Let me repeat that: illegal aliens were working at a military base.

At least one of them was from the Ukraine.

And, every time that “liberals” oppose attempts to enforce our immigration laws, Bush and the companies that profit off illegal immigration smile.

Are you people useful idiots, or are you in on the take?

no i’m not. One entrapment by immigration was them doing their job. OSHA can’t use the “immigration ruined it for us” excuse for not pursuing violations.

If the only violations that are occuring are against illegal aliens, then perhaps (a) it will be a deterrent for future illegals coming to America if they know that they won’t be safe, or (b) more vigorous pursuit of illegals will reduce the law-breaking by corporations because they won’t have anyone to hire.

More importantly, note the use of “probably” in your statement – in other words, you don’t KNOW, and you don’t have any PROOF, but that doesn’t stop you from using bold-type to emphasize your point (even if it is unsubstantiated). Again, what I would expect from the right wing, but surprised to find it here. Perhaps the neocon right and the liberal left aren’t so different after all…

i agree (and have stated above, if anyone were actually to pay attention) that the employers should be pursued and prosecuted. AS WELL. That companies choose to break the law should not give the individuals who break the law – by illegally entering this country – a free pass. If they are caught, they get sent home. Period.

Your extreme example is just that – an extreme example. It reminds me of the old routine by George Carlin about question and answer day at the old Catholic school – where the kids would take a very simple sin and then wrap it in the most bizarre circumstances to see if it were still a sin or if they could confuse the priest. Are you really asking that all illegal immigrants just be allowed to stay here and live peacefullly because a few of them might be valuable informants or witnesseses in criminal cases? Then why don’t we just do another blanket amnesty such as the one in the 1980s (in California, I believe)? Because of course no one ELSE illegally crossed the borders after that.

I’m exaggerating to make the point, but this is why police don’t want to be immigration agents: their job is actual crime. If you’d like them to spend all their time, effort, and money deporting gardeners and meatpackers, that’s your call. If you can’t see the difference between a gardener and car thief, well…

The law enforcement problem here is that the penalties for hiring illegals are virtually nil. Remember the big Tyson’s case? Tyson’s managed to pin the blame on two managers while saving millions in payroll—bargain for them. Until we get serious about punishing employers, we are going to have lots and lots of illegals.

Don’t expect that to happen anytime soon, what with the Congress we currently have.

rarely know their rights, are reluctant to complain about abuses for fear of deportation, and as a result are killed or maimed far more frequently in workplace accidents than they should be

You are indeed a tragic case.

After all, no measure is too extreme to punish those who violate the law, right?

while you may choose to get smarmy by calling me righteous for pointing out that the law was broken by the illegal immigrants in their initial coming to the US, I prefer to not be selective in which laws we should apply. Yes, the companies should also be penalised and pursued when they are hiring illegals – but using the existence of one crime going uncaught to claim others who are breaking laws should also not be pursued is childish and silly.

Corbetti, while you’re all righteous (shocked! shocked!) about the lawbreaking inherent in being an illegal immigrant, have the decency to also be horrified at the lawbreaking OSHA is trying to stop, which includes toxins, rapes, detached body parts. And OSHA is usually chasing the rich connected people in town, not the poorest ones; OSHA needs even more help than Immigration does.

Cry me a river.

regards,
Corbetti