Amy Taylor
ICE Raids Meatpacking Plants in Six States; Effects Remain to be Seen
Yesterday, while speaking to one of our partners on our immigration reform work at Nebraska Appleseed, I learned that ICE was in the middle of immigration raids across the country. Yesterday, ICE raided meatpacking plants in six states owned by Swift & Company, the world's second largest meat processing company. As Milo Mumgaard argues in his organization's official statement reacting to the raids, if the past has taught us anything, we will soon learn that this raid, like most, will devastate communities and local economies while failing to affect the demand for immigrant workers. The results will be widespread. Many citizens and legal workers are likely to leave their jobs after being faced with the intimidating presence of ICE, as happened on a large scale during the raids of 1999. As hundreds of workers are detained and deported, families will be separated, citizen children will come home to find their parents have been detained, country jails will fill up with non-criminals, vital workers will be lost and many will subsequently risk their lives to return to their families, and, ultimately, the state and local economies will suffer on a grand scale as a result of the slowdown.
While there is nearly universal acceptance that something needs to be done to reform our immigration system, those states with histories of workplace raids know that enforcement alone will never achieve its stated goal. If the goal is merely to look tough and send vibrations of fear through immigrant communities - then perhaps their chosen tactic will be successful. However, as Nebraska has already learned, the economic effects are sure to be much greater. As a result of the 1999 raids in the midwest, a statewide taskforce recommended against such actions because of the resulting economic devastation on the entire meatpacking industry. As a start, all six Swift plants have already suspended operations as a result of the raids.
There is no question that our country needs immigration reform desperately. And once an effective policy is put into place, it will need to be enforced. But removing workers who are needed by our economy, at a great cost considering the tactics used in these raids, will only cause a ripple effect of economic problems (not to mention the emotional effects on immigrant communities) - without decreasing the demand for immigrant workers. This is not the road to positive reform.
Yesterday's raids are even more troubling because ICE officials are characterizing them as a crackdown on an identity theft scheme- the selling of Social Security numbers to undocumented workers. Some workers are now also facing criminal charges based on the use of false Social Security numbers. It seems ICE has employed a marketing team to conjure up support from the general public. Who wouldn't oppose identity theft? In reality, the use of false Social Security numbers by immigrant workers who lack work authorization, is an age-old trend that allows companies to appear ignorant of any labor violations while still getting the workers they need to run their plants. Meanwhile, immigrant workers are vulnerable to raids such as these. To date, no charges have been filed against the plants. This is certainly a practice that must be reformed. However, the real effect of it is extremely different from the consumer identity fraud we are all familiar with where someone goes on a shopping spree with your credit card. In this case, immigrant workers contribute to other people's retirement accounts and they never see these benefits themselves. In fact, the U.S. Social Security Administration estimates that undocumented immigrants contribute $8.5 billion in Social Security and Medicare funds each year that they will themselves never collect. Furthermore, ICE has stated that the scheme has "victimized a large number of U.S. citizens and lawful residents." I do not mean to belittle the experience of someone operating under your identity, but calling the use of false social security numbers "identity theft" seems to be a misnomer.
All of the energy put into the raids and the new messaging should more effectively be put toward reforming our country's immigration laws to make such brutal enforcement tactics unnecessary.
Amy Taylor: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 9:00 AM, Dec 13, 2006 in Immigration
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Comments
"In this case, immigrant workers contribute to other people's retirement accounts and they never see these benefits themselves." And the people using the numbers generally have listed enough dependents to not pay into federal or state income taxes, and as has happpened, the true owners of the SS numbers can be hit with a big tax bill that they will have to pay a lawyer to straighten out, plus lost work time to go to appointments, and the stress of having to prove that they were not working at multiple jobs in several locations, all the while knowing that whomever sold their info in the first place likely will do it again. The owner of the SS number does not benefit from the money paid in, and they get stuck with a bill some criminal illegal alien created for them. This sort of ID theft is not, as you are implying, neutral. The criminal illegal benefits in having jobs s/he has no right to. The citizen or legal alien gets to foot the bill. Legal aliens also should not have to work backwards from a presumption of illegality, which is the brush many are tarred with now!
Posted by: Sharra Rasheed | December 14, 2006 09:56 AM
You make a very good point - thank you. I merely meant to distinguish between the more common notion of "identity theft" and what is happening here. One big difference is that in the former there is a criminal intent to steal money and assets, here the intent is to work. There is a difference, but I did not mean to belittle the effects of using someone else's Social Security number.
Posted by: Amy Taylor | December 14, 2006 11:55 AM
They know they are not here legally. They know it is against the law for them to work. They make a chioice and do it anyway. That pretty well satisfies any legal definition of intent, and when they cause financial issues for another person, and/or for a company, by the lies they cause considerable harm. Maybe if they did not have the lucrative easy out here they would actually work to fix what is wrong in the other countries, especially Mexico. .......and the following quote is something I appreciated not at all: "and one of the Mexicans at the plant ---Andres Guerrero, a local activist, shouted that the ICE agents were "stupid" and that the land belonged to Mexico."
http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20061213/NEWS/112130072 That unmitigated arrogance and nastiness is unfortunately characteristic of too many, especially Mexicans. We do not owe them anything.
Posted by: Sharra Rasheed | December 14, 2006 04:30 PM
I agree competely with Amy Taylor. Using another's SS# for the purpose of getting a job should not be characterized as identity theft. Identity theft, involves theft, usually by breaking into someones home or car and stealing identification and financial data. I know, it happened to me. I think it is absurd that these raids were characterized as having anything at all to do with identity theft. I also find it particularly appalling that they happened on Dec. 12, the most important saint's day for Mexican catholics. Was this intentional? I would suggest to Sharra Rasheed that she read "Tortilla Curtain" by T.C. Boyle to gain some insight and possible compassion into the entire situation.
Posted by: Janet cook | December 19, 2006 12:54 AM
While I agree that the situation of people using falsified social security numbers isn't in anybody's best interest, I think that the fact that such a tremendous amount of money is paid into social security and never collected is an important one. I've talked to many people who believe the exact opposite is happening: The impression is that these people are collecting social benefits while being paid under the table and circumventing taxes or social security payments. It's important that we have a more informed understanding of how these things are working, without attmepting to demonize people who, lets face it, are struggling just to get by, for fictional transgressions. There is some extreme scapegoating going on here towards illegal immigrants, with very few people looking into the actual facts.
I also think that there needs to be a little more compassion about the situation. These people are trying to get any work they can because NAFTA is slowly devastating the economy of their home country. Because we refuse to help, or make any difference in their lives, what are they supposed to do? Sit by and say, shucks, I guess since the USA says my life has to suck, that's the way it has to be? I'm sorry but I can't really feel much sympathy for Americans bitching about being victimized by illegal immigrants when they're all rushing to the stores to get their $600 video game consoles and high definition televisions.
Posted by: Cooper Brislain | December 21, 2006 04:08 PM
I.D. theft is I.D. teft no exceptions. Being an immigrant in the U.S. with out proper paper work is an illegal immigrant. Does Amy Taylor manipulate or ignore all laws or just the ones that doesnt fit in her liberal agenda. If Pres. Bush where to buy an I.D. and SS# for his personal gain would you be as open mided about it??????? I think we all know the answer to that.
Posted by: Harvey McAllister | December 27, 2006 09:44 AM
Cooper Brislain: I just read about a man who has over 20,000 dollars of outstanding bills as a result from one of those arrested in the swift raids. Why dont you pay that bill and then tell me how much compassion you have for criminals. Better yet they are just hard workers you dont seem to mind when it is other people I.D. so put your money where your mouth is; give them your D.L. and SS# to any random hard working immigrant. Its a little different when your personal name and SS# is used buy up to 150 illegal immigrants isnt it. Dont ask people to do what you wouldnt do that goes to Amy Taylor too!
Posted by: Harvey McAllister | December 27, 2006 09:52 AM
If you are true defenders of freedom of speech my comments should be posted.
Posted by: Harvey McAllister | December 27, 2006 09:54 AM
Harvey,
I understand your concerns about identity theft and as I stated in the post, I do not condone using another person's personal information nor do I belittle the individual ramifications of such use. My point is that arresting individual consumers will not affect the vast trade of personal information -- we should be pursuing the people who are stealing and selling this information. Furthermore, I merely wanted to draw attention to the difference between your standard "identity theft" where someone uses your credit card number to spend your money, and the situation here which is a result of a labor market that lures immigrant workers here, relies heavily on their hard work and then denies them the ability to work legally forcing them underground into situations such as this one.
Posted by: Amy Taylor | December 27, 2006 12:55 PM