Immigrant Daily

AILA Urges AG to Investigate ICE Worksite Enforcement at Postville

The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Flores Case that the federal aggravated identity theft statute may not be used against many undocumented workers who used false social security numbers to get jobs was welcomed by all and sundry. The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), while praising the decision, urged Attorney General Eric holder to call for investigation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) worksite enforcement operation at Postville. Interestingly, the Supreme Court’s verdict was just shy of May 12, 2009, the one-year anniversary of the largest ICE worksite enforcement operation in U.S. history. The Supreme Court concluded that the arrests at Postville were based plainly on erroneous interpretation of statue to coerce the workers, most of whom were uneducated Guatemalan farmers, into pleading guilty to a lesser charge and a five-month prison sentence in addition to accepting automatic deportation.

AILA’s first vice president, Mr. David W. Leopold said, “He (Eric Holder) should order a full investigation, including a review of the facts of each defendant’s case, with an eye on dismissing the charges against those workers for whom the threat of prosecution under the federal identity statute was a miscarriage of justice.”

For complete information, please click AG Should Call for Investigation of Postville Following SC Identity Theft Decision