A wag once said that Custer's last words were "Where did all those
Indians come from?"
Maybe we should change that to the Department of Homeland Security
saying, "Where did all those Mexican's come from?"
Back in the late 1980s, I worked for a Midwest company that specialized
in a highly technical operation that also demanded hard work. We were
competing successfully against some of the largest corporations in the US
for this business. And it so happened that we were using a largely Mexican
crew. Not because we were pro-Mexican, but it happened that Mexicans proved
to be the best workers for this work.
At that time, the US government started cracking down on employers who
hired illegal immigrants, but at the same time offered an amnesty program to
enable illegals who qualified to be given the opportunity to become legal
and a path to citizenship. The company made a policy of demanding that all
workers were to be legal. Many of the workers made the trip out of the US
and reentered in a legal fashion. All of a sudden, these workers came back
with new (their real) names and new and valid Social Security numbers. The
use of phony Social Security numbers was rampant, even 20 years ago.
The final chapter to this story occurred in the mid 1990s when the INS
raided the company and hauled all "Mexican looking" workers away in busses
(which in that case was most of the workers). After checking them out and
finding that they were all legal, they were released to go back to work . .
. but the INS kept the cash money that they had with them. What a cheap
shot!
The question is what took ICE 20 years to catch on to the phony SSN
business? They only would have to check with the Social Security people and
find out that over $4 billion dollars a year are collected from illegals
using phony Social Security numbers. Since there is no way that these
illegals can ever collect any of this in pensions, these funds are simply
kept and will put off the impending bankruptcy of the system for at least
four or five years, according to the SSS.
What we have here is typical Washington . . . different government
entities working at cross-purposes. The SSS that needs the extra money and
the enforcement people (ICE) that want to ship all the illegals back. And
with pictures in the press showing handcuffed crying mothers being separated
from their born-in-the-US legal citizens to promote a legal guest worker
program that the administration wants for publicity.
Of course, the use of the "identity theft" phrase is a cute trick too.
Woooo! They are going to steal all of our identities! This is the equivalent
of yelling "Vampire!" in the middle ages.
But let's face it. The use of phony or "borrowed" Social Security
Numbers by the vast majority of these illegals is simply to be able to
function in US society. To work. To, in some cases, get a driver's license.
To open a bank account.
To keep the record straight, I am not in favor to allowing the hiring
of illegals. Especially as it is done with some companies as a "union
busting" method.
What I am in favor of is a clear and functioning legal method of being
able to use imported labor that would provide workers to do the necessary
services that the US economy needs. To be able to go back and forth to their
home countries as work conditions dictate. And if these legal workers keep
their noses clean and demonstrate that they can become good citizens, offer
a path for that too. But this must include a system that can screen good
candidates for entry. This does not mean to tear down the borders, but to
make the borders functional, which in all truth they are not. Is this too
hard for US politicians to understand?
Yeah, let's raid all of the meat packers and see who will do that hard
work to provide the meat that the US likes to eat at a good price. And why
not the farm and construction industries too?
If I have ever seen a phony operation by the peerless DHS, this is it.
_____________________________________
Richard N. Baldwin T., a HispanicVista.com (http://www.hispanicvista.com/)
contributing columnist, lives in Tlalnepantla, Edo de México. E-mail at:
R1041643422@aol.com
By
Richard N. Baldwin T. /HispanicVista.com