Clergy look the other way while children abused. Child Labor

The intellectual bankruptcy and juvenile morality of trendy open-borders clergy is on an embarrassing public display during events marking the first anniversary of ICE raids of the Postville, Iowa kosher meatpacking plant.

Many of these are the same clergy who remained silent for years as the meatpacking plant physically endangered its workers and violated child laborers.
Like silent witnesses to pedophilia, these clergy were voiceless for years while the meatpacker workers -- especially children -- were chewed up by an immoral corporation. Now these clergy have the shameless audacity to blame immigration laws for the collapse of the business and the misery of the workers.

Lutheran, Catholic and United Methodist leaders say the lesson of Postville is that Congress should provide an amnesty to 12-20 million illegal foreign workers and dependents. In effect, they seem to want to make sure that unemployed U.S. workers don't get a crack at the estimated 8.3 million jobs the illegal workers currently hold.

IMMIGRATION LAWS ARE 'FOOLISH,' SAY CLERICS
The open-borders religious leaders say enforcement of immigration laws is "foolish."
Immigration raids are foolish. They traumatize families andchildren. They break families apart. We need a policy that treatspeople with dignity and justice.
-- Rev. Steven P. Brackett, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Postville

That means immigration laws are foolish. By extension, I suppose these religious leaders believe it to be foolish to protect vulnerable U.S. workers from the free movement of tens of millions of foriegn workers who would surely move to the U.S. and bid down wages and working conditions if the clerics got their wish of open immigration.

For a year, open-borders clerics around the country have used the Postville Raid as a pulpit to proclaim that illegal workers only do jobs that Americans won't do.
In the case of the Postville Kosher plant, that almost is true.

The Kosher management treated its workers so badly in terms of pay, working conditions, safety and benefits, that it would have been difficult to find U.S. citizens who would have put up with the job.

IMMIGRATION VIOLATIONS AREN'T WHAT COLLAPSED THE CORPORATION
In fact, it was the company's violation of safety, wage and child labor laws -- as well as potentially criminal fiscal management -- that led to the company shutting down, spreading economic hardship over the entire community.

Open-borders advocates constantly claim that it was the immigration raid that caused the shutdown. But that is not true. The company -- after improving the compensation package -- was actually able to quickly find legal workers and ship them into town after ICE removed all the illegal foreign workers.

I told newspaper reporters Thursday that even if there had been no immigration enforcement at all, the Kosher plant would have been in big trouble based only on safety, wage and child labor violations. We constantly hear politicians who oppose immigration enforcement say they want to see aggressive safety and wage enforcement. So do I. And if you get that kind of enforcement, you will see lots of businesses that hire illegal aliens in big trouble, because most of them break all kinds of laws other than immigration.

POSTVILLE PAIN WOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED BY EARLIER ENFORCEMENT
I was asked if I feel sorry for the community around Postville based on the economic suffering of losing its biggest employer. My answer is yes. But I note that the clerics preaching against law enforcement seem to be suggesting that we should allow corporations to continue to mistreat their workers because making them follow the law might cause collateral economic pain.
I ask the archbishops and bishops: Should we stop enforcing child labor laws because some community has become dependent on a plant that abuses child workers?
The problem for Postville is not that immigration and labor laws were enforced but that they were enforced too late.

If the Bush Administration had been serious about safety, labor and immigration enforcement earlier, conditions would not have gotten nearly so bad. Adjustments could have been made without the corporation collapsing. But by the time the feds got involved, the Kosher management had so corrupted the whole operation there really wasn't anything left to save. The business was rancid.

LET THE CLERGY EXPLAIN THEIR COMPLICITY IN LABOR ATROCITIES
I have another question for all the preachers, priests, nuns and religious social workers who are so eager for their moments of fame in the national press by declaring it immoral to arrest workers who illegally enter the country and take jobs from U.S. citizens:
How do you explain your silence over the last several years about the incredible mistreatment of workers -- including children -- at the Postville plant? Especially those of you who lived in the community. How were you able to just turn away from the grievous behavior of the employers? Why didn't you report the criminal activities to the government?

There is no way in a small community that you could have been unaware of what was going on. How do you justify your complicity with the sinful practices of the managers of that plant?
READERS, HELP YOUR OWN RELIGIOUS LEADERS

The callous immorality of open-borders theology is beginning to infect local pastors.
I request all of you readers to make sure your own pastor is aware of the solid morality of immigration laws in preventing powerful economic interesests from mistreating the most vulnerable members of our community.

Your pastors are constantly propagandized by denominational publications and leaders who suggest that immigration laws are immoral because they don't follow the Scripture's commandment to not mistreat the stranger. You don't have to convince your pastor that our position is right as much as you need to convince that the issue is more complex than stating that every stranger should be given amnesty, a job and citizenship.

You should also let your pastors know that millions of dollars have been donated by foundations to organizations to help persuade denominations to endorse amnesty and to side against unemployed U.S. workers in favor of illegal foreign workers getting jobs.
Please don't be combative with your pastor. Share your concerns sincerely and calmly. I have been around clergy all of my life -- and I talked with hundreds of them during my days reporting on religion. I can attest that most clergy are sincere compassionate people who would never deliberately show a hardened heart to the families in their community that are suffering from unemployment or the threat of joblessness. But they need to understand that illegal immigration is not a victimless crime. Millions of U.S. citizens are out of work today because 8.3 million illegal foreign workers are allowed to hold their jobs.

ROY BECK is Founder & CEO of NumbersUSA

Latest Info. on Amnesty

Weekly NumbersUSA Summary
Pres. Obama Pulls Rug Out From Under Ex-Convict Pleading for a JobBy Roy Beck, Friday, March 19, 2009
Today's news reports on Pres. Obama's visit to California include a touching interaction with an ex-convict who has lost his job. But his comments about making sure that illegal aliens keep THEIR jobs illustrates the common occurrence of really smart people at the top of our government who just don't get it. They don't understand that there are a limited number of U.S. jobs and that when you fill those jobs with foreign workers (including illegal ones) American workers lose out. Look at what happened . . .

Americans' Protests Rising Against Pelosi's & Obama's Preference for Illegal Foreign WorkersBy Roy Beck, Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The White House switchboard is barely holding on. Fax machines there and in congressional offices are churning out Americans' protest in peak mode. Pres. Obama and House Speaker Pelosi have started a grassroots rebellion with their new statements of prioritizing illegal foreign workers over unemployed Americans. How angry are you? Let me count the ways . . .

NumbersUSA Petition Nearly 4 Times Bigger Than Pro-Amnesty Group'sBy Phillip Zanders, Tuesday, March 17, 2009
I've written often about studies conducted by Vivek Wadhwa with various coauthors. We agree on many issues and disagree on others. But his newest report discussed in a New York Times blog, finds that many Chinese and Indian tech workers in the U.S. plan to return home, which he believes will be a huge loss to the U.S. But Vivek's characterization of this exodus as "America's Loss" is quite baffling.

We Lost On a Tabling Motion, But Would We Have Won On a Straight E-Verify Vote?By Roy Beck, Sunday, March 15, 2009
Paul of Montana asks: "Is there any difference between the procedural vote on Leahy's tabling motion on Sessions' E-Verify amendment and a straight vote on the amendment (for a long-term re-authorization)? Would a straight vote have won for E-Verify?" My answer is . . .

Recent News...
E-Verify Growing in Washington State
Australia Slashing Immigration Intake
Tech Companies to Apply for H-1B Amidst Layoffs
Pelosi Video Goes Public
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Says Immigration Enforcement is "Un-American"
Ninth Circuit Upholds Arizona Illegal Hiring Law
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett -- Today's Champion for American Workers
Rep. Lamar Smith Criticizes Pelosi for calling Enforcement Officers "Un-American"
27 Arrests in Nebraska Search for Illegal Aliens who Disobeyed Deportation Orders
Rep. Pete Hoekstra -- Today's Champion for American Workers


NumbersUSA Members Respond in Big Way
Both Nancy Pelosi and Pres. Obama made big news this week, and since Wednesday, NumbersUSA members have sent more than 325,000 faxes!

Pelosi first made news when a video tape surfaced catching the House Speaker calling U.S. immigration enforcement efforts "un-American" and calling for a stop to the raids. She also called a group partly made up of illegal aliens "very, very patriotic." If you haven't done so already, send a fax to your three Congressmen urging them to reject Pelosi's statements. You can also read a new report released by the Center for Immigration Studies saying that work site enforcement raids increase wages.

On Wednesday, Pres. Obama met with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to discuss immigration. During the meeting, Obama promised to pursue Comprehensive Immigration Reform and said he plans to travel to Mexico next month to meet with Mexican President Calderon to discuss Amnesty. Visit your Action Buffet and send a fax to Obama blasting his promise to pursue comprehensive immigration reform.

Thanks again for all your support and making your voice heard. And please remember, no voice can be louder than making a personal visit to your Reps district office and telling them that you want to protect American workers through lower immigration levels.

Thanks,
Chris Chmielenski Website Content Manager

Comprehensive immigragion on the move

1. Nancy Pelosi calls for the end of immigration enforcement by ICE.
You can find out more, and let your voice be heard by clicking on the following link:
http://www.numbersusa.com/content/news/march-18-2009/house-speaker-pelosi-calls-immigration-enforcement-un-american.html?jid=111509&lid=9&rid=1215&tid=814673

2 "After spending the first weeks of his term engulfed by the financial mess, Obama has decided it's time to make nice with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. In a meeting with them yesterday in California, he promised to push ahead soon with the same "Immigration Reform"—i.e. Illegal Alien Amnesty—that McCain and Kennedy were promoting back in 2007.

Obama said he would soon be traveling to Mexico to meet with Mexico's President Calderon to work out immigration policy. That sounds like Obama is going to let the country responsible for sending us the most illegal aliens re-write America's immigration laws."

You can read more, and let your voice be heard at the following link:
http://www.numbersusa.com/content/?jid=111509&lid=9&rid=527&tid=814673

also you can pass this link on to your friends so they can help you take action as well:
Comprehensive immigragion on the move

Action Request from Numbers USA

Please fax and phone President Obama and DHS Secretary Napolitano

Both Obama and Napolitano are questioning the necessity and effectiveness of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's work site enforcement raids

On February 24, 2009, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) executed a work site enforcement raid at the Yamato Engine Specialists plant in Bellingham, WA. This was the first ICE raid of the Obama Administration and resulted in the arrest of 28 illegal alien workers.

However, it seems that neither President Obama nor Department of Homeland Secretary (DHS) Napolitano are happy that the raid even occurred. White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said, "these raids are not a long-term solution.... The president believes we must respect due process and our best values as we enforce the law. The real answer to our broken immigration system is to fix it. The president has said that we will start the immigration reform debate this year, and this continues to be the plan." DHS Secretary Napolitano is so displeased with the ICE raid that she has ordered an internal investigation to determine why it was allowed to happen.

It is possible that President Obama and Secretary Napolitano's reluctance to support ICE's Bellingham raid stems from the vocal denunciations coming from pro-illegal worker and special interest groups. In fact, these groups are claiming that their members are overloading the White House switchboard with angry phone calls about the raid.

Please visit your Action Buffet and send faxes to President Obama and Secretary Napolitano. It is vital that the President and the Secretary hear from Americans who support ICE's work site raids. Please phone them using the phone notes on your Action Buffet. Thank you for your continued support!

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