Powell: Illegal migrants essential

[one...two...tree 2,762]

by Calvin Woodward -

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says illegal immigrants do essential work in the U.S. and he has firsthand knowledge of that because they fix his house.

Powell, a moderate Republican, urged his party Sunday to support immigration generally because it is "what's keeping this country's lifeblood moving forward."

In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," he said a path to legal status should be offered to illegal immigrants because they "are doing things we need done in this country."

"They're all over my house, doing things whenever I call for repairs, and I'm sure you've seen them at your house," he said. "We've got to find a way to bring these people out of the darkness and give them some kind of status."

Powell did not say whether he has hired illegal immigrants directly or they showed up with contractors.

Powell was President George W. Bush's first-term secretary of State and the nation's top military officer in the presidency of Bush's father and in the early months of the Clinton administration. Despite his Republican standing, he endorsed Democrat Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

He spoke in support of legislation that would give certain children of illegal immigrants a way to become citizens if they pursue a college education or military service.

Immigration, he said, offers the U.S. a chance to maintain a youthful population in contrast with the aging of Europe and Japan.

Powell also said "fringe" elements on the right are taking a low road when they label Obama a foreign-born Muslim and peddle other false theories about non-American influences on the president's character. Obama was born in the U.S. and is Christian.

Read more: http://www.azcentral...l#ixzz105lhTzP2

[JohnSmith2007 353]

Powell should be arrested and jailed.

[JohnSmith2007 353]

The Law Against Hiring or Harboring Illegal Aliens

Summary

A person (including a group of persons, business, organization or local government) commits a federal felony when he:

assists an alien whom he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him to obtain employment,

encourages that alien to remain in the U.S., by referring him to an employer, by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or

knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions.

Penalties upon conviction include criminal fines, imprisonment, and forfeiture of vehicles and real property used to commit the crime.

Anyone employing or contracting with an illegal alien without verifying his work authorization status is guilty of a misdemeanor. Aliens and employers violating immigration laws are subject to arrest, detention, and seizure of their vehicles or property. In addition, individuals or entities who engage in racketeering enterprises that commit (or conspire to commit) immigration-related felonies are subject to private civil suits for treble damages and injunctive relief.

Recruitment and Employment of Illegal Aliens

It is unlawful to hire an alien, to recruit an alien, or to refer an alien for a fee, knowing the alien is unauthorized to work in the United States.1 It is equally unlawful to continue to employ an alien knowing that the alien is unauthorized to work.2 Employers may give preference in recruitment and hiring to a U.S. citizen over an alien with work authorization only where the U.S. citizen is equally or better qualified.3

It is unlawful to hire an individual for employment in the United States without complying with employment eligibility verification requirements.4 Requirements include examination of identity documents and completion of Form I-9 for every employee hired. Employers must retain all I-9s, and, with 3 days advance notice, they must be made available for inspection.

Employment includes any service or labor performed for any type of remuneration within the United States, with the exception of sporadic domestic service by an individual in a private home.5 Day laborers or other casual workers engaged in any compensated activity (with the above exception) are employees for purposes of immigration law.6

An employer includes an agent or anyone acting directly or indirectly in the interest of the employer. For purposes of verification of authorization to work, employer also means an independent contractor, or a contractor other than the person using the alien labor.7 The use of temporary or short-term contracts cannot be used to circumvent the employment authorization verification requirements.8

If employment is to be for less than the usual three days allowed for completing the I-9 Form requirement, the form must be completed immediately at the time of hire.9

An employer has constructive knowledge that an employee is an illegal unauthorized worker if a reasonable person would infer it from the facts.10 Constructive knowledge constituting a violation of federal law has been found where (1) the I-9 employment eligibility form has not been properly completed, including supporting documentation, (2) the employer has learned from other individuals, media reports, or any source of information available to the employer, that the alien is unauthorized to work, or (3) the employer acts with reckless disregard for the legal consequences of permitting a third party to provide or introduce an illegal alien into the employer’s work force.11 Knowledge cannot be inferred solely on the basis of an individual’s accent or foreign appearance. Actual specific knowledge is not required. For example, a newspaper article stating that ballrooms depend on an illegal alien workforce of dance hostesses was held by the courts to be a reasonable ground for suspicion that unlawful conduct had occurred.12

It is illegal for non-profit and religious organizations to knowingly assist an employer to violate employment sanctions, regardless of claims that their convictions require them to assist aliens.13 Harboring or aiding illegal aliens is not protected by the First Amendment.14

It is a felony to establish a commercial enterprise for the purpose of evading any provision of federal immigration law. Violators may be fined or imprisoned for up to 5 years.15

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Powell should be arrested and jailed.

[JohnSmith2007 353]

Since you have no respect for our laws I can understand your reaction. That is why your opinion means very little.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Powell should be arrested and jailed.

Powell has the same bad ideas as his bosses the Jorge Bushes (Sr. and Jr.). The only thing that I can see illegal migrants essential for is that of royally scr#wing-up the petitions of those who want to immigrate legally (having actually suffered through much delay--Sept 1997 to May 1999--in a "hurry-up-and-wait" state of having all-but-final-stage approved, but not being able to do final-stage)!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Since you have no respect for our laws I can understand your reaction. That is why your opinion means very little.

I'm amused by your lack of reading comprehension.

[JohnSmith2007 353]

I'm amused by your lack of reading comprehension.

That is rich. What part of "Anyone employing or contracting with an illegal alien without verifying his work authorization status is guilty of a misdemeanor." don't you understand?

[mawilson 2,133]

Powell should be arrested and jailed.

I agree. Not only did he break the law by hiring illegals, he's using himself as an example of why it's supposedly a good thing.

[JohnSmith2007 353]

I agree. Not only did he break the law by hiring illegals, he's using himself as an example of why it's supposedly a good thing.

Yep, he is in effect saying that if you don't agree with a law it is OK to break it. Since he is a public figure he should be held to a higher standard. He should be made an example of.

[1HappyGuy 45]

by Calvin Woodward -

Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says illegal immigrants do essential work in the U.S. and he has firsthand knowledge of that because they fix his house.

Powell, a moderate Republican, urged his party Sunday to support immigration generally because it is "what's keeping this country's lifeblood moving forward."

This sounds a lot like arguments put forth by southern plantation owners when congress wanted to outlaw slavery.

Which part of illegal doesn't he understand.

[Danno 1,228]

I agree. Not only did he break the law by hiring illegals, he's using himself as an example of why it's supposedly a good thing.

I'd like to know... how he knew they were "illegal"?

Did he check their papers or just look at their ethnicity and assume????

I thought that was a big no-no.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

It is only "essential" if you are trying to avoid payroll taxes, mimimum wage, employee safety considerations, workman's comp, medicare, SS,etc. so that you can line your own pockets.

Americans will DO this work but not for the price illegals do it for. Yes, prices will go up. But either you are serious about worker protections and wages...or you wink and nod and avoid them by exploiting underpaid, unprotected workers.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

It should also be noted that as soon as they are LEGAL, they will STOP doing what they do because they have lost their selling point for the employers. The employers will simply hire more illegals UNLESS we make it horrendously risky to do so. We should do that FIRST.

The whole premise is preposterous. "We need illegals...so lets make them legal"

Edited September 20, 2010 by Gary and Alla

[Pooky 3,795]

And now we have the "I didn't mean it the way you heard me say it" from Colin Powell. Pity, because what he actually said didn't leave much room for misinterpretation. There's no real way "fix his house" really means "work in his neighbourhood" is there?

Colin Powell says he doesn’t hire illegal immigrants

By Liz Goodwin – Mon Sep 20, 12:33 pm ET

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has clarified his recent remarks on immigration policy, saying he does not hire illegal immigrants to do repairs on his home. The onetime secretary of state for George W. Bush waded into one of the most contentious culture-war issues of 2010 during an appearance Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" -- the latest in a series of dissensions from conservative orthodoxy that have prompted some of his former GOP colleagues to question his party allegiance.

"I don't hire illegal immigrants," Powell said in a statement Monday. "On 'Meet the Press' yesterday, I referred to illegal immigrants working around my house. I was referring to the many service contractors who work in my neighborhood, using mostly immigrant workers, who do good work. Some may well be 'illegal.' There are 11 million illegal immigrants in this country and most are working somewhere in our economy."

The AP reported yesterday that Powell said "illegal immigrants do essential work in the U.S. and that he has firsthand knowledge of that—because they fix his house." The story became Yahoo News' most shared item last night.

Powell -- who staked himself to the left of Republicans when he endorsed Barack Obama for president in 2008 -- urged Republicans to support the DREAM Act, which would allow illegal immigrants under 30 to gain legal status if they entered the country as minors and if they agreed to join the Army or go to college. (Participants would not qualify for cheaper in-state tuition.)

"We can't be anti-immigration," said Powell, the son of Jamaican immigrants. "Immigrants are fueling this country. Without immigrants, America would be like Europe or Japan with an aging population and no young people coming in to take care of it. We have to educate our immigrants. The DREAM Act is one way to do that."

Powell also said Republicans should back immigration reform that would create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, as Bush urged during his presidency. Powell reminded Americans that immigrants are hard workers:

"They're all over my house, doing things whenever I call for repairs, and I'm sure you've seen them at your house," he said. "We've got to find a way to bring these people out of the darkness and give them some kind of status. "

Though in 2006 comprehensive immigration reform passed the Senate with Republican support, most Republicans now emphasize increased border security.

Powell, a former general and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on the show that he considers himself "a moderate Republican." But though he was once courted as a GOP presidential candidate, he now looks increasingly out of place in his party of choice. He said he hopes moderate Republicanism will survive.

"I have very, very moderate social views, and I'm pretty strong on, on defense matters. And I think there is a party in there that wants to come out," he said.

Powell declined to say whether he would endorse Obama in 2012. In 2008, he bemoaned Rush Limbaugh's effect on the GOP and said Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had pushed the party rightward. Limbaugh and former Vice President ####### Cheney fired back, saying Powell was no longer a Republican.

Yahoo News link

Colin Powell is a respected, retired soldier. He should retire from politics, too.