Quietly Ignoring Bad Law--Which Is Historically How We Respond
Immigrant Crackdown Falls Short Despite Tough Rhetoric, Few Employers of Illegal Workers Face Criminal Charges
By Spencer S. Hsu Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, December 25, 2007; A03
In its announced clampdown on companies that hire illegal workers, the federal government has arrested nearly four times as many people in the past year as it did two years ago, but only a tiny fraction of those arrests involved criminal charges against those who hired the workers, according to a year-end tally prepared by the Department of Homeland Security.
Fewer than 100 owners, supervisors or hiring officials were arrested in fiscal 2007, compared with nearly 4,900 arrests that involved illegal workers, providers of fake documents and others, the figures show. Immigration experts say the data illustrate the Bush administration's limited success at delivering on its rhetoric about stopping illegal hiring by corporate employers.
"I know what it takes to get a criminal case," said Sen. Claire McCas…