residents have had to immigration in their town. There wasn't much. I get the impression that Agriprocessor thugs moved in and took over the town, including the local government. This whole incident is stranger than fiction.

[Paul]

Rohan, there is an entire book about pre-raid Postville here:

www.amazon.com/Postville-Clash-Cultures-Heartland-America/dp/0156013363

[Paul]

Why now?

Theory One: Bush has figured out enforcement comes before amnesty. He lost in 2007 because people believed that only half of a "comprehensive reform" bill would be enforced - the half that called for "a road to citizenship". Some people remember 1986.

Theory Two: The immigrants in Postville are poster children for the "hard working families" that Bush wants to highlight. Many have been in this small town for years, they have children here. The town's existence depends on the plant staying in operation. This story seemed sure to generate human interest stories of decent families torn apart by US laws, and businesses that fail without illegal workers.

[Rohan Swee]

Thanks for the link, Paul. (I vaguely recall some smiley face piece in National Geographic about the town and the plant a few years back.)

The fact that there've been no moves against the owners - despite their allegedly being up to their gills in all kinds of violations for years, including child-labor - sadly suggests that this is just another big show designed to generate even higher-levels of "sob-storyage" in the on-going effort to convince the public that enforcement is impossible and we must have amnesty. (The newspapers, NPR, etc., obligingly fall in line, but, if newspaper commenters and radio callers are any indication, the public isn't.)

Despite hints here and there that "just you wait, indictments for the higher-ups are coming down", I remain deeply cynical that this is anything but a feint for amnesty and open borders. The dirtbags in Postville are apparently paying $5-6/hr for this hard and dangerous work - all social costs, natch, dumped on the public. Out and out slavery would cost owners more than that. I can't imagine that this administration and most of Congress aren't doing everything they can to protect the status quo. Ramping up prosecutions of some serfs is no skin off their backs. Sob stories will compel inaction and everything will settle down again, suckers.

"Some people remember 1986".

Unfortunately, not enough. And some of the instigators of '86 are itching for a repeat.

[Mike Hunter]

Why now? Simple presidential elections are coming up, and the GOP learned the hard way [during congressional elections] that if you give your base the middle finger they'll stay at home.

The electorate isn't quite as stupid as they thought. As soon as the election season is over i'm sure it will be back to business as usual.

I do have to agree that imprisoning all of these illegals is expensive. It would be much cheaper to just set up detention camps in the desert, and then contract the labor of the prisoners out to corporations to pay for the whole thing.

[Paul]

Just to add a factoid to "Theory Two" above - The Des Moines Register is the most influential paper in the state. Its Sunday edition is especially widely distributed. The top story on the front page today (Sunday, 5/25) is: "Raid mars future for 3 graduating today from Postville". http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080525/NEWS/805250327/1001

[Rohan Swee]

Paul - Yup. Not just the Register, either. Papers across the country do appear to be ramping it up.

Check out the comments - the now-ritualized article/comment tango on this subject emerges: argumentun ad sob-storiem vs. the irate citizens who aren't buying it.

[bjk]

The theory could be that enforcement builds sympathy which leads to amnesty. Or maybe they will do a few high-profile raids, get nothing substantial accomplished, declare victory and pursue amnesty. After all, the easiest way to stop illegal immigration is not scattershot raids, but instead sending a letter to every workplace employing workers with bogus SS numbers and warning them of potential fines if they don't ocmply. That would be too effective, so they don't do it.

[hs]

There is actually a PBS documentary on the rise in racial and ethnic diversity in Postville as a result of Agrciprocessors' re-location there. There is quite a bit about the local response to Mexican immigration. I'm hoping they do a follow-up in light of the arrests. I've used it in my classes on immigration:
http://teacher.shop.pbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=2445487&cp=&keywords=postville&y=0&searchId=28295880703&x=0&parentPage=search

[Dee]

Politics! These raids are pure politics! The Administration is throwing the frothing ANTIs a tidbit to calm them through this election campaign. You should read the ANTI websites to hear them gloat. The raids are happening across the country. Recently at Agriprocessors, in LA, and of course Arpaio´s raids.

What is unbelievable is the Employers continue to go unpunished. Agriprocessors was one of the worst, most exploitive employers with a long history of abuse. No one cares of course. Employers also were not punished from the New Bedford Raids, or Swift, or Pilgrims Pride. Only the exploited workers (provided papers by the employers) are punished, sent to crony owned Detention Centers and deported after months-years of incarceration.

http://immigrationmexicanamerican.blogspot.com/2008/05/gop-pal-employer-going-scot-free-as.html

[Dale Gribble]

McCain-bush-rove all talk about "reform." but even then not everyone will be legal. The administration might be signalling that even if congress legalizes millions of immigrants, the scofflaws will face harsh consequences. Dont make perfect the enemy of good

[Jenny]

The owners of Agriprocessors have a history of corruption and criminal activity. The entire operation, including their lawyers have been found to be selling foreign worker visas for 30,000. and up, including to immigrants from China who were never going to work in their meat processing plants, or even travel to Postville. I read mention of one who moved to San Francisco and had no employment plans with the company. Three of the rabbis who were employees of the factory to ensure the meat was kept kosher were illegal aliens as well.

Other facts missing are that some of the illegal aliens had a meth lab in the factory.

The truth is those types of jobs were held by American citizen workers and used to provide a fair wage. They lifted citizens out of poverty and prices for products made by fairly paid workers didn't result in prohibitively priced products. This is all about squeezing more profit for the corporate owners, nothing more. It's about the US Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable finally being able to end wage standards and workplace protections, and they are doing so with the help of the far left, the ACLU and democratic political leaders.

There are plenty of citizens in Postville and the surrounding area who would take those jobs, because they desperately need them.

[Jenny]

The owners of Agriprocessors have a history of corruption and criminal activity. The entire operation, including their lawyers have been found to be selling foreign worker visas for 30,000. and up, including to immigrants from China who were never going to work in their meat processing plants, or even travel to Postville. I read mention of one who moved to San Francisco and had no employment plans with the company. Three of the rabbis who were employees of the factory to ensure the meat was kept kosher were illegal aliens as well.

Other facts missing are that some of the illegal aliens had a meth lab in the factory.

The truth is those types of jobs were held by American citizen workers and used to provide a fair wage. They lifted citizens out of poverty and prices for products made by fairly paid workers didn't result in prohibitively priced products. This is all about squeezing more profit for the corporate owners, nothing more. It's about the US Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable finally being able to end wage standards and workplace protections, and they are doing so with the help of the far left, the ACLU and democratic political leaders.

There are plenty of citizens in Postville and the surrounding area who would take those jobs, because they desperately need them.

[Ed]

Politics probably are a part of it. It is interesting that they even can do raids. I thought all enforcement, period, except for border patrolling, was not done, except on very rare occassions. (Thinking of the Swift raid a couple of years ago.)

[pop]

we need more raids like this one. and i hate to sound too optimistic but i think they are coming

once all the undocumented are expelled from the country, wages for american high school dropouts will go way up

[Independent Accountant]

These raids are peanuts. With 15 million illegal aliens in the US, to capture a few thousand? This is all electioneering to try to garner support for McCain. I put no stock in these raids.

[Ed]

I don't see how anything can help McCain on the immigration front. It's nice to see it's do-able at all though. For whatever reason they are doing it, my response is - good, more would be great.

[LomaAlta]

It's all phony. Nothing this Administration does on illegal immigration is honest or above board.

But, 8 years of lies and betraying America for Mexico will pay huge negative dividends for the Republicans. Then watch them spin and compound the lies and blame it all on someone else.

We need to scrap the Republicans and start a new conservative party that is pro-American.

[big]

yes

[Moultrie]

I think the House Republicans that stand against the Bogus Bailout may be the new party that needs to rise. I easpecially like that Rep from MI, McCotter and Eric Cantor...