Thursday, July 31,2008
Share
Immigration cruelty is at an all time high
Joan Picard Bleidorn, Shorewood
Immigration cruelty is at an all time high in
the recent May 12, raid at Agriprocessor, a meat-packing plant in Postville,
Iowa. 389 undocumented workers, mostly from Guatemala, some as young as 13, were swept up by some 900 ICE
agents, arrested, shackled, and chained together in groups of ten, and taken to a makeshift court in a cattle corral, where
they were pressured into pleading guilty to knowingly using a false social security number. While they had only the papers
provided to them when they began work at Agriprocessor, these desperately poor and mostly illiterate workers, were
manipulated into believing that pleading guilty was the quickest way back to their dependent families in Guatemala, through
a "fast-track" Plea Agreement which allowed for no changes. Without understanding what it was they were pleading guilty
to, and no understanding of immigration laws, the frightened workers waived their constitutional rights, and having pled
guilty, were then taken away to serve a five-month sentence, followed by deportation. It is the Agriprocessor mangers who
should be prosecuted and made to serve prison sentences for labor law abuses, fraud, and human rights violations. The
immigration system is definitely broken.
Yours truly,
Joan Picard Bleidorn
Iowa. 389 undocumented workers, mostly from Guatemala, some as young as 13, were swept up by some 900 ICE
agents, arrested, shackled, and chained together in groups of ten, and taken to a makeshift court in a cattle corral, where
they were pressured into pleading guilty to knowingly using a false social security number. While they had only the papers
provided to them when they began work at Agriprocessor, these desperately poor and mostly illiterate workers, were
manipulated into believing that pleading guilty was the quickest way back to their dependent families in Guatemala, through
a "fast-track" Plea Agreement which allowed for no changes. Without understanding what it was they were pleading guilty
to, and no understanding of immigration laws, the frightened workers waived their constitutional rights, and having pled
guilty, were then taken away to serve a five-month sentence, followed by deportation. It is the Agriprocessor mangers who
should be prosecuted and made to serve prison sentences for labor law abuses, fraud, and human rights violations. The
immigration system is definitely broken.
Yours truly,
Joan Picard Bleidorn
0
This article is simply blasphemous. 900 ICE agents did not descend upon a poor group of illegal immigrants. It was 900 agents from local law enforcement, US Marshals, ICE, DHS, and CIS. In addition, your liberal bias is clearly evident. Tell me how we are going to pay for all the illegal immigrant education, health care, and social security (seeing as fake social security numbers apparently give you the right, according to democrats, to get benefits??). Hate to break it to you, but they broke the law, plain and simple. If you were to use a fake Social Security number, considered identity theft, you would be thrown in jail too. A congrast to the United States agencies involved.
Also in Letters:
McCain & Republican Party DisgustMark Honadel is not paying attentionCompelling Reasons to Vote in Southside RacesSick and tired of campaignsFormer Republican supports Brower for AssemblyPaul Ryan only cares about his own jobTom Nardelli chewing cabbage and Scott Walker's $95 haircutMMAC Had No Part in MPS NSISupport Bay View High SchoolRE: Where's Pailin's Beef?
..Search Shepherd Express
- Thu
4 - Fri
5 - Sat
6 - Sun
7 - Mon
8 - Tue
9 - Wed
10
Search in Events
2008-12-04 7:30pm
Comedy
Live! Interactive! Improv Comedy For the Whole Family! Bring the kids, bring Grandma, heck, even bring the dog! Come see the longest running comedy Show in Milwaukee.
Location: Central Milwaukee
Frank Martin just can't spend a quiet evening at home. In Transporter 3, he's ready to relax when a speeding car improbably crashes through the brick wall of his living room, depositing an associate about to die and a mysterious young Ukrainian woman, Val
Although separated by an ocean and multiple time zones, the Australian Outback bears remarkable resemblance to the American West. Both encompass mesas towering over rocky, dusty deserts shimmering like a mirage under unforgiving sunlight. Whip-snapping co
No, we didn't ask for an album featuring another recording of "Breathe," leading into "Time," leading into "Breathe (Reprise)," as happens on tracks two through four on Live in Gdansk. But Pink Floyd completists (we are legion) will want it anyway. Howeve
Jorge "El Guero" Hernandez may be the best-known regional Mexican artist with Milwaukee roots. Most of a decade has passed since he and brother Rogelio moved to San Antonio, but El Guero's Banda Centenario still nurtures a unique take on the often-manic D
The Third Ward has changed a great deal since the Milwaukee Ale House opened its doors 11 years ago. The Ale House was one of the first ventures to renovate a vintage building and take advantage of views of the Milwaukee River. A decade later the “r
Two new storefronts—Little Italy Olive Oil Co. and Capone’s Grotto— recently appeared at 1003 and 1007 N. Old World Third St., in the spot formerly occupied by Jewel of India. The interior received a much-needed makeover that includes be
Free Classifieds
Free Coupons
See Jim Gaffigan FREE
..Search Shepherd Express
