Workplace Crackdown Targets Undocumented Workers

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Fast Food Nation is playing in movie theaters right now (here is an interesting review), and the story line revolves around a meat packing plant in Colorado. The fictitious plant runs on cheap labor coming from Mexico, as undocumented immigrants struggle to survive the search for work, and then the work itself once they find it. While the film provides a fictional account of immigration issues, it does draw from a very real struggle.

This just in: The way in which the raids were conducted is making headlines.

The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that workers were divided up based on skin color.

Today six states were host to the largest workplace raid in US History, which was aimed at arresting undocumented workers. The raids took place at meatpacking plants in Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa, Texas, and Utah. Homeland Security continues to blame the immigrants themselves for using false documentation, while choosing to raid, arrest, and prosecute workers, separating families along the way. While some will argue that workers must register in order to work, with no exceptions, the demand fueling illegal immigration based on US economic policy seems not to matter. As well identity theft was brought forth as a reason for the raids. Why would workers be targeted for identity theft when they would have obtained such documents from other sources. And how is this a new finding? It seems like a new spin on how to target workers.