Published on the editorial page of the Pocono Record on June 29, 2007
Congress seems incapable of solving the illegal immigration problem in this country, and now we have a perfect example of how we got into this immigration mess –- right here in our own backyard.
Eighty-one of Iridium’s 130 workers (that’s 62% of their work force) were arrested last week as part of an investigation into the hiring of illegal workers. Here’s the kicker: Iridium has not been charged. Iridium’s excuse, that some fly-by-night temp agency is to blame, is beyond ridiculous. Even former Iridium employees acknowledge that the workers’ illegal status was well-known within the company.
How can anyone believe that Iridium is blameless? While the political posturing continues ad nauseam, the one aspect of illegal immigration that doesn’t get enough attention is the employer. Let’s face it, a major part of the blame rests with the American employer who hires illegal workers. If we didn’t hire them, they wouldn’t come here.
Instead of filling our correctional facilities with illegal Mexicans, Ecuadorans, Indonesians, and Malaysians, we should add some American employers to the mix.
That might take us one step closer to solving our illegal immigration problem.
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