January 22, 2007
In this update:
Rep. Zoe Lofgren to Chair Immigration Subcommittee
Congressman Flake Removed from House Judiciary Committee
Schwarzenegger Releases Another Plan to Subsidize Illegal Immigration
Experience at Georgia Poultry Plant Shows How Illegal Immigration Impacts U.S. Workers
Recent Floor Statements
Press Release
Rep. Zoe Lofgren to Chair Immigration Subcommittee
Congress Daily last week confirmed reports that Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) will be the new chairwoman of House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims. An immigration lawyer from San Jose, CA, Lofgren handled immigration issues in the 1970s as a staff assistant to Rep. Don Edwards, her predecessor, and specialized in immigration law. She also taught immigration law at the University of Santa Clara School of Law.
Rep. Lofgren supports comprehensive immigration reform and, according to her own words, "helped to lead the fight against H.R. 4437," the enforcement-only immigration bill when it passed the House of Representatives in December 2005. Lofgren also opposed other enforcement legislation such as the Secure Fence Act of 2006 (H.R. 6061), the Community Protection Act of 2006 (H.R. 6094), and the Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006 (H.R. 6095).
According to The ContraCosta Times, Lofgren says she will use the House version of the McCain-Kennedy bill as the starting point to build consensus. "But that's not the ending point," she stressed. "That's just the beginning." Sponsored by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), the McCain-Kennedy bill would grant amnesty to illegal aliens and create a guest-worker program to import up to 400,000 foreign workers into the United States each year.
Congressman Flake Removed from House Judiciary Committee
Last week, Congressional Quarterly reported that Congressman Jeff Flake (R-AZ) had lost his seat on the House Judiciary Committee. The ouster, according to Flake, was the result of GOP leadership's decision to punish him for his position on immigration. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee's Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee, Congressman Flake was a vocal opponent of the GOP's get-tough approach on immigration reform and instead was a House co-sponsor of the McCain-Kennedy bill, the basis for the Senate guest worker amnesty bill passed last spring. In addition, Flake expressed disappointment last year in House Leadership's decision to schedule more immigration hearings during the summer before appointing members to a conference committee.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) denied Flake's claim that the loss of his Judiciary seat was retaliation, saying that the reason for the Congressman's departure was strictly due to downsizing necessary after the Republicans lost seats in the November elections. But commenting to KVOA television in Arizona, Flake said Boehner conceded to him that "the party did not want to reward bad behavior - and 'bad behavior' is having a different opinion on immigration, for one." Flake also noted that six GOP committee members with less seniority were allowed to keep their seats.
Schwarzenegger Releases Another Plan to Subsidize Illegal Immigration
California news outlets reported last week that thousands of fruit-pickers, packers, truckers and other agricultural workers are facing months of unemployment because of the recent cold snap that damaged much of California's citrus crop. While estimates vary, The Mercury News reported that as many as 12,000 workers may be affected. It is unclear how many of these workers are undocumented.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made a tour of weather-damaged farms last week and while visiting one Fresno-area citrus farm, pledged that the state would provide aid to ``not only help the farmers but also the workers, because they're also suffering.'' When asked if undocumented workers would get assistance, Schwarzenegger said, ``Absolutely. Everyone will get help.'' He added, ``We are not here collecting immigration statuses.''
State officials later clarified that state assistance to workers would not necessarily include unemployment insurance benefits, because by law unemployment benefits can only be paid to those who show proof that they are eligible to work in the United States. Unemployment benefits can provide up to $450 a week for 26 weeks. However, California officials said the state Department of Social Services and other agencies will work with counties and non-profit groups to assist workers, regardless of their immigration status, by providing emergency food, shelter, job training and help with their utility bills. Food stamps also will be available to eligible families with children, including those of undocumented workers.
Officials said the full impact of the freeze won't be known for several weeks.
Experience at Georgia Poultry Plant Shows How Illegal Immigration Impacts U.S. Workers
A recent immigration raid at a Georgia poultry processing plant has demonstrated the deep impact illegal immigration has on American workers. Last fall, federal immigration agents raided the Crider Inc. chicken-processing company in Stillmore, Georgia. As a result of the raids, the plant lost about 75 percent of its mostly Hispanic, 900-member work force. While at first it appeared that this raid would ruin Crider, The Wall Street Journal reports that not only did the company survive, but the raid actually ended up helping U.S. workers.
After the raid, Crider took proactive steps to find workers for its plant. First, the company raised pay by more than a dollar an hour above what the company had paid the illegal aliens. Then Crider began offering free transportation from nearby towns and free rooms in a company-owned dormitory near to the plant. And, for the first time in years, "Crider aggressively sought workers from the area's state-funded employment office - a key avenue for low-skilled workers to find jobs." As a result, the Wall Street Journal reports, Crider hired about 200 U.S. workers, most of them African-American.
Thus, for first time since significant numbers of Latinos began arriving in Stillmore in the late 1990s, the plant's processing lines were made up predominantly of African-Americans. While these new practices signal a change for the better, it appears the thirst for cheap labor may undermine them yet. "The allure of compliant illegal aliens willing to accept grueling conditions despite rock-bottom pay has proved a difficult habit for Crider to shake, particularly because the U.S. workers who replaced them are more likely to complain about working conditions and aggressively assert what they believe to be legal pay and workplace rights," writes the Wall Street Journal. Some workers describe long, arduous schedules, alleged health and safety hazards, and unrelenting supervisors. In an attempt to deflect the criticism, a Crider spokeswoman said the allegations are the sentiment of "people who are not intent on working."
According to The Wall Street Journal, Crider is currently making efforts to recruit cheap immigrant labor from other parts of the U.S.
Back to top
Recent Floor Statements
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) commented on Illegal Immigration Crisis In Arizona (January 18, 2007)
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) commented on Amnesty Needed For Border Patrol Agents Ramos And Compean (January 17, 2007)
Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) commented on A Sad Day In America (January 17, 2007)
Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) commented on No Justice For Border Patrol (January 17, 2007)
Back to top
Press Release
Hoyer, Democrats Backtrack on Fence (January 17, 2007)
President's State of the Union Remarks Show Why America Doesn't Trust His Immigration Policy (January 19, 2007)
In this update:
Rep. Zoe Lofgren to Chair Immigration Subcommittee
Congressman Flake Removed from House Judiciary Committee
Schwarzenegger Releases Another Plan to Subsidize Illegal Immigration
Experience at Georgia Poultry Plant Shows How Illegal Immigration Impacts U.S. Workers
Recent Floor Statements
Press Release
Rep. Zoe Lofgren to Chair Immigration Subcommittee
Congress Daily last week confirmed reports that Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) will be the new chairwoman of House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims. An immigration lawyer from San Jose, CA, Lofgren handled immigration issues in the 1970s as a staff assistant to Rep. Don Edwards, her predecessor, and specialized in immigration law. She also taught immigration law at the University of Santa Clara School of Law.
Rep. Lofgren supports comprehensive immigration reform and, according to her own words, "helped to lead the fight against H.R. 4437," the enforcement-only immigration bill when it passed the House of Representatives in December 2005. Lofgren also opposed other enforcement legislation such as the Secure Fence Act of 2006 (H.R. 6061), the Community Protection Act of 2006 (H.R. 6094), and the Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006 (H.R. 6095).
According to The ContraCosta Times, Lofgren says she will use the House version of the McCain-Kennedy bill as the starting point to build consensus. "But that's not the ending point," she stressed. "That's just the beginning." Sponsored by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), the McCain-Kennedy bill would grant amnesty to illegal aliens and create a guest-worker program to import up to 400,000 foreign workers into the United States each year.
Congressman Flake Removed from House Judiciary Committee
Last week, Congressional Quarterly reported that Congressman Jeff Flake (R-AZ) had lost his seat on the House Judiciary Committee. The ouster, according to Flake, was the result of GOP leadership's decision to punish him for his position on immigration. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee's Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee, Congressman Flake was a vocal opponent of the GOP's get-tough approach on immigration reform and instead was a House co-sponsor of the McCain-Kennedy bill, the basis for the Senate guest worker amnesty bill passed last spring. In addition, Flake expressed disappointment last year in House Leadership's decision to schedule more immigration hearings during the summer before appointing members to a conference committee.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) denied Flake's claim that the loss of his Judiciary seat was retaliation, saying that the reason for the Congressman's departure was strictly due to downsizing necessary after the Republicans lost seats in the November elections. But commenting to KVOA television in Arizona, Flake said Boehner conceded to him that "the party did not want to reward bad behavior - and 'bad behavior' is having a different opinion on immigration, for one." Flake also noted that six GOP committee members with less seniority were allowed to keep their seats.
Schwarzenegger Releases Another Plan to Subsidize Illegal Immigration
California news outlets reported last week that thousands of fruit-pickers, packers, truckers and other agricultural workers are facing months of unemployment because of the recent cold snap that damaged much of California's citrus crop. While estimates vary, The Mercury News reported that as many as 12,000 workers may be affected. It is unclear how many of these workers are undocumented.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made a tour of weather-damaged farms last week and while visiting one Fresno-area citrus farm, pledged that the state would provide aid to ``not only help the farmers but also the workers, because they're also suffering.'' When asked if undocumented workers would get assistance, Schwarzenegger said, ``Absolutely. Everyone will get help.'' He added, ``We are not here collecting immigration statuses.''
State officials later clarified that state assistance to workers would not necessarily include unemployment insurance benefits, because by law unemployment benefits can only be paid to those who show proof that they are eligible to work in the United States. Unemployment benefits can provide up to $450 a week for 26 weeks. However, California officials said the state Department of Social Services and other agencies will work with counties and non-profit groups to assist workers, regardless of their immigration status, by providing emergency food, shelter, job training and help with their utility bills. Food stamps also will be available to eligible families with children, including those of undocumented workers.
Officials said the full impact of the freeze won't be known for several weeks.
Experience at Georgia Poultry Plant Shows How Illegal Immigration Impacts U.S. Workers
A recent immigration raid at a Georgia poultry processing plant has demonstrated the deep impact illegal immigration has on American workers. Last fall, federal immigration agents raided the Crider Inc. chicken-processing company in Stillmore, Georgia. As a result of the raids, the plant lost about 75 percent of its mostly Hispanic, 900-member work force. While at first it appeared that this raid would ruin Crider, The Wall Street Journal reports that not only did the company survive, but the raid actually ended up helping U.S. workers.
After the raid, Crider took proactive steps to find workers for its plant. First, the company raised pay by more than a dollar an hour above what the company had paid the illegal aliens. Then Crider began offering free transportation from nearby towns and free rooms in a company-owned dormitory near to the plant. And, for the first time in years, "Crider aggressively sought workers from the area's state-funded employment office - a key avenue for low-skilled workers to find jobs." As a result, the Wall Street Journal reports, Crider hired about 200 U.S. workers, most of them African-American.
Thus, for first time since significant numbers of Latinos began arriving in Stillmore in the late 1990s, the plant's processing lines were made up predominantly of African-Americans. While these new practices signal a change for the better, it appears the thirst for cheap labor may undermine them yet. "The allure of compliant illegal aliens willing to accept grueling conditions despite rock-bottom pay has proved a difficult habit for Crider to shake, particularly because the U.S. workers who replaced them are more likely to complain about working conditions and aggressively assert what they believe to be legal pay and workplace rights," writes the Wall Street Journal. Some workers describe long, arduous schedules, alleged health and safety hazards, and unrelenting supervisors. In an attempt to deflect the criticism, a Crider spokeswoman said the allegations are the sentiment of "people who are not intent on working."
According to The Wall Street Journal, Crider is currently making efforts to recruit cheap immigrant labor from other parts of the U.S.
Back to top
Recent Floor Statements
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) commented on Illegal Immigration Crisis In Arizona (January 18, 2007)
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) commented on Amnesty Needed For Border Patrol Agents Ramos And Compean (January 17, 2007)
Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) commented on A Sad Day In America (January 17, 2007)
Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) commented on No Justice For Border Patrol (January 17, 2007)
Back to top
Press Release
Hoyer, Democrats Backtrack on Fence (January 17, 2007)
President's State of the Union Remarks Show Why America Doesn't Trust His Immigration Policy (January 19, 2007)
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