December 30, 2006
HOW SWIFT CAN AN UNEMPLOYED AMERICAN
FIND A JOB?
Vol. 1 Issue 8
After a ten month investigation, federal
officials raided six meatpacking plants that
were hiring illegal immigrants, some with
stolen identities of U.S. citizens.
The raids at the plants operated by Swift
& Company, resulted in the apprehension of
almost 1,300 illegal immigrants. The
Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE)
raid netted 1,217 persons that were being
detained on immigration charges and another
65 on identity theft charges. Some of these
persons were wanted on outstanding existing
criminal warrants for crimes previously
committed. Most of the identity theft
involved the use of legitimate Social
Security numbers assigned to U.S. citizens.
The arrested workers were from, Mexico,
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Peru,
Laos, Sudan, Ethiopia and other countries
according to ICE.
Swift & Co. was not charged. Why not, you
ask? They claimed that they had no idea that
they had employees on the payroll using the
same Social Security numbers as an American
worker in other cities. The company had
participated in a government program known
as "Basic Pilot" since 1997 to ascertain
through a federal database the legitimacy of
the SS numbers that were presented by the
prospective employee. That is probably why
officials of Swift & Co. were not charged.
However, the database only tells the
inquirer that the numbers are legitimate. It
does not tell them that the applicant is
presently working in another city.
When I was in business, I was required,
as every employer is, to file quarterly 941
tax forms. These forms contain the names and
SS numbers of all employees on the payroll
and the employer identification number of
the company. Listed on the form are all the
payments made during the last quarter for
monies collected for, withholding taxes, SS
contributions, Medicare contributions and
any other payments the employer is required
to withhold and deposit with the Internal
Revenue Service. So don't try to tell me
that if I have an employee in Colorado that
is using the SS number of a worker in
Detroit and paying SS contributions from two
separate employers during the same working
period their computers would not pick that
up. I know, it is easy to say that the
person probably has a part time job after
his regular one. However, it is a hell of a
commute from Detroit, Michigan to Greeley,
Colorado.
It is amazing how AOL can tell me to pick
another password or screen-name because one
of their millions of subscribers already has
the one I want. However, the government
cannot tell an employer that someone in
another city is already paying taxes under
that SS number.
The real question is whose accounts were
the SS payments being credited to, the
worker in Michigan or Colorado? Secondly, if
there was an overpayment who received the
refund? That answer is simple. If you do not
know you overpaid, you never ask for a
refund so IRS does not send one. Therefore,
the money paid as SS contributions by the
illegal worker stays in the fund. The only
beneficiaries are the SS fund and the worker
who retires and collects their benefits
which may now be larger because more was
paid in. The problem is, no one is asking to
verify the address that belongs to the SS
account in question.
So what is the downfall of the ICE raids?
An ABC news reporter in Denver is quoted as
saying," Quite honestly, you're looking at
two weeks before Christmas, and there is
buying power leaving the economy." If that
reporter really thinks that the reduction in
Christmas shopping spending by the 261
employees Detained in Colorado, that are now
without a job is going to affect the economy
of Colorado there is a bridge in New York
City I would like to sell that reporter.
If they were not working there, taking
jobs away from Americans there would be 261
Americans spending at the malls.
Judy Griego, director of Weld County
Social Services is quoted in the Greeley
Tribune as saying, "Our wish would have been
they (ICE) should have let us know
beforehand. We have kind of collapsed around
this situation internally. Frankly, we don't
know how many kids are involved in this now.
It's kind of guesswork." Why is she blaming
ICE for not informing her? Swift & Co. knew
months before the raid was coming. They even
went to court to try to stop it. Why didn't
Swift & Co. inform social services? I
believe they have a much greater obligation
and involvement in the community than ICE.
I can hear all the politicians on both
sides of the aisle in outrage. These people
were doing jobs that Americans will not do
we need them. Really! Prior to the Hart/Celler
Act of 1965 there was negative emigration
not immigration. Actually, from 1921 until
1965 immigration was close to zero. Think
about this, our lettuce was picked, our
houses were cleaned, our children were cared
for and our lawns were mowed. Whom do you
think did all that work?
The Hart/Cellar bill, which opened up our
borders to a flood of immigration, may be
the reason for the problems we see today.
During the hearings of the senate
immigration subcommittee, Chairman Edward
(Ted) Kennedy (D-MA) reassured his
colleagues and the nation with the following
statement: "This bill will not flood our
cities with immigrants. It will not upset
the ethnic mix of our society. It will not
relax the standards of admission. It will
not cause American workers to lose their
jobs."
Here is the punch line to all this. The
opening line in the Rocky Mountain News of
December 15, 2006 said, "The line of
applicants hoping to fill jobs vacated by
undocumented workers taken away by
immigration agents at the Swift & Co. meat-
processing plant earlier this week was out
the door on Thursday." Did you notice the
word "Undocumented?" They were documented,
some just had other peoples documents.
Political Correctness triumphs again.
A full-page ad in Wednesday's Greely
Tribune states that the company is offering
a $1,500 signing bonus for new employees. It
said all shifts and all experience levels
are needed. It looks like it was a Merry
Christmas for some people in Greeley.
How fast can some unemployed Americans
find a job? Well if you live in Greeley,
Colorado or any of the other five cities
that were raided it seems it will happen
pretty "Swift."
And, that is my opinion.
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