In a major move intended to put the American people first, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other agencies, announced it is cracking down on the employers of illegal aliens, as shown by a recent crackdown on a fraud ring in California that focuses on bringing in laborers on fraudulent pretenses.
As background, many conservatives have long argued that the proper way to fight against the massive illegal immigration problem is to target not just the illegal aliens, but those who employ them, which is in violation of the law, along with those who are involved in organizing the various schemes by which they arrive in the country. Such is what was targeting in the California operation.
Announcing it in a major press release that was promulgated on Monday, November 17, ICE announced, “ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Santa Maria arrested three illegal aliens from Mexico and a U.S. citizen for violation of immigration and federal laws on visa fraud and fraud in foreign labor contracting Nov. 13. The scheme involved forcing workers to pay illegal fees and threatening deportation or violence if they fell behind on payments or complained to authorities.”
Continuing, it noted that a collection of departments and agencies, including HSI and the Department of labor, had caught “A labor recruiter named Jorge Vasquez,” who “is accused of leading a scheme to exploit migrants participating in the H-2A seasonal farm-labor visa program while employed by JJB Farms LLC and others.:
Adding to that, the statement provided more details on how the illegal labor scheme functioned, saying, “Under the alleged scheme, Vasquez and others in Mexico recruited workers to apply for an H-2A visa to work in the U.S. Vasquez would demand that workers pay large fees in exchange for the opportunity, much of it through deductions from their farm worker wages. That’s a violation of the H-2A visa rules and a violation of federal peonage laws. Some critics have described such practices as a form of modern-day slavery.”
Further, the statement noted that “In one instance, Vasquez told a worker he would charge him $8,000 for a visa — including a $1,000 deposit to Vasquez, with the remainder coming from the worker’s farm earnings. Vasquez also threatened to tell immigration officials if recruits failed to comply with the ‘pay-to-play’ scheme or their productivity fell below an acceptable level, and used intimidation tactics, threatening workers’ families if they complained or spoke to the U.S. government’s inspectors about their treatment.”
Concluding, the press release noted that this takedown operation comes in the context of the Trump Administration’s larger strategy regarding how Americans will be protected from the ravages of illegal immigration, and how it is working to take down human trafficking networks and like organizations.
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It said, “HSTF is a crucial part of President Trump’s mission to create safe neighborhoods for all Americans so that mothers, fathers and children can enjoy the quality of life they deserve, free from the dangers of drug overdoses, organized crime and human traffickers preying on our most vulnerable. HSTF’s success thus far is a testament to what can happen when the federal government puts the American people first.”
Watch Trump’s Labor Secretary comment on how the administration is taking down H-1B visa abuse networks here:
Featured image credit: ICE