Prosecutors say 300 suspected illegal immigrants detained after SC chicken plant raid

[susanbanks44]

Source: Associated Press

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) _ Federal agents say they have detained more than 300 suspected illegal immigrants in a raid on a South Carolina chicken processing plant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McDonald says the raid began shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday during a shift change at House of Raeford's Columbia Farms plant.

Federal prosecutors and immigration agents have been investigating the plant's hiring practices. McDonald says 12 people have been arrested in past months, and seven have pleaded guilty.

Read more: http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-immigration-raid,0,1269832.story

[sharp_stick]

1. Of course now

all of the illegals will be deported and the chicken plant will open up again tomorrow with a whole new batch of "employees" and no sanctions whatsoever.

How the hell can the GOP continue to claim they are against illegal immigration and yet not do anything to stop employers from hiring illegals?

[StopTheNeoCons]

2. Prosecute the owners of the plant, they are the criminals

[Sequoia]

3. Quick! It's time to call on.....

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FKss2pBYQ6Y

[susanbanks44]

4. Clucky can help them out

http://www.hulu.com/watch/2317/saturday-night-live-cluckin-chicken

[Sequoia]

5. Where have I been? I've never seen that SNL skit.

Cute.

[susanbanks44]

6. Those were the good ole' days with Phil Hartman. n/t

[Sequoia]

7. I hate that he was killed. What a loss.

[HopeHoops]

8. Oh, now there is a shock - Raeford is just SO ethical

How about cruelty to animals charges - http://www.mercyforanimals.org/HOR/

Or violating Workers Compensation Law - http://wc.deutermanlaw.com/archives/news-newspaper-series-reveals-house-of-raeford-hid-worker-injuries-refused-medical-treatment.html

Faking safety reports - http://www.workingimmigrants.com/2008/05/follow_up_on_house_of_raeford.html

Immigrant labor violations from THIS August - http://www.charlotteobserver.com/100/story/127937.html

Arby's uses HOR but Denny's dropped them because of their inhumane treatment of critters.

I'm sick of the illegal immigrants being made out as the bad people when it is companies like HOR that are responsible and rarely get so much as a slap on the back of the hand.

To all of the executives at House of Raeford, "I faaaahhht in your general dirrrrection."

[susanbanks44]

9. Those violations are almost as atrocious as

http://www.ufcw.org/working_america/case_against_smithfield/case_against_smthfld.cfm

[hunter]

10. All the undocumented workers should be granted automatic citizenship.

Then the factory should be examined carefully for every last health, safety, and labor violation. Fines could be collected and distributed to the ex workers to set them up in their new lives as U.S. citizens. Especially rotten business could be shut down and sold to companies that do not abuse their workers.

Most large businesses that hire undocumented workers do it because such workers are less likely to complain about entirely unacceptable working environments, and if these workers do complain, they are easily manipulated with threats of deportation or they are simply dismissed as troublemakers.

Sometimes I suspect these rotten corporations call immigration raids upon themselves when they want to clear the floor for a fresh new batch of workers when the old ones begin to wear out.

[Lance_Boyle]

11. So we should encourage other illegals to take these jobs

as a path to automatic citizenship when the employer is caught? I don't think that would have a positive effect on the illegal alien problem. Putting the people who hire them in prison is a start. Rewarding the bad behavior of either the hiring scum or the hired aliens should be a non-starter.

[hunter]

12. So, how are you any different to me than some undocumented worker?

:shrug:

Seems to me the only people who have any argument against undocumented workers are those immigrants who fought their way through the bureaucracy to get their documents in order.

Most of us were simply born here. I don't remember choosing to be born in the USA, how about you?

If we simply kill the businesses that abuse immigrant labor, documented or not, then we don't have to face that sticky ethical question of what makes the human rights of U.S. citizens different than the human rights of non-citizens. If businesses knew they would simply be shut down and their assets sold off to pay heavy fines if they were caught abusing immigrant labor then maybe they wouldn't hire undocumented workers, and might even have an incentive to improve working conditions. Businesses that were truly unable to find workers would also have an incentive to help immigrants obtain work permits or citizenship.

Personally, I don't see any difference between Lance_Boyle and some guy in South Carolina who's just been caught up in an immigration raid. There's too much religion and not enough nationalism in me, I suppose. I respect the USA only so much as the USA respects basic human rights. I have no respect at all for baseless nationalism and blind patriotism.

[Lance_Boyle]

16. Citizenship grants me the legal right (not human right) to work in this country.

I don't believe we can have much of a conversation about this when you begin with the premise that nation-states and borders do not exist. They do.

[AlphaCentauri]

17. Legal Rights are not always apply equal to all humans

many times Legal Rights are used to oppress people, the Nazi party did it, the slave masters did it too.

[Lance_Boyle]

18. That's what makes them different from HUMAN rights.

The right to work in a given country is a function of that country's laws - a legal right. Citizens and legal aliens have that right in the US, illegal aliens don't. I'd be very interested in any examples you may have of nation-states in which illegal aliens enjoy the legal (not human) right to work.

[AlphaCentauri]

20. Right to work in the US may not be a right but an option

the right to work as the right to earn money.


if there is a right to work then anybody should get any job they want, it's their right, the constitution should provide for jobs nobody should be un employ.

if there is a right to earn money then anybody can choose to work, have a business or simply take advantage of others.

I think the second option is more of a reality.

Like I said, Legal rights can be a justification to commit acts like slavery. Slave master were protected by the law and the slaves had a right to work but not to earn money.

[AlphaCentauri]

15. Not rewarding corporations who operate abroad, taking advantage of chip labor in other countries

that would be another option to not reward bad behavior

[JonQ]

21. Why should they be rewarded

for breaking the law?

Both parties are wrong. Companies that hire illegals should be punished, people that come here illegally should be deported. What's the point of bothering to codify our laws if we're going to selectively apply them based on who the victim/perpetrators are?

[JonQ]

22. dupe

[notadmblnd]

13. did they arrest any bosses?

[DS1]

14. TONIGHT! WE DINE IN HELL!

[GCP]

19. You've been waiting a LONG time to do that one - no?

Made me laugh!