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Foes of illegal migrants shame employers via Web...employers miffed
Activists fighting illegal immigration are using a time-proven method public shame to target employers who may hire undocumented workers, angering some business owners and federal authorities.Instead of just protesting at day labor sites, activists around the country are posting on a website photos of people hiring the workers and the names of their companies, if that can be determined. The website, http://www.wehirealiens.com , which reports 1 million hits a month, lists 2,920 employers in 47 states, including nearly 700 in California. Founder Jason Mrochek, a 32-year-old Riverside County software developer, said the website was developed in 2005 because he and other activists were frustrated by the lack of action by the federal government in stemming illegal immigration. Mrochek's idea is to bring unwanted attention to those who hire illegal immigrants. For instance, he and others spent a recent Saturday in Capistrano Beach, snapping photos of anyone who tried to hire dayworkers congregating on Doheny Park Road. Mrochek said there was a "vetting" process that allows only postings with "reasonable suspicion" of wrongdoing. Critics contend that the website activists, armed with flimsy evidence, act as judge and jury to punish a company that may have committed no crime by hiring Spanish-speaking workers. Mrochek said he would remove information from the website if an employer called and proved the allegations wrong. Republic Services, a trash collection company in Clark County, Nev., is listed on the site, which president Bob Coyle said was "very frustrating" because he participates in a federal program to check employees' immigration status. Coyle said he believed a disgruntled employee made a post that says "almost all if not all the workers are working with false documents." Mrochek, who was raised in San Diego, said he decided to become an anti-illegal immigration activist when he returned to Southern California after graduating from West Point and serving as a U.S. Army officer for two years. He said he noticed an increased number of illegal immigrants in the area, a trend he linked to most of the state's problems in such areas as healthcare, education and pollution. He is also an activist with Federal Immigration Reform and Enforcement, a coalition that routinely participates in protests around Southern California. Posted by: trailing wife 2007-02-09 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=179940 |