The new face of immigration raids

Abstract

Takingthe Case to theWorld Whilecontinuing to fight on thestreets, in the courts, and in Congress, the Electrical Workers Union is also takingits case to international organisations. The unionis sendingdelegations to the International LabourOrganisation (ILO), partoftheUnited Nations, totheInter-American Commissionon Human Rights,and to the EuropeanParliament. Theunionwillarguebefore all oftheseorganisationsthatthe government has violatedthe labourrights, thehumanrights, and theindividual civil rightsof its members.While these venuesdo notprovidemandatory relief, theydo providean opportunity to bring thecase before worldpublicopinion. AnUphillBattle Still, thisremains an uphillbattle.The Mexican government reports that62 percent oftheworkers have accepted theirseverancepay - they wereoffered a bigbonustodo so -whichmeans thattheygiveup anylegal claimto their jobs. The FederalElectrical Commission, whichhas absorbedLightand Power,has said thatitwill hireatleast1,000former Light andPowerworkers ,buthas notyetannouncedexactly whatcategoriesofworkers itwillbe employing. Meanwhile, former Lightand Powerworkers saythat becausethey weremembers ofthemilitantMexicanElectrical Workers Union,theyare beingblacklisted by bothgovernment and privateemployers . The Mexican ElectricalWorkersUnion has called formoreactionsin December,a month whenmanyMexicanswillbe travelling or celebrating withtheir families, and itwillbe difficult to maintain the momentum of the movement. Still, theunionplanstotry, and manyhaveindicatedthat they areprepared tosacrifice time, tradition , andthefestivities tofight for theelectrical workers. The new face of immigration raids DAVID BACON IsaJournalist based In San Francisco "President Obama will removeincentives to enterthe country illegally bypreventing employersfrom hiring undocumentedworkers and enforcing the law" Ana for team Contreras the this national year. would She's taikwon have 14.For been do six championship a years competitor she's forthenational taikwondo championship teamthisyear.She's14.Forsixyearsshe's gonetopractice instead ofbirthday parties, giving up thefriendships mostteenagers livefor.Then two monthsago disasterstruck.Her mother Doloreslostherjob. The moneyforclasseswas gone,andnotjustthat. "Ionlybought clothes for heroncea year, when mytax refund checkcame",Dolores Contreras explains. "Nowsheneedsshoes,andI hadtotell herwe didn't haveanymoney. I stopped thecable and theinternet she needsforschool.Whenmy cellphonecontract isup nextmonth, I'llstopthat too.I've neverhad enoughmoneyfora car,and nowwe'vegonethree months without paying the light bill". Contreras shareshermisery witheighteen hundredother families. Alllosttheir jobs whentheir employer, American Apparel, fired themforlackingimmigration status. Shestill hasherletter from the Department of HomelandSecurity (DHS), handed her two monthsago by the company lawyer. Itsaysthedocuments sheprovided when she was hiredare no good, and without work authorisation, herworklifeis over. Ofcourse, it'snotreally over.Contreras still has tokeepworking ifsheandherdaughter aretoeat and payrent. So instead ofa job that barely paid herbills,she had to findanother one thatwon't evendo that. Contreras is a skilled sewingmachine operator. ShecametotheUSthirteen yearsago,after working many years in the garmentfactoriesof Tehuacan,Puebla. There companieslike Levis makeso many pairsofstonewashed jeansthat the town'swaterhas turnedblue. In Los Angeles, Contreras hopedtofind themoney tosendhome forhersister's weeklydialysis treatments, and to paytheliving andschoolexpensesforfour other siblings. Forfiveyearsshe movedfrom shopto shop.Likemostgarment workers, she didn't get paidfor overtime, herpaychecks wereoften short, and sometimes her employer disappeared overnight, owingweeksinback-pay. Finally Contreras gota jobatAmerican Apparel, famous foritssexyclothing, madeinLosAngeles insteadof overseas.She stillhad to worklikea demon.Herteamoftenexperienced seamstresses turned out30dozentee-shirts anhour. After dividingthepiece -rate evenly among them, she'dcome homewith$400fora four-day week,after taxes. ShepaidSocialSecurity too,although she'llnever see a dimein benefits becausehercontributions werecredited to a number thatdidn't belongto her. Now Contreras's working againina sweatshop at half what she earned before.Meanwhile, American Apparelis replacing thosewho were fired. Contreras saysthey're mostly olderwomen withdocuments, who can'tworkas fast. "Maybe theysew 10 dozena day",she claims."Theonly operators with papersaretheolderones.Younger, faster workers either have no papers,or ifthey have them,theyfindbetter-paying jobs doing something easier". "President Obama is responsible forputting us in thissituation", she chargesangrily. "Thisis worse thanan immigration raid.Theywantto keep us from working at all".Contreras maybe angry, but she's not wrong.The WhiteHouse website says"President Obamawillremove incentivesto enterthecountry illegally bypreventing employers fromhiringundocumented workers and enforcing the law". On June 24 he told Congressmembersthat the government was "cracking downon employers whoareusingillegal workers in orderto drivedownwages- and INTERNATIONAL union rights Page 16 Volume 16Issue 52009 oftentimes mistreat thoseworkers". Immigration raids:enforcing the 1986 Act The law Obama is enforcingis the 1986 Immigration Reformand ControlAct, which requires employers to keep recordsof workers' immigration status, andprohibits them from hiring thosewho have no legal documents, or 'work authorisation'. In effect, thelaw made ita crime forundocumented immigrants towork.Thisprovision , employer sanctions, isthelegalbasisfor all theworkplace immigration raidsandenforcement ofthelast23 years."Sanctions pretend to punish employers", saysBillOng Hing,law professor at theUniversity of California at Davis. "In reality...