Feds: Illegal Immigrants Hired To Keep Up Military Contracts

Breeze54

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Mar-07-07 10:48 AM
Original message

Feds: Illegal Immigrants Hired To Keep Up Military Contracts

Edited on Wed Mar-07-07 10:50 AM by Breeze54

Feds: Illegal Immigrants Hired To Keep Up Military Contracts

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/11191884/detail.html

Company Owner Accused Of Hiring Illegal Immigrants

POSTED: 8:57 am EST March 7, 2007

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. --

Federal investigators said the demands of $91 million in government contracts prompted a New England leather company to hire hundreds of illegal immigrants.

WCVB-TV reported Tuesday that the company was raided at 8:30 a.m. It involved hundreds of local, state and federal agents. They moved in on the Michael Bianco Inc. in New Bedford, where officials said 66 percent of the workforce was made up of illegal immigrants working in what they described as a turn-of-the-century sweatshop.

"These are the deplorable conditions that these workers essentially had to endure under," U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan said.

"The bathrooms that I went into were very dirty. There was a lot of squalor," said Bruce Foucart of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Since 2001, the plant that manufactured leather goods has won more than $90 million in defense contracts. It went from 85 employees to more than 500.

Agents arrested company owner Francesco Insolia, of Pembroke, and managers Dilia Costa, Ana Figueroa and Gloria Melo. They were all charged with conspiring to hire illegal immigrants.

Officials said the 11-month investigation was based on an anonymous tip. An undercover immigration agent posing as an illegal immigrant then secured a job at the plant and was provided with fraudulent documents.

"While working at MBI, the ICE undercover agent confirmed that many other aliens were working illegally at the company with the company's management knowledge," said Julie Myers of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Aside from the terrible conditions, Sullivan said the company paid low wages with no benefits and had a system of unreasonable fines for workers.

"There was a huge economic benefit from the employer's perspective to hire undocumented immigrants," Sullivan said.

Officials said the majority of the undocumented workers are women, who will be released for humanitarian reasons pending deportation if they are the primary caregivers to children. They will also be provided with cell phones to contact their families and an attorney.

----------------

Why would the military need all that leather? :shrug:

At least they went after the owners! Assholes!

Fining the workers? For what?

That place sounds horrible!

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Sydnie

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Mar-07-07 10:57 AM
Response to Original message

1. fines

If they were late ONE minute arriving, docked 15 minutes pay. Take longer than TWO minutes in the bathroom - $20 fine. Leave before the "bell" at night - $20 fine. Talk while working - first offense - $20 fine. Second offense - $50 fine. Third offense - FIRED.

Amazing, isn't it? And that's just what has been reported here locally so far. this is going to get very interesting.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Breeze54

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Mar-07-07 11:17 AM
Response to Reply #1

3. Yikes! fined for talking?

Edited on Wed Mar-07-07 11:19 AM by Breeze54

Take longer than TWO minutes in the bathroom - $20 fine.

From what the news said, the bathrooms were absolutely disgusting!
No wonder it took them more than two minutes!

Who the hell are these people? The owners?
I want them incarcerated for a long time!
Really pisses me off!

I had heard a little about it on the news.
Thanks for the fine rundown. Unbelievable! :grr:

These poor immigrant people were taken to Ft. Devens, I think.
Their kids and families must be freaking out!

ON EDIT:

Why isn't the name of this company mentioned??? :shrug:

I'm going to try to find it!

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Sydnie

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Mar-07-07 11:24 AM
Response to Reply #3

4. Michael Bianco Inc

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/03-07/03-07-07/01barker1.htm

They also make thing for Coach and some other leather companies.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Breeze54

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Mar-07-07 11:35 AM
Response to Reply #4

6. You beat me by 2 minutes!

;) Thanks!

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Breeze54

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Mar-07-07 11:26 AM
Response to Reply #3

5. Company name: Michael Bianco, Inc.

Michael Bianco, Inc. is an American manufacturer of high quality leather goods.

http://www.michael-bianco.com/

Established in 1985 in the state of Massachusetts the company has manufactured quality products for
famous brand name companies such as Coach, Fossil, G.H. Bass, Mark Cross, Rockport, and Timberland to name a few.
Michael Bianco produces a large variety of products, from handbags to travel bags, back packs,
business cases, travel and business accessories and accessories for golf lovers.
In addition to our big customers, we enjoy working with smaller companies that need domestic production.

We employ a full time designer as well as a full time pattern maker who will help, if needed,
develop your new line of leather goods.

Michael Bianco now produces its own line of quality handbags and leather goods.
Visit our On-Line Store
Michael Bianco Inc
89 West Rodney French Blvd
New Bedford, Ma. 02744

AIRSAVE VESTS

COMBAT MEDIC VEST SYSTEM
This system is used to carry medical supplies by a combat medic in the armed services.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

stillcool

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Mar-07-07 10:59 AM
Response to Original message

2. if the company has any real clout...

say like W.R.Grace, there will be a long trial, followed by a fine, which will be litigated further and reduced. The money the company has made off the backs of needy human beings will far exceed any monetary damages. Government contracts are a sham, with any 'need' being exploited for profit.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Breeze54

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Mar-07-07 11:49 AM
Response to Original message

7. Dozens of Children Stranded After Immigration Raid

Children stranded after immigration raid

http://wbztv.com/massachusettswire/MA--ImmigrationArrest_g_n_0ma--/resources_news_html

Wednesday March 07, 2007

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP)

Dozens of young children were left stranded after their parents were rounded up
by federal authorities who raided a New Bedford leather maker suspected of hiring
hundreds of illegal immigrants.

About two-thirds of Michael Bianco Inc.'s 500 employees, mostly women, were detained
Tuesday by immigration officials for possible deportation as illegal aliens.

As a result, many children weren't picked up from day care or school.

Corinn Williams, director of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern
Massachusetts, estimated about 100 children were left with baby sitters or caretakers.

``We're continuing to get stories today about infants that were left behind,'' she said Wednesday.

``It's been a widespread humanitarian crisis here in New Bedford.''

The state Department of Social Services was working Wednesday to make sure the children receive proper care.

Julie Myers, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said Tuesday that women who
were sole caregivers of children would be released, but that it takes time to verify people's accounts.

Federal officials coordinated with DSS before the raid, including meeting with top officials, and
a DSS team was on site, said Marc Raimondi, spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

``I'm not saying there won't be children whose parents are detained and removed, but I am saying
that every effort is going to be made to ensure no child is going to be put in jeopardy because
of the removal,'' he said.

more at link.....

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

jwirr

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Mar-07-07 11:52 AM
Response to Original message

8. EVEN if you set aside the issue of illegal immigrants, the conditions

here should be cause for some very strong action against the company through OSHA and other labor laws.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Breeze54

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Mar-07-07 11:57 AM
Response to Reply #8

9. Agreed! It was a sweatshop!

:grr:

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

Sydnie

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Mar-07-07 12:23 PM
Response to Original message

10. This is going to be a very important case to follow

I can't ever remember a bust like this anywhere in the country, with this number of people detained before. At least not in my memory of my lifetime.

There were many women employed there who were undocumented but many also had children that were born in this country. It just might become one of the landmark cases for the "anchor baby" movement that has just been waiting for something like this to happen. So many agencies and so many different courts are going to be placed in play here too.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

DU AdBot (1000+ posts)

Sun May 05th 2024, 08:24 AM
Response to Original message

Advertisements [?]

Top

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.