Day Laborers Denounce Recent Immigration Raids

Dec. 21 - KGO (KGO) -- San Francisco day laborers continue to denounce the recent immigration raids in six states. Some 1,300 illegal immigrants were arrested a week ago. Most will be deported. Homeland Security says the illegal immigrants were using the identities of U.S. citizens to get jobs. Employers say there is little they can do to verify a worker's real identity.

S.F. day laborer: "Que nos unamos y luchemos por esta injusticia tan grande (Let's unite and fight against this great injustice)."

There was talk of putting up a fight to stop the recent crackdown on illegal immigrants in the workplace. A week ago, six Swift & Company meat packing plants in six states were raided.

These San Francisco day laborers are concerned it may happen here. Renee Saucedo is with the Day Labor Program which helps find work for immigrants -- many of them here illegally.

Renee Saucedo, San Francisco Day Labor Program: "The political climate, the hysteria, the anti-immigrant scape-goating -- people should really sit back and think why are we doing this to members of our community."

Six years ago, Daniel Rosa Romero left his family in Mexico to find a job here. He says we will continue to cross the border despite the crackdowns.

The president is again asking Congress for a comprehensive immigration plan on his desk next year.

President George W. Bush: "And a plan that says if you're coming into America to do a job, you can come legally for a temporary basis to do so."

Otherwise, the president says, we'll have a repeat of what happened in the Swift meat packing plants. The illegal immigrants there used false names with matching social security numbers that belonged to U.S. citizens.

Immigration officials admit at that point there is nothing businesses can do.

Sharon Rummery, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: "There is nothing that is built into the basic pilot program that will prevent it from approving a person who has actually stolen another person's identity, but that's not the most common form of fraud."

Typically, an illegal immigrant uses their own name with a false social security number, and that can be checked using immigration and Customs Enforcement's pilot program.

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