Thursday, September 1, 2011

Hilda Solis Saves The Illegal Laborers

The Obama administration is entirely uninterested in protecting the rights of most Americans, but when it comes to protecting the rights of illegal immigrant workers, they're johnny-on-the-spot. In fact, last week Labor Secretary Hilda Solis signed partnership agreements with a number of Latin American ambassadors to make sure the "rights" of their expatriates in the illegal labor market are fully protected.

We used to make agreements with foreign nations in the form of treaties, ratified by the Senate in accordance with the Constitution. But who needs treaties or the Constitution when you can have partnership agreements? Such agreements have been signed with the embassies of Mexico, Nicaragua and Guatemala. The new agreements have been made with Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador. Unlike treaties, which generally give and get from both sides, partnership agreements require no quid pro quo. We give, they get.

The agreements not only grant protections that are already in place as statutes and/or case law, but assures the ambassadors that the illegals will be guided to jobs, instructed on how to make maximum use of American labor law, and told how they can prevent "abuse" in the workplace. Most of all, Solis declares that these agreements are designed to protect "documented and undocumented workers" evenly under the law.

When leftist Democrats start talking about equal enforcement of the law, you know what is coming next is a complete distortion of the law. And Solis doesn't disappoint. All workers in America are already protected by volumes of statutory and case law. No employer, with or without these agreements, can violate the wage and safety rules legally. So why write these agreements at all?

Beside the obvious pandering to the Hispanic vote and the amnesty-now crowd, it's also a good way to draw the public's attention away from the real law. Nobody wants human rights abuses to go unnoticed, but employers who are criminals themselves can get away with it because of the ease of hiring so many illegals at poor wages and in poor working conditions. It isn't the law that's the problem, it's the lack of enforcement of laws already on the books. Barack Obama just signed an executive order stalling deportation for about 300,000 illegals

Solis says that "migrant workers have a right to a legal wage." Yes, they do, if they're here legally and have work permits. But the Immigration and Nationality Act says very clearly that "employers may hire only persons who may legally work in the United States." They're not entitled to any wage if they're here illegally. "The Act protects both U.S. citizens, and foreign nationals who are here with legal work visas from discrimination in hiring or discharge on the basis of national origin and citizenship." That last sentence is on the Department of Labor website. Do you see anything in the Act about illegal immigrants working illegally?

Still, the United States is a generous nation. We do apply the same law to anyone within our legal jurisdiction, and that includes illegal immigrants, at least until they're identified and deported (small chance). Once an employer, knowingly or unknowingly, hires an illegal, that worker is entitled to the same rights as anyone else. No new law or partnership agreement is necessary to accomplish that goal.

So what Solis is attempting to do has two major elements. First, she wants to make it very clear that illegal immigrants are not only welcome, but they're entitled to good treatment and longevity on the job so that they can use their lengthy stay and work record later when the Future Democrats of America come to call. Oh, and then there are the lawsuits for back wages, harassment, and discrimination.

Second, she is making it clear that the United States is ready, willing and able to accommodate a wave of immigration from countries that are utter failures at doing what is necessary to create and encourage employment in their own sorry nations. All of this is being done without even an insincere pledge from the other nations that they will at least attempt to help stem the tide of emigration.

Solis also slipped and gave out another reason for her deep and abiding concern for the poor benighted illegal workers. Says Solis: "In many cases, taxes aren't being appropriately paid, those taxes should go into our US Treasury, and if everyone is brought out of the shadow in that manner, then we'll have more assistance to protect people." Aha! Get better wages for the illegals, identify the offending employers, and there will be more money for government programs. How did I miss that obvious jewel the first time around? Maybe some of that money that is being sent out of the United States by illegals should also go into the US Treasury.

And then the ultimate insult from Solis and the ambassadors. The agreements also promise that the Labor Department will work closely with the embassies and consulates to enforce OSHA and Wage/Hour provisions in American law. That's just what we need. Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic "assisting" us in enforcing our laws.

Also assisting the foreign governments in deciding how to enforce American law will be the thuggish SEIU and the reprehensible United Food and Commercial Workers Union, both of which were in attendance at the signing ceremony. The whole ceremony was timed to coincide with Labor Rights Week, and that's a traditional American thing, isn't it? Well, no. It was started in 2009 by the Mexican consulate, and as Solis says: "The Labor Department works in conjunction with fifty Mexican consulates across the nation to bring US labor law education to migrant workers and their employers."

While signing the agreements that give away more American sovereignty, Solis spoke Spanish exclusively at the event. The theme of Labor Rights Week this year is the plight of migrant women in the workplace. Solis invoked the name of that great Spanish-speaker, Cinco de Cuatro Obama by saying (in Spanish, of course): "On behalf of President Barack Obama, we stand together to denounce hatred, violence, and prejudice and recommit ourselves to protecting migrant women in the American workplace." Well, who wouldn't want to get behind that noble cause?

One final note. Solis, Obama and the whole illegal immigrant claque are so pleased with these agreements that Solis is headed off to Asia next month to sign more of them.

14 comments:

Tennessee Jed said...

Oh Hawk, where to begin. This seems so obvious and vile. I realize liberals pander like no other, but this honestly takes the cake. You statement " it isn't the law that is the problem, it's the lack of enforcement of laws already on the books." Reminds me of the hue and cry for hate crime legislation after Matthew Shepard.

I think this case is as good an example of any I've seen of how Democrats are about individuals into a "class" of victims (women, blacks, gays, hispanics, people with three thumbs, etc.) It also is a great indicator of how there is no more independent press.

T-Rav said...

Why would a cabinet member speak only in Spanish at an event? I'm sorry, I don't care what it is, but as a representative of the U.S. government, you should use English at least some of the time. I know, I know--that's racist and narrow-minded and I pre-emptively denounce myself.

Tehachapi Tom said...

Hawk
I liked your,"second", where you said the illegals come here from countries that have failed at creating and encouraging employment in their own sorry nations.
Seems to me we are one that path and with the pedal to the metal.
How can we have such abuse in our government one may ask?
I think two similar quotes show how.

First: Thomas Edison, an optimist at heart, once said, "Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think."

Second: George Bernard Shaw, a socialist echoed Edison with this quote, "Two percent of the people think; three percent of the people think they think; and ninety-five percent of the people would rather die than think."

I do not know who's percentages are
most accurate but both are close enough to fit any model one would choose.
Since the 85 or 95 vote in the middle group we get this sorry bunch of Americanism go awry.
Having you to enlighten us, since obviously you are from the first group is our gain.
thanks

AndrewPrice said...

It is Alice in Wonderland logic to claim that it's wrong not to give legal rights to people who shouldn't legally be here. That's like saying you were wrong not to invite a burglar to say for dinner.

rlaWTX said...

I again offer my daily prayer that a conservative wins the WH in 2012 - a conservative with the backbone and sense to UNDO all of these fiat regulations-agreements-backroom deals! Amen.

Tom - love your quotes...

T-Rav - Congratulations on realizing your multicultural incompetency. Awareness of your limitations and ethnocentric perspective is the first step in becoming a citizen of the world!

Anonymous said...

Tennessee: Group rights are the death of individual rights. And that's exactly what the left wants.

Anonymous said...

T-Rav: I think she opened with "hello." But then it might have been "hola." LOL

Anonymous said...

Tehachapi Tom: The whole thing is a never-ending cycle. They fail. They send us their worst. They continue to fail. They send us some more. Over and over. Then, when there are enough of them here, their embassies begin to make demands that would get their citizens shot or jailed if they made the same demands at home.

Anonymous said...

Andrew: I like that analogy. Maybe we could add it's like refusing to invite the neighborhood drunk, but he comes anyway, steals your car, and runs down a nun.

Anonymous said...

rlaWTX: I just thought of another analogy. Your slob of a neighbor spends more than he makes, there's a fancy house with no food for the kids, so his kids break into your house to take your food. Whereupon, the neighbor comes to your house and demands that you enter into a written agreement to make sure that the food his kids are eating out of your refrigerator and your pantry is properly nutritional and free of any contamination and being served on the proper plates with the proper utensils.

T-Rav said...

LawHawk, good point.

At least Solis shows some concern for American workers, I guess. Just recently, she dispensed with the standard black limo in favor of a Chevy Equinox, in order to promote American-made, fuel-efficient cars and all that. Except...the Equinox was made in Canada. With parts that were also made in Canada. Go figure.

Anonymous said...

T-Rav: And Chevrolet is a division of Government Motors. But other than that, it's perfect. Maybe we should sign an agreement with Canada guaranteeing equal treatment for American illegals in their country. At the same time we could have our ambassador and all our consuls participate in Canadian legal affairs.

StanH said...

It’s clearer with every day with Barry what he meant when he said “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” Look for this lunacy to continue until his exit in 1/13.

Anonymous said...

Stan: Sad to say, that's probably exactly what's going to happen. One more of these massive executive orders and/or "agreements," and Congress ought to start considering impeachment. But because it's politically dangerous, they won't. Frankly, I understand their plight. The next best thing would be to start getting massive public exposure of his attempts to toss out the Constitution. Somehow, the Republican leadership is incapable of doing more than throwing out the word "unconstitutional" in a soundbite, then doing nothing about it.

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