October 25, 2007

Illegal aliens steal evacuee supplies; NPR's Amy Isackson promotes serf labor

Six illegal aliens were allegedly caught stealing supplies in San Diege meant for wild fire evacuees. They brought trucks and came back for more, and one of their group said they were paid to do so. While there might be a somewhat understandable explanation, such as they were taking them to an ad hoc shelter somewhere else, I suspect that if there were such an explanation we would have heard it. If there isn't such an explanation, it shouldn't be surprising that some of those who've shown no respect for our immigration laws would show no respect for fire victims.

Meanwhile, Amy Isackson of NPR puts the pseudo-humanitarian, crypto-corporatist spin on a related issue in "Fires Highlight Safety Needs of Migrant Workers":

Jesus Gomez from Oaxaca was at his job at a nursery in San Diego's North County when the Witch fire roared in from the east. His crew kept working while wind whipped smoke and ash in their eyes... "They gave us masks, but still, our eyes were filling with dirt and ashes. So, we keep working, but then the police came in," Gomez says... He says his boss told him to stop working only after law enforcement gave the mandatory evacuation order... ...The Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are lending 200 officers to law enforcement efforts during the fire... Just their presence in the streets ignites people's fear...

If all or most were legal workers or not enrolled in a "guest" worker program, situations like that would not occur. Instead of looking into that, the overall impact of the NPR report is to enable such working conditions. If Isackson wanted to prevent such working conditions, she'd support the Border Patrol rather than try to portray them as an invading army.

Also quoted: "immigrants rights activist Enrique Morones", someone who's a member of the Democratic Party of San Diego; a Mexican official joined him on a ride in support of illegal immigration.

Posted to Immigration2007b at October 25, 2007 01:23 PM