L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: Workplace Raids Hurt Economy!

Lots has been going on in my hometown of Los Angeles on the immigration front.  A recent tragedy involving an apparent undocumented immigrant that has triggered a re-evaluation of LAPD policy.  Immigration raids have been on the rise.

Now, the L.A. Times reports that  Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has asked the federal government to review its immigration enforcement priorities, warning that work-site raids on “non-exploitative” businesses could have “severe and lasting effects” on the local economy. “I am concerned that ICE enforcement actions are creating an impression that this region is somehow less hospitable to these critical businesses than other regions,” Villaraigosa wrote in a March 27 letter to Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.  In his letter, Villaraigosa said ICE has targeted “established, responsible employers” in industries that have a “significant reliance on workforces that include undocumented immigrants.”

He said ICE should spend its limited resources targeting employers who exploit wage and hour laws. “At a time when we are facing an economic downturn and gang violence at epidemic levels, the federal government should focus its resources on deporting criminal gang members rather than targeting legitimate businesses,” said Matt Szabo, the mayor’s spokesman.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has cracked down on businesses that hire undocumented workers in California and around the nation in recent years, arresting scores of workers and their employers. In fiscal 2007, ICE made more than 4,900 work-site arrests, a 45-fold increase over the number in 2001, authorities said. In February, more than 130 undocumented workers were arrested at a Van Nuys manufacturing company during an ongoing investigation. Last week, more than 60 workers were arrested on immigration violations during routine federal inspections at South Bay area import warehouses.

In an op/ed, the Times expressed agreement with Mayor Villaraigosa made in asking the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to halt workplace raids and instead target illegal immigrants who have committed crimes or who are in gangs.

KJ