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December 8, 2009

Walnut Creek Target employees quit amid immigration status probe

More than 40 employees on Target's overnight crew, who had worked at the store an average of five years, quit last month after the store's managers raised questions about their immigration status, the Contra Costa Times is reporting today.

Managers summoned the overnight crew of the North Main Street department store to meetings last month and gave workers the chance to prove their eligibility to work in the United States by bringing in the proper documents, the lawyers and Target representatives say.Most of the questioned workers voluntarily resigned, Target spokeswoman Kate Gillen said.

Legal advocates for the employees say many of the workers were Spanish speakers and might not have understood what managers were asking. They also received nothing in writing. Advocates also question why members of a predominantly Latino overnight staff were targeted.

"Forty-five people are without a job," lawyer Rocio Avila of La Raza Centro Legal, a San Francisco legal group pressing Target for more information, told the Times. "Many of the workers there were long-term workers.

The Times says that inquiries of brand-name retailers may become more common as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tighten enforcement of employers who hire illegal workers. Target's Gillen, according to the Times, said the store "launched its internal investigation on its own after fielding allegations — she will not say from whom — that some of its Walnut Creek employees were working at the store illegally."

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good thing there are plenty of unemployed Americans that will be willing to take those jobs right now!

Shame so many foreigners come here and take jobs away from people. I am sure there will be people willing to work those jobs.

Anonymous said...

"advocates wonder why the latino over night crew was targeted" - uh, because Mexico is right below us. the predominant "illegal" population is "spanish speaking meixicans"
unfortunately, Target did the right thing (as others have said employers should do more). But, the ACLU, La Raza, et al will sue Target, get a big paycheck, and "target" some other employer for disrespecting the poor illegas - as Charlie Brown says - "good grief"

Anonymous said...

Target did the Wrong thing by hiring them in the first place! Will anything happen to Target? Oh, sorry, it's a corporation, probably got a 'heads up', and will benefit for the time they had the cheap labor.

Anonymous said...

You sure do enjoy the fruits of cheap labor in this country. The truth is California would crumble if all illegal Mexican's were to call in sick. Don't be so arrogant white people. Go take those jobs that hard working people are doing every day without any complaining.

LeftCoast said...

It would take Calif. all of about 3 days to recover from the crumble as you put it. Partially because we would no longer have to support all the free services being used up by the illegals in Calif. Don't be so sure that we wouldn't be just fine if the illegal Mexicans went back home.

Anonymous said...

So when is Target going to hire replacement workers for the illegal aliens that were fired? Let's hope that this time they check the new applicants residency status prior to hiring them. Target should have no problem hiring well qualified people provided that Target provides a decent wage and benefit package. Maybe they don't and that's why the illegals were working there.

Anonymous said...

No shit, LeftCoast. Including all the emergency room healthcare for illegals from Mexico. And yes, the illegals using those services are mostly from Mexico. They all need to go home unless they want to play by the rules.

Anonymous said...

All these former Target employees needed to do was show proper legal identification and legal status. They quit because they either could not do it or are here illegally. I am all for all employers doing this in every company to all employees. Shame on any group that files a law suit, you are ruining a once great State.

Anonymous said...

Would that be the same LeftCoast who wants valet parking capped at 2 bucks just a few posts earlier? Why is it always the same people complaining about illegals taking jobs away from Americans but not willing to pay a decent wage for services received?

Anonymous said...

9:08 AM what is the basis for your statement? There has been a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showing it is not the unisured but the underinsured who crowd the Emergency Rooms.
I know it would be convienent if we could blame the illigals for all of our problems ....

Anonymous said...

From an LA Times article, July 9. 2009:

"California has roughly 2.7 million illegal residents, about 7% of the state’s population. State officials estimate that they add between $4 billion and $6 billion in costs, primarily for prisons and jails, schools and emergency rooms. "

Anonymous said...

I am not a fan of those polls.. They misrepresent the numbers..

There is no way to calculate and they usually don't include the amount of money not paid to taxes.. And in most cases do not represent the amount of US Dollars sent out of the US away from our citizens.

Also, People don't lose sight of this is an ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT problem not a Mexican problem.. I don't care where they are from, if they didn't wait in line like LEGAL IMMIGRANTS do, the ILLEGAL ones should have their money confinscated and arrested then shipped "HOME".

Anonymous said...

10:16 PM - Oh, gee, what would we do if all the illegal aliens left California?

We would survive, just as we survived for decades before this invasion of illegal aliens took place.

Now is a great time for this to happen. Get the illegals out and give those jobs to our citizens who need them.

And if they go home, better still. Our hospitals, prisons and schools will all benefit from them leaving.

It's a win-win situation: A win for US citizens looks for work and a win for California taxpayers.

Anonymous said...

"California would crumble if all illegal Mexican's were to call in sick"...Moron. AMERICAN professionals are applying for custodial positions, while ILLEGAL immigrants hold those jobs. Good riddance.

Anonymous said...

Unemployment would be lower in California if American's had the jobs.

I know people here are hip on blaming Mexicans, but it's all Illegal undocumented immigrants that are taking jobs..

INCLUDING the higher paid jobs. There are some very well educated undocumented illegals here taking higher paid jobs too ya know..

Anonymous said...

Round up and ship out all illegals. This country was much better off before they came here.