On Monday, YWN reported that Barak Obama had blasted Agriprocessors in a comment to a reporter. The following is the official response to Barak Obama issued by Nathan Lewin on behalf of Agri:
This is a shocking statement from a former president of the Harvard Law Review and former constitutional law professor who has sworn, as a United States Senator, to uphold the Constitution which prescribes a presumption of innocence until guilt is proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Before he made public accusations accusing a meat-packing plant of hiring 13 and 14 year olds “only……to avoid paying people decent wages and providing them decent benefits” and declared that the minors were assigned to work with “buzz saws and cleavers,” did Senator Obama look at the evidence or consider the plant’s categorical denial of these allegations?
Agriprocessors recruited only those who were over 18 and knowingly accepted for employment only applicants who said they were over 18. Applicants may have lied about their age to get a job.
Agriprocessors fired four girls in 2007 when it discovered, from its own internal investigation, that they were under age.
The Iowa Labor Department conducted an on-site inspection in April 2008 with an expert at spotting minors and did not identify to Agriprocessors any person on its work-force who looked to be under 18.
No one alleges that any employee who was later identified as under 18 was working at Agriprocessors with “buzz saws and cleavers.”
Everyone on the Agriprocessors payroll, regardless of age, received wages and benefits at or above industry standards.
(Nathan Lewin: Washington attorney for Agriprocessors who was an officer of the Harvard Law Review, a law clerk for a Supreme Court Justice, a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in the 1960’s, and now teaches a constitutional law seminar at Columbia Law School.)
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16 Responses
Isn’t it about time we America realize that the only one who is unfit and underage in mind for his job is this Barak Obama. He has a strong “chein” but that’s it. I would consider moving away if he becomes president because the only “change” he will bring will be absolute CHAOS…
Sorry! I do not buy into this letter of response there is enough evidence against Agri for so many other violations that the rest of the accusations are just add on to the original accusations.
I also do not buy into the opinion that Obama is against Jews or that he is Muslim and this should not give you any indication about my vote come November.
Agri did some really bad business practices and we as Jews got bad press from it for me it boils down to Chilul Ha-Shem, while deep inside I understand the “short cuts” Agri made in its operations with a goal of profit in mind.
The Agriprocessors employee accused of doing the illegal hiring already pleaded guilty. Under American law, there is no doctrine of “Ein shliach le-davar averiah”, but rather the doctrine is “Respondeat superior” (let the master answer). It will be very hard for the owners to convince anyone that they were doing a competent job of supervising their workforce (even if the only way they could have avoided the problem would probably have been to discriminate against Hispanics – which is of course the goal of the federal policy)
To iib001:
The chulul hashem realy lies on comments like yours. Just because you don’t BUY IT realy doesn’t mean anything. The comment from JOLI sounds prety valid, and just because you’re pro Obamma doesn’t mean everything he says is right.
#4
Sorry it’s my opinion and for the record I am not pro Obama! It’s a shame you can not read a comment without accusations.
its about time people are starting to realize that barak hussein osama is a terrorist he already agreed to sit down with ahmadinajad
WAKE UP AMERICA!! EVERYTHING HE STANDS FOR IS ANTI-AMERICAN AND KINEGED HALACHA he is a black muslim who hates whites PERIOD how can he not hate america after sitting in jerimiah wrights shmoozin spewing hatred
WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!! GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF THE SAND AND START THINKING TO THE FUTURE
Comment on JTA sounds accurate to me:
The arrest of 18 child workers at Agriprocessor during the May 12th immigration raid was prima facia evidence, that the company hired underage workers.
In defense of his client, Nathan Lewin is following the old obiter dictum: if the law and the facts are against you, pound the table.
to ib… can you read this letter? bha’s statement/accusation looks like he reads blogs like this and other antisemitic blogs where people can spout whatever they want and jump on stories like this to blacken the name of Jewish businesses and people, and that he believes and absorbs what he reads.
Any charge by fbi or doj ends with this statement “A complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. ”
Here is the latest press release I found, note that there are no complaints against the company at all.
Date: June 10, 2008
300 NOW CONVICTED AND SENTENCED FOLLOWING MAY ARRESTS IN POSTVILLE
Convictions Come From Largest Criminal Worksite Enforcement Operation in U.S. History
United States Attorney Matt M. Dummermuth announced today that 300 of the 389 people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on May 12, 2008, at Agriprocessors, Inc. in Postville, Iowa, have now pled guilty and been sentenced on federal felony charges.
“Based on the number of criminal convictions, this is the largest criminal worksite enforcement operation ever in the United States,” said Dummermuth.
By May 22, 2008, 297 of those defendants had been sentenced. Since then, three other defendants – O****ka, 59, from Ukraine; Neh****pol, 23, from Guatemala; and Re***nez, 28, from Mexico – have pled guilty and been sentenced to 5 months’ imprisonment and 3 years’ supervised release for use of false identification to obtain employment after admitting the use of an actual person’s identity.
A fourth defendant, Osb******a, 25, from Mexico, has pled guilty to two criminal charges and is awaiting sentencing.
Four other cases, including two filed this week, are pending. As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The criminal convictions have resulted in the following dispositions:
• 233 defendants sentenced to 5 months’ prison and 3 years’ supervision for use of false identification to obtain employment after admitting the use of an actual person’s identity;
• 30 defendants sentenced to 5 months’ prison and 3 years’ supervision for false use of social security number or card after admitting the use of an actual person’s social security number;
• 8 defendants sentenced to 5 months’ prison and 1 year supervision for illegal reentry to the United States;
• 2 defendants sentenced to 12 months’ and a day prison and 3 years’ supervision for use of false identification to obtain employment after admitting the use of an actual person’s identity;
• 21 defendants sentenced to 5 years’ probation for use of false identification to obtain employment where identification did not belong to an actual person;
• 2 defendants sentenced to 5 years’ probation for false use of social security number or card where number did not belong to an actual person; and
• 4 defendants sentenced to 5 years’ probation for illegal reentry to the United States.
The investigation led by ICE is ongoing. Other agencies that have assisted in the investigation include the United States Postal Inspection Service; Iowa Department of Public Safety; Iowa Department of Transportation; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations; and United States Department of Labor.
#8, are you serious? You state that 300 arrests were made and not one against the company as if the say the company is not culpable or even a factor in this whole mess? Agriprocessors got a break in that the focus of the raid was on the people Agriproccesors personnel department hired, who turned out to be unfit for employment.
iib is not wrong and if some of the posters were not personally embarassed, as Jews, they would not be so defensive and take offense to his sensible view of the facts. I think a truly strong Jew is one that can face the facts and shortcomings that occur and not be ashamed that it will look bad to the goyim so they get defensive, as if they were knocked down from some pedestal that is more gaiva than genuine, true blue, loyalty.
I find it amazing that no one is talking about the ICE raid in Mississippi tiday where 600 people were detained. Talk about a double standard.
ICE: Nearly 600 detained in Miss. plant raid
By HOLBROOK MOHR
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jO9WZoMijd4RZonKDKU4OabjtjkgD92Q6K480
Earlier article:
ICE raids Miss. plant seeking illegal workers
By HOLBROOK MOHR
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jO9WZoMijd4RZonKDKU4OabjtjkgD92PSLLO1
“Tikva Way”, the arrest of a small group of liars doesn’t prove anything about Agri. They lied about their immigration status, and they lied about their age. How is that Agri’s fault? An employer has no responsibility to investigate whether his employees are lying to him, and giving him false documents. He’s entitled to take them at their word and their documents at face value, even if he suspects that among all his employees surely there must be at least some who are less than 100% honest; it’s none of his business to check.
To #9. READ the charges. If the employers was not found to have committed any crimes, why assume they must’ve?? My point here anyways is different. Barak Obama apparently reads blogs or elsehow hears conspiracy stories about Yidden, and believes them. He probably believes in the protocols, kosher mafia, mossad 9/11 etc. That is petty scary.
to #10 (reL ICE raid)
Everyone in the goyish world is talking about it
but it doesn’t affect the cost of beef in Boro Park, so who cares. One issue in the Agriprocessors is how kosher food can be produced (our problem), and the other is United States policy towards hard-working immigrants who can’t get government permission to stay in the United States, but whose labors are sorely needed by American business (only our problem to the extent we are citizens with a stake in America’s future)
From the Des Moines Register editorial today:
Accept invitation, governor: Drop in on Agriprocessors
The Register’s editorial • August 27, 2008
Agriprocessors Inc. is located in the small town of Postville. But the meatpacking plant has been an embarrassment to the entire state of Iowa. It has become known nationwide for an immigration raid, documented safety violations and allegations of abuse, child-labor violations and falsification of documents. People must be wondering what the heck is going on in this state.
So it was appropriate for Gov. Chet Culver to address the plant in an essay on the opinion pages of this newspaper Sunday. A governor has the ability to send a broad message about what’s acceptable and not acceptable in this state.
And send a message he did.
“There will be no industrial ‘jungles’ in Iowa on my watch,” he wrote, referring to Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel describing the Chicago stockyards. He made clear he expects all Iowa workers to be treated fairly and their workplaces to be safe.
Agriprocessors responded by inviting the governor to come for a visit. He was encouraged to chat with everyone from the town mayor to the “happy employees” at the plant.
Culver should visit – unannounced. And he should take along a few other people, namely state inspectors.
State records show Agriprocessors officials repeatedly refused to allow inspectors with Iowa’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the plant. When inspectors are denied admission, they seek a court warrant, which may take hours or days to obtain. The result is that a plant has time to clean up, if need be.
Now that Agriprocessors has extended an invitation to the highest-ranking official in the state, they shouldn’t mind if a few other government workers tag along.
#6, and Bush has had Abbas, an arafat in a suit wanting sharing the same goals, in the White House. So what is your point?
# 11 said …
“They lied about their immigration status,”
When asked, most were quite honest and admitted they were in the country illegally.
” and they lied about their age.”
There has been testimoney reported in newspapers and before members of Congress that underage workers who told supervisors their true ages when they were asked.
” …How is that Agri’s fault? An employer has no responsibility to investigate whether his employees are lying to him, …”
Sorry, but an employer has a responsibility to make a good faith effort to determine if a potential employee is lying. Particulary so, when the company has been warned multiple times that social security numbers submitted by employees do not match Federal records. That is why responsible firms that employ large numbers of workers in low skill jobs pay to have the ICE e-varification system installed and check all employees through this sytem before hiring them. Agri didn’t do this – until after the raid.
Sorta like closing the barn door, after the horses have left.