Feds protect us from cut pineapple
Portland and Vancouver residents are now safe from the threat of fresh cut fruit:
It's worth noting that part of the story involves the faking or theft of Social Security numbers by an employment staffing firm that supplied Fresh Del Monte, the fruit company, with workers. If those allegations turn out to be true, nobody should condone that.
The Oregonian reports on how this is also a tale of the politically well connected:
Working at the fruit plant doesn't sound like a picnic. The Oregonian describes workers standing in near-freezing water for minimum wage-range salaries. Now hundreds of families are being thrown into a crisis, as many workers are being transported to a federal facility in Tacoma. Those without resources could very well be deported.
There are no easy answers, but the demand by righties that immigrants "follow the law" is best answered by stating that the law needs to recognize the reality of immigration and take steps to reward law-abiding work. That's not "amnesty," it's just common sense.
Meanwhile, if you were going to pick up a cup of fresh fruit at a chain grocery in Portland today, you might find there's not as much available as usual.
An estimated 160 federal agents swept into Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. and the firm that supplied its workers, American Staffing Resources, arresting three managers and locking up most of the arrested workers in a federal detention facility, where they face possible deportation.The Oregonian has extensive coverage. Suffice it to say this story has a bit of everything -- an outraged mayor, desperate families, corporate wrong-doing and activists with strong opinions.
It's worth noting that part of the story involves the faking or theft of Social Security numbers by an employment staffing firm that supplied Fresh Del Monte, the fruit company, with workers. If those allegations turn out to be true, nobody should condone that.
The Oregonian reports on how this is also a tale of the politically well connected:
Fresh Del Monte is a $3.2 billion-a-year, politically connected operation controlled by a wealthy Arab family. Incorporated in the Cayman Islands with executive offices in Coral Gables, Fla., it claims to be the world's largest provider of fresh pineapple and the third-largest source of fresh bananas. Fresh Del Monte's global empire includes plantations in Kenya, Costa Rica and the Philippines.In a system that economically rewards corporations for engaging in "nudge, nudge, wink wink" behavior when it comes to immigration status, this sort of thing is likely widespread. The challenge is to come up with a sensible system that both protects our borders and allows honest, hard-working immigrants a fair shot at improving their lives.
Dennis Christou, Fresh Del Monte spokesman, declined to comment on Tuesday's raid beyond saying that the company had yet to hear from federal investigators.
Reached at his office, American Staffing President Ray McDaniel seemed stunned by the developments. "Oh, my God, I've had better days," he said. The company is cooperating with investigators and conducting its own internal review, McDaniel said.
The company, which paid its Portland plant workers the minimum wage of $7.80 an hour, awarded $6.2 million to its team of top executives in 2006.
Until 2002, President Bush's brother Marvin sat on the company's board of directors. John Dalton, former secretary of the Navy, continues to sit on the company's board.
Working at the fruit plant doesn't sound like a picnic. The Oregonian describes workers standing in near-freezing water for minimum wage-range salaries. Now hundreds of families are being thrown into a crisis, as many workers are being transported to a federal facility in Tacoma. Those without resources could very well be deported.
There are no easy answers, but the demand by righties that immigrants "follow the law" is best answered by stating that the law needs to recognize the reality of immigration and take steps to reward law-abiding work. That's not "amnesty," it's just common sense.
Meanwhile, if you were going to pick up a cup of fresh fruit at a chain grocery in Portland today, you might find there's not as much available as usual.
