L.A. mayor chides ICE for workplace immigration raids
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Villaraigosa
tells Homeland Security chief that agents should target criminal gang
members and not legitimate businesses. Agency spokeswoman says the
priorities are proper.
By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 10, 2008
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has asked the federal
government to review its immigration enforcement priorities, warning
that work-site raids on "non-exploitative" businesses could have
"severe and lasting effects" on the local economy.
"I am
concerned that ICE enforcement actions are creating an impression that
this region is somehow less hospitable to these critical businesses
than other regions," Villaraigosa wrote in a March 27 letter to Michael
Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Immigration
and Customs Enforcement has cracked down on businesses that hire
undocumented workers in California and around the nation in recent
years, arresting scores of workers and their employers. In fiscal 2007,
ICE made more than 4,900 work-site arrests, a 45-fold increase over the
number in 2001, authorities said.
In February, more than 130
undocumented workers were arrested at a Van Nuys manufacturing company
during an ongoing investigation. Last week, more than 60 workers were
arrested on immigration violations during routine federal inspections
at South Bay area import warehouses. Other Los Angeles companies,
including giant clothing manufacturer American Apparel, have reported
that ICE recently inquired about its hiring procedures.
In
his letter, Villaraigosa said ICE has targeted "established,
responsible employers" in industries that have a "significant reliance
on workforces that include undocumented immigrants."
"In these
industries, including most areas of manufacturing, even the most
scrupulous and responsible employers have no choice but to rely on
workers whose documentation, while facially valid, may raise questions
about their lawful presence," he wrote. He said ICE should spend its
limited resources targeting employers who exploit wage and hour laws.
"At
a time when we are facing an economic downturn and gang violence at
epidemic levels, the federal government should focus its resources on
deporting criminal gang members rather than targeting legitimate
businesses," said Matt Szabo, the mayor's spokesman.
Chertoff has not responded to the mayor's letter.
But
Homeland Security spokeswoman Laura Keehner said the department
believes its priorities are correct. In its work-site investigations,
she said, ICE's focus is on national security and public safety. The
agency also investigates companies it believes may have committed visa
fraud, money laundering, tax evasion or egregious violations of hiring
laws.
"We believe that we are prioritizing appropriately,"
Keehner said. "This is not random. The types of arrests that are made
are well thought out."
Szabo said the mayor and Los Angeles
business leaders hope to discuss their concerns with Chertoff in person
next week during an annual business trip to Washington, D.C.
Last year, Chertoff warned in an interview with The Times
that a crackdown on employers would cause "unhappy consequences for the
economy." But employers who knowingly hire illegal workers are breaking
the law, he said.
Anti-illegal immigrant advocates praised ICE's actions in Los Angeles and elsewhere.
"Cutting
off the magnet of jobs has to be the No. 1 priority if you want to get
a handle on illegal immigration," said Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the
Federation for American Immigration Reform, which supports stricter
border controls.
Years of lax enforcement is what led to so many
illegal workers in Southern California in the first place, Mehlman
said. ICE should keep the pressure on undocumented workers and should
focus even more attention on their employers, he said.
In Los
Angeles, he said, "you take away 100 illegal aliens from these guys and
they could have 100 more before lunch. But you take the head of
personnel, that's another matter."
Immigrant rights proponents
said raids at businesses break up families, make workers more
vulnerable and give unscrupulous employers a competitive advantage.
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane
Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said the situation only underscores
the need for comprehensive immigration reform.
"All of the Los
Angeles economy [is paying] for the incompetence of our congressional
representatives," she said. "They haven't done what they are supposed
to do."
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce President Gary L. Toebben agreed on the need for reform legislation.
Toebben
also sent a letter to Chertoff saying that workplace raids are
"devastating" to businesses that are trying to follow the law.
Even
when employers ask for proof that new employees are eligible to work in
the U.S., there is no guarantee that the documents are valid, he said.
Businesses can use the Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify
system to match employee's names and Social Security numbers with
federal databases, but critics have said that it often inaccurately
flags foreign-born U.S. citizens.
Toebben
said workplace raids can slow production or bring it to a standstill.
He said future enforcement could also discourage some companies from
hiring people who appear to be foreign-born for fear of hiring
undocumented workers and being targeted by ICE.
Toebben said he
worries that if the arrests continue, Los Angeles companies could have
"a very difficult challenge in meeting their workforce needs."
anna.gorman@latimes.comWhat do you think?
