Twenty-eight illegal aliens were detained during a workplace enforcement effort undertaken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Bellingham, Wash., last week in what was the first workplace enforcement since President Obama took office. It was part of a gang investigation, and it likely took dangerous individuals off the streets. In a recent Center for Immigration Studies report on gangs, we explained how workplace enforcement is an important component of anti-gang efforts because of the fact that many illegal alien gang members hold jobs during the day, saving their violence for the dark of night. Much of this violence is directed at the immigrant community.
The 28 illegal aliens were using false documents and Social Security numbers (any of which may be real Social Security numbers belonging to U.S. citizens).
Stopping gang activity, employment violations, and document fraud is a good thing, right?
Well, not according to the open-borders lobby.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is bowing to pressure from open-borders groups like the National Council of La Raza and promising that she will “get to the bottom of this.” The secretary claims to be upset that she wasn’t notified of the Bellingham workplace enforcement ahead of time.
An anonymous DHS official reportedly said, “The secretary is not happy and this is not her policy.” The official is right; this isn’t her policy – it’s the law of the land, and her job is to enforce it.
White House spokesman Nick Shapiro has also chimed in, saying, “these raids are not a long-term solution.” He couldn’t be more wrong. The attrition policy, which is already making great progress in reducing the illegal alien population, requires a consistent, long-term commitment to the rule of law. Attrition, rather than mass legalization, is the solution to illegal immigration preferred by Americans.
The spokesman also said that, “Secretary Napolitano is conducting a thorough review of ICE, including enforcement,” which is somewhat onminous, since the bureau’s central focus is enforcement.
Shirin Dhanani Makalai, whose family owns the business at issue, claims that the company did not intentionally hire illegal aliens and that companies have no clear way of checking an employee’s legal status. Apparently Makalai has never heard of E-Verify, the user friendly program that thousands of employers are currently using. If Secretary Napolitano and the open-borders lobby want ICE enforcement efforts to come to an end, perhaps they should tell President Obama to promote E-Verify and make it mandatory nationwide.
Hopefully, this “review” promised by Napolitano is nothing more than a way to appease and quiet the open-borders activists. The Obama Administration doesn’t want to go on record as supporting labor violations, document fraud, and gang activity.