Our watchdog on meatpacking plants, Blulitespecial, sent us this link to a story on the latest illegal immigration bust, this one in South Carolina. Although the only connection to refugee resettlement is that it seems that refugees flow to these meatpacking towns once the illegals have been given the boot, I wanted to mention this story because I was fortunate to hear Julie Myers, Asst. Secretary of Homeland Security and head of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency speak this past Saturday in Washington, DC.
From the Greenville News:
GREENVILLE, S.C. — More than 300 people were arrested Tuesday on immigration charges, part of a massive federal raid at a Greenville County poultry processing plant.
Maybe you recall, Myers was extensively criticized in the mainstream media when she was chosen by President Bush to head up ICE. But, I have to tell you she has been one tough cookie and all this enforcement of immigration laws we have been seeing in recent months is her doing.
Myers told us that many tips they receive are from Americans in these towns who would like the jobs to go to citizens and witness some illegal action involving the employers prompting them to tip off ICE.
Tuesday’s raid is the latest in a string of federal actions in recent years targeting illegal workers at poultry and meat-processing facilities across the nation.
About 300 people were arrested in a raid at a Pilgrim’s Pride poultry plant in Texas in April.
In May, federal agents raided a Agriprocessors, Inc. meat plant in Postville, Iowa, in one of the largest single-site immigration busts in U.S. history. Authorities detained 389 illegal immigrant workers and processed them through mass court hearings in Waterloo.
In another massive operation in December 2006, federal authorities detained more than 1,300 people in six states during raids at Swift meat-packing plants.
ICE officials say the workplace investigations and subsequent raids are part of a broad program to combat illegal immigration and fraud.
If you care about the rule of law, weep. In a few short weeks, we will have a new President and Myers will be gone. Maybe a McCain Administration will continue the crackdown, but that is a big maybe. We know for sure an Obama Administration won’t, afterall many of these illegals will have voted for him. And, besides, if we kick too many illegals out of the country who will the friends of Obama in the banking industry sell houses to?