Immigrant raid divides a Mississippi town (LA Times Article)

What follows is an LA Times story about a Mississippi immigration raid. My thoughts and comments appear in blue type below each paragraph........Jim Chitty



Many black and white residents of Laurel applaud the crackdown; it sends fear through the Latino community. Political change may end such raids.



LAUREL, MISS. -- Fabiola Pena considered running away from her factory job when she realized she was being targeted in a federal immigration raid. She was deterred when she noticed the helicopters hovering overhead. Of course she considered running away. Most if not all illegal immigrants have no respect or regard for our laws to begin with.



But helicopters were not what shocked Pena the most on her last, fateful day at Howard Industries, the largest employer in this small Southern town. It was the black co-workers who clapped and cheered, Pena said, as she and hundreds of other Latino immigrant laborers were arrested and hauled away. Good people should applaud when they see laws being enforced and justice being served.

"They said we took their jobs, but I was working from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.," said Pena, 21, a day after the raid last week that resulted in the arrest of nearly 600 suspected illegal immigrants. "I didn't see them working like us." Illegal immigrants take jobs from hard working Americans all the time. The difference is, we Americans have enough self-respect and common sense to not accept low paying jobs that don't allow us to support out families. Most of us want to make it on our own, not live off of the government and our fellow taxpayers. Most, if not all illegals will work long hours for next to no pay, then DEMAND all of the government benefits they mistakenly think they are entitled to. Government programs such as welfare should only apply to LEGAL U.S. citizens, not criminal immigrant invaders.



The raid at Howard Industries, a manufacturer of electrical distribution equipment, was the largest of its kind in many years,and it exposed some of the rawest emotions that fuel the illegal immigration debate. These raids should occur every day all across the U.S.



It was also carried out during a period of political limbo: Polls suggest that for voters, the immigration issue has been eclipsed by the sputtering economy, and neither of the two major presidential candidates has made much of the topic during the election season. Just another in a long line of reasons not to support either of the candidates. The economy is definitely a big issue, but those who are paying attention fully understand and realize that the illegal immigration problem is a major factor in our economic problems. The more illegals there are over here taking advantage of programs they're not entitled to, the more taxes have to be raised to cover it. The higher the taxes, the less money taxpayers have to put back into the economy.

As the Bush administration winds down its tenure in Washington, it has made efforts to step up immigration enforcement, especially after Congress last year failed to pass a sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration laws. Since then, thousands of people have been arrested in raids at dozens of facilities in the nation, generating considerable controversy. Immigrant advocates howl over the coarse treatment of suspects and the breakup of families, and anti-immigrant groups laud the raids, which they say allow for long-overdue enforcement of existing laws. While I applaud the Bush administration for finally dealing with this problem, I also fault them for not having dealt with it from day one. The immigrants who came here illegally should have considered the possible impact and ramifications their criminal activity might have on their families before they broke our laws.



But the raids might not have much of a future after the swearing-in of Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama, both of whom have staked out moderate-to-liberal stances on immigration reform. As I stated earlier, this is a huge problem that both nominees have and a stance that makes neither of them worthy of the office they seek.



If the next president decides to curtail or end raids similar to the one at the Howard Industries, it will not sit well with many residents of Laurel. The raid was welcomed by a number of native-born residents in this manufacturing hub of about 25,000 people that has been transformed in recent years by the influx of Latino workers, many of whom are undocumented. Nor should it sit well with them. This invasion has got to be stopped.



"They need to go and do this in every little town," Tonya Jackson said. Finally, someone with a brain and a degree of common sense speaks out!! I couldn't agree more!! They should do it in every small town and major city from coast to coast and border to border.



Jackson, who is black, said that over the years she had applied numerous times for a job at the locally owned manufacturer, which employs about 4,000 workers. Jackson, 30, said she never received a callback. The raid, she said, was a welcome purge of illegal Latino laborers who had taken jobs they didn't deserve. Once again, common sense speaks. Illegals DO NOT deserve these jobs.



"We've been here all our lives," she said. "And it seems like they have just arrived and are getting the nice cars and the good homes."



Her stance puts her at odds with Obama. The Democratic presidential nominee's website describes such raids as "ineffective" measures that have "placed all the burdens of a broken system onto immigrant families." Obama just wishes the raids were ineffective, that way he wouldn't look so stupid and out of touch when he speaks on the topic. The only thing being placed onto illegal immigrant families are consequences for their illegal actions. That is not the function of a broken system, but rather an example of the system functioning properly.



It is unclear if raids would increase or decrease under a McCain administration. Like Obama, McCain wants to create a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and beef up border security. (McCain, of late, has emphasized that border security must come first). The only "path to citizenship" needs to be the immigrants going through the proper channels and procedures and following and abiding by our laws BEFORE they come here.



But some illegal-immigration opponents worry that the raids and other enforcement efforts will decline once illegal residents are offered a path to citizenship, since the government will be focusing more on accommodating rather than punishing them. You NEVER coddle or accommodate law breakers. Any president who would decrease the raids and focus more on accommodating them rather than punishing them is not a leader, but rather a mere tool of special interest groups. American deserves better!



Immigration advocacy groups, meanwhile, are just as worried that McCain, who has tinkered with his views on immigration, would choose to continue the raids.



The crackdown in Laurel upended the new reality here. The old lumber town, about two hours northeast of New Orleans, boasts a few stately mansions and other remnants of a quaint Southern past. More recently, the city has been transformed by taquerias and grocery stores catering to Latino immigrants who came to work at the electrical equipment factory and nearby chicken plants. The town's population in 2000 was about 18,000, according to census figures, but the Latino newcomers have helped swell that number by thousands. As is the case, sadly, in towns large and small all over the country.



Their arrival created tension in the town, with black and white residents accusing the undocumented workers of taking the few available jobs and depressing wages. The tension is understandable when someone who just came here illegally comes in and takes jobs away from people more qualified because the illegal immigrant is willing to work the same job for $3 an hour.



Monday's raid, part of a two-year investigation of Howard Industries, was triggered by a complaint from a union member, said Barbara Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency conducting the inquiry. It's about time!! Go ICE!



Of the 595 people arrested, about 106 were released and fitted with monitoring devices until their trial date. Among them was Pena, who was freed so she could care for her 2-year-old daughter. A number of 17-year-old workers were put into the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and the remaining workers were taken to a detention center in Jena, La., about four hours away.



Most of the workers were charged with noncriminal immigration violations and faced possible deportation; eight of them faced criminal charges of identity theft. Possible deportation?? Possible?? This should be automatic, especially when they break other laws after coming here illegally.

No managers were arrested in the raid, said Gonzalez, who noted the case remained open. Immigrant advocates often complain that workers bear a disproportionate brunt of the punishment from such raids, whereas the employers are sometimes overlooked. This is actually a valid point. Owners and managers of companies who hire illegals should be prosecuted as well. They are just as much at fault as the illegal immigrants.



Howard Industries released a statement the same day the raid took place, saying that the company performs "every check allowed" to determine the immigration status of all applicants. The problem is, companies are so afraid being labeled as racist if they actually check, that most of them just look the other way.

After the raid, the company put up a billboard on 16th Avenue, the busy commercial thoroughfare on which it resides, that said: "Howard Industries is now hiring!" And only LEGAL U.S. citizens need apply.



The raid, along with rumors of further enforcement actions, has sent a wave of fear through the Latino community. A number of workers have skipped their shifts at the poultry plants. Mexican restaurants refused to open their doors, with one citing an unexplained "plumbing problem" on a sign to customers. LOL...ya think?! The "unexpected plumbing problem was this guy realized the free flowing spiggot of cash and undeserved government benefits he and others had been enjoying was about to dry up.



"There ain't a Mexican place open in this town," said Mark Childress, 49, as he went to a taqueria, only to find it closed.

Childress, a Laurel native, said he was not upset by the Latino immigration, but others said they were glad to see it being rolled back. James Warren, 33, worked at Howard Industries for a few months in 2000. But he quit because of the low wages and because he said none of the co-workers during his shift spoke English. I don't blame Mr. Warren for being frustrated. This is America. We speak American (English) here. Learn the language and speak the language or go back where you came from.



"It was long overdue," Warren said of the raid. "Everybody knew what was going on in there. There weren't a lot of white or black people left in there anymore, it was all Mexicans." As is the growing trend all across America.



With both presidential candidates pledging to give illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship, Warren said he couldn't imagine the raids continuing for long. And that would be a sad state of affairs for our once great nation. A nation's greatness is diminished when it refused to protect it's borders and it's sovereignty.



At Peniel Christian Church one night last week, about two dozen Latino immigrants were milling around. Some held hands in a circle and prayed.



A few were waiting for lawyers; others were unaffected by the raid, but too scared to go home. Children ran through the pews, oblivious to their parents' grief.



"These people are not terrorists, communist or criminals," said pastor Roberto Valez, 58, a native of Puerto Rico. "They are here because they are hungry and in search of a better life, and they were caught working." Actually Pastor, and I use the term very cautiously, these people ARE criminals. They broke our federal immigration laws by coming here and continue to break them by staying. By definition, someone who breaks a law is a criminal. Laws are laws, and breaking them IS a criminal act no matter the reason for breaking them. This so-called pastor would do well to read his Bible and see that Jesus commands us to OBEY THE LAWS OF THE LAND. So, these immigrants are not only criminals, but they are violating God's law as well. So, Pastor Valez, how can you justify their actions and continue to call yourself a pastor and a man of God?? I'll answer for you. You can't.



Pena, the former Howard Industries worker, said that not everyone treated her poorly. Her supervisor, a black woman, consoled her during the raid, she said. "She even called my mother to let her know what happened," Pena said. "But it was in English and my mother had no idea what she was trying to say." Great job of re-enforcing my point about the importance and necessity of learning English!!



If you wish to email the obvious illegal immigration sympathizers who wrote this piece, here are their e-mail addresses.



miguel.bustillo@latimes.com



richard.fausset@latimes.com