In Major Speech On Immigration Reform, Obama Says Government Will Prosecute Businesses That Deliberately Employ And Exploit Undocumented Workers

"Our borders will not be secure as long as our limited resources are devoted to not only stopping gangs and potential terrorists, but also the hundreds of thousands who attempt to cross each year simply to find work. That’s why businesses must be held accountable if they break the law by deliberately hiring and exploiting undocumented workers."

"…[O]ur borders are just too vast for us to be able to solve the problem only with fences and border patrols.  It won’t work.  Our borders will not be secure as long as our limited resources are devoted to not only stopping gangs and potential terrorists, but also the hundreds of thousands who attempt to cross each year simply to find work. That’s why businesses must be held accountable if they break the law by deliberately hiring and exploiting undocumented workers.  We’ve already begun to step up enforcement against the worst workplace offenders.  And we’re implementing and improving a system to give employers a reliable way to verify that their employees are here legally.  But we need to do more.  We cannot continue just to look the other way as a significant portion of our economy operates outside the law.  It breeds abuse and bad practices.  It punishes employers who act responsibly and undercuts American workers.  And ultimately, if the demand for undocumented workers falls, the incentive for people to come here illegally will decline as well.…"

Holding an employer accountable who deliberately hired undocumented workers and exploited them is exactly what the Sholom Rubashkin trial did.

Entire speech.

Comments

[A E ANDERSON]

Rubashkin was never convicted of any immigration offence. So far, the government has only held him accountable on his relationship with a bank, and livestock vendors.

[Shmarya]

Rubashkin was never convicted of any immigration offence. So far, the government has only held him accountable on his relationship with a bank, and livestock vendors.

Please.

There is enough hard evidence to convict Rubashkin on every immigration offense he is charged with several times over.

Anyone even remotely familiar with law enforcement knows that once prosecutors have convictions on major charges that carry stiff prison terms, they rarely prosecute other crimes that carry lesser prison terms.

This is true in every county and state in the country and for Federal cases, as well.

Again, Rubashkin asked for immigration charges to be severed from the bank fraud and related charges, because his legal team felt the immigration evidence against Rubashkin (which is overwhelming) would cause the jury to convict on the more serious bank fraud and related charges, as well.

That is why there were two trials scheduled instead of one trial encompassing all immigration and fraud charges.

The bank fraud and related charges were tried first because that way, immigration related evidence presented at that trial would be greatly limited, and because prosecutors could deal with the more serious charges first.

Rubashkin lost the bank fraud related trial. He was convicted on 86 felony counts. He was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison.

If all charges had been tried together, and Rubashkin had been convicted of all counts, it would not have appreciably changed his sentence.

And in the same way, a second trial on immigration charges would not add much, if anything, to the time he will have to serve in prison.

So the government dropped the immigration-related charges with the condition that it could reinstate them at any time.

All that said, to say that Rubashkin has never been convicted of immigration offenses is literally true – but it is not accurate and does not represent the facts of the case or its context.

And you should know that.

[sage]

Breaking News:

From the BOP Inmate Finder

Inmate Locator - Locate Federal inmates from 1982 to present
Name Register # Age-Race-Sex Release Date
Location
1. SHOLOM RUBASHKIN 75431-053 30-White-M 11-12-2009 RELEASED
2. SHOLOM RUBASHKIN 10755-029 50-White-M UNKNOWN IN TRANSIT

[Gladys]

You are right, AE. It really would be unfair to single out Rubashkin when everyone in the Rubashkin community knew what was going on and condoned it. They all did their part by keeping silent. They all know what happens to mosrim.

It is a mitzva to publicize the names and addresses of Jewish mosrim and their supporters, in order for Jews to know from whom to stay away, so of course they kept silent. (And it certainly didn't hurt that each illegal the Rubashkin community hired cut their costs and made more money for them!)

And besides, AE, why should Am Yisrael even care? Some goyim don't like illegals, some goyim do. The Nations are always squabbling. In any case it is not the concern of frum yidden in the Rubashkin community.

Anyway, AE, if the goyim can't get a conviction it didn't really happen, right? So why worry and make a big deal about it?

[WoolSilkCotton]

Good luck to all you frumbags looking for a presidential pardon for your favorite criminal.

[Nobody]

Yes because making these illegal criminals unable to find work is really going to solve the problem of them crossing the border (whether it's "allowed" or not) and then committing violent crimes here. Now there will be more violence, murder, theft etc because they won't even find work. That or simply the socialism-loving us state dept is going to get their jollies off by punishing businesses and hurting the capitalist economy. Just another "tax" or "corporate penalty" opportunity for the money-hungry federal govt of king obama

[seymour]

Posted by: Nobody

the biggest influx of illegals are not violent criminals but illegal workers

[estee]

good move,prez

[Mr. Apikoros]

I guess now that my neologism "frumbag" has been picked up by another blogger here, it's now standard English.

[Isa]

Notice what Prez Obama said:

"deliberately hiring and exploiting undocumented workers."

Hiring the undocumented worker is NOT a moral crime

BUT

EXPLOITING is!

[A E ANDERSON]

He was never convicted on immigration charges.

Inexplicably (they felt sorry for SMR?), the government dropped its core charges, the very rationale for the high-profile raid, the very symbol of the government's new get-tough stance on employers of illegals?!

I find this hard to accept.

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

Sage -
Who's the unfortunate 30 year old with the same name as the 50 y.o. Sholom Rubashkin?

Certainly hope they get SMR to his destination before Shabbos. I'd hate to be the US Marshall who has to carry him.

[A E ANDERSON]

Well, Rubashkin is alleged to have done so much, it's hard to believe that he did it all alone, no?

Reading this blog, you'd think he was a one-man crime machine, who, when he wasn't thieving and deceiving, was busy praying, handing out charity and sharing moral wisdom with his fellow hasidim over cups of Mountain Dew.

SMR has already been taken down, let the chips fall where they may.

[sage]

Hi OCR,

I don't know.

Would be interesting if someone knew.

Another member of his extended family, perhaps?

But we'll all know very soon, where SMR will be spending many years.

[Shmarya]

He was never convicted on immigration charges.

Inexplicably (they felt sorry for SMR?), the government dropped its core charges, the very rationale for the high-profile raid, the very symbol of the government's new get-tough stance on employers of illegals?!

I find this hard to accept.

As I explained above in my comment – and as you ignored – it makes perfect sense.

There is enough hard evidence to convict Rubashkin on every immigration offense he is charged with several times over.

Anyone even remotely familiar with law enforcement knows that once prosecutors have convictions on major charges that carry stiff prison terms, they rarely prosecute other crimes that carry lesser prison terms.

This is true in every county and state in the country and for Federal cases, as well.

Again, Rubashkin asked for immigration charges to be severed from the bank fraud and related charges, because his legal team felt the immigration evidence against Rubashkin (which is overwhelming) would cause the jury to convict on the more serious bank fraud and related charges, as well.

That is why there were two trials scheduled instead of one trial encompassing all immigration and fraud charges.

The bank fraud and related charges were tried first because that way, immigration related evidence presented at that trial would be greatly limited, and because prosecutors could deal with the more serious charges first.

Rubashkin lost the bank fraud related trial. He was convicted on 86 felony counts. He was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison.

If all charges had been tried together, and Rubashkin had been convicted of all counts, it would not have appreciably changed his sentence.

And in the same way, a second trial on immigration charges would not add much, if anything, to the time he will have to serve in prison.

So the government dropped the immigration-related charges with the condition that it could reinstate them at any time.

All that said, to say that Rubashkin has never been convicted of immigration offenses is literally true – but it is not accurate and does not represent the facts of the case or its context.

And you should know that.

The only reason you don't is because you refuse to.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Mr. A, you do indeed deserve full credit for coining the word "frumbag'.

[state of disgust]

The Sholom Rubashkin that was released is most likely, SMR's nephew. Moshe's son.

[sage]

Hi SOD,

I believe you are correct.

It seems like this is "Rubashkin Russian Roulette Prison"; one is released and another begins serving time.

[state of disgust]

Hi Sage:

As noted, Sholom Rubashkin the younger was released in 2009.

Shabbat Shalom to all.

[Abracadabra]

What was the younger Sholom Rubashkin in jail for?