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Mayor Questions Immigration Crackdowns In L.A.

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Apr 10, 2008 8:51 am US/Pacific

Mayor Questions Immigration Crackdowns In L.A.

LOS ANGELES (AP) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: Villaraigosa wrote that raids could have "severe and long-lasting effects" on the local economy.
AP

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The mayor of Los Angeles is asking federal officials to reconsider their policy on workplace immigration crackdown that involve established businesses.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a letter to the Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff that work-site raids could have "severe and long-lasting effects" on the local economy. He accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement --or ICE-- of targeting what he termed "responsible" employers in industries that rely on undocumented workers.

Instead, he suggests that agents target employers who mistreat workers and exploit wage and hour laws.

ICE made more than 4,900 work-site arrests nationwide last year.

That was a 45-fold increase over the number in 2001.

More than 130 undocumented workers were arrested at a San Fernando Valley manufacturing company in February and more than 60 workers were arrested for immigration violations at South Bay-area warehouses last week.