No need to worry, America. We are safe once again from a potential security threat. It's no telling what might have happened if Immigration had not descended upon this poultry processing plant in time.
Last week the INS raided a poultry processing plant in Arkadelphia AR and arrested 119 illegal immigrants. The raid followed an earlier arrest in which a woman was charged with brokering ID's and selling them to these immigrants, enabling them to work as "citizens". What happened? They earned livings, paid rent, bought groceries, paid sales taxes, enrolled their children in public schools. What happens now? In the case of one particular family, an 11-year-old boy and his younger sister did not know for three days that mom had been deported. She was finally able to contact her children from Mexico. Heartbroken, to say the least, she still wants her children to remain in Arkadelphia so that they can finish school. She will somehow begin the process of trying to come back to the US.
Unfortunately, it can cost as much as $5,000.00 to get the proper documents and move to the US. For the "downtrodden", this is the LEGAL route! Incidentally, the average per capita income in Mexico is $5900.00 PER YEAR. You can just guess how long it's gonna take for mom to gather up the money. In the meantime, her children are US citizens because they were born here. Did I mention that mom, and many others like her, had been at this same plant for almost 10 years?
I'm not going to try and defend lawlessness or open borders. I realize we live in a post-9/11 world, and border security is at the top of my agenda of "important things to worry about". It seems to me, however, that the last few news articles pertaining to "bad guys" trying to sneak into the US mentioned that they came through Canada. I wonder what we're doing about that? By the way, are Shania Twain, Celine Dion, and Jim Carrey in this country legally?? They came from Canada; have we checked their green cards?
Surely there is a better way. I realize that there really isn't anyone in particular to blame. The INS agents were following orders. The raid followed the arrest of the woman who was brokering ID's (all kidding aside, I consider this a very serious incident), so what other choice was left when it was determined that these 119 persons had entered into the country illegally and purchased false ID's? The law is, indeed, the law.
I guess what bothers me most is that there are so many who lament about the loss of American jobs to Mexico, and Mexicans are still trying to come to the US to work. Something not quite right here. Then the illegal immigrants take the jobs that "Americans don't want". Who says? The pay at this processing plant was anywhere from $6.00 per hour to $9.50 per hour. Not great wages, but some can do worse. Are there really unemployed Americans who would thumb their noses at these jobs? Has the Employment Security Division done anything to take those who live in the area and are drawing Unemployment Benefits and force them to work at this processing plant? What has the STATE done to protect us from these who say they want to work but refuse honest work?
The plant was virtually shut down because of the raid. All those taxpayers are now unemployed and safely back in Mexico. Instead of continuing to work and support their own children, these children are now wards of the state. WE will have to dip into the public dole to see to these children's needs. They are being cared for by friends and relatives, but is this really the same? How many of us would be equally satisfied with staying at an aunt's instead of with our own moms?
Surely there is a better way.
If you want to get into the US legally, like if you wanted to leave a nice clean paper trail, means you go through Canada. Their immigration system is far more open than the US. If you want to get into the US illegally, possibly while bringing weapons or dangerous substances with you, Mexico is the route.
Judging from the number of illegals working the plant and the fact that it is essentially shut down after the bust, the "well has any American tried to work here" excuse probably doesn't hold much water. You don't get illegals as a vast majority of your workplace population without somehow selecting for them. This selection can take the form of selective hiring, or simply low wages, but pure physical intimidation by large sweaty men is not unheard of.
Posted by: Jeff the Baptist | August 15, 2005 at 02:58 PM