RHODE ISLANDERS FOR IMMIGRATION LAW ENFORCEMENT
R.I.I.L.E.
August 2008 - Issue 8
SILENCE IS CONSENT - LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD
E-VERIFY. The need to protect the sovereignty of our country crosses all party lines, and E-Verify is a necessary part of that protection. We need good, common-sense Americans in our Legislature and our federal government—no matter what their party affiliation.
Candidate backs E-Verify. Donna Perry (Rep.) is running against Sen. M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (Dem.) for the Senate in District 13 (Newport, Jamestown). Perry says that the arrest of dozens of illegal immigrants working at courthouses around the state demonstrates the need to “strengthen the E-Verify program—and expand it—from government agencies and vendors to the entire public sector.” She also said that although there was a lot of bipartisan support in the legislature for E-Verify and many believe the time has come to take that step, her opponent, Senator Paiva-Weed, made sure it failed. On Channel 10 News Conference, August 3, Ms. Perry specifically referred to Senator Paiva-Weed’s lack of leadership in the final hours of this year’s legislative session on what Perry considers a sensible illegal immigration enforcement issue—the E-Verify Bill. She said that the Senate Majority Leader has the ability to move legislation forward or to kill it; and that some of the strongest criticism of her actions regarding E-Verify came from Democrats.
Senator Paiva-Weed’s statements on E-Verify definitely need clarification. On more than one occasion, she referred to the “agreement” of the Bill’s sponsor, Sen. Marc Cote (D-Woon, No. Smith.), to hold the Bill for further study. At the June 11 hearing, the E-Verify Bill was held--with the understanding that the concerns would be remedied and the Bill brought back in time for a vote before the end of the session. According to Senator Paiva-Weed, “hold for further study is nothing more than a polite No.” If that is, indeed, the case, no one told Senator Cote because he and Rep. Jon Brien (D-Woon.), sponsor of the E-Verify Bill in the House, worked tirelessly during the last week of the session to amend the Bill and meet the deadline—and they kept all parties up-to-date on their progress. Sen. Paiva-Weed also claimed that there was no urgency for the Bill. NO URGENCY! She might want to re-think that statement after recent events in Rhode Island. Citizens of Rhode Island are outraged that illegal aliens have been employed in the State’s judicial system by employers who have not complied with either State or Federal labor and immigration laws. These employers are able to get away with these violations because Senator Paiva-Weed did not want E-Verify to become law.
E-Verify-Employers-Employees. Participation in E-Verify is absolutely necessary because a loophole in the Federal Immigration Law allows employers to stay within the law and still hire illegal aliens. The law requires that the employer complete an I-9 form for a new hire and that the new employee provide certain identification documents (from which the employee can make a multiple choice). The I.D. documents are not questioned by the employer or verified by anybody because that is not required by the law. Employers face consequences only if they knowingly hire illegal aliens. By asking for the documents and accepting anything the employee gives them, employers can say that they followed the requirements of the law, and they did not KNOW the person was an illegal alien. Using E-Verify will close this loophole. That’s why some politicians and the special-interests they serve (businesses, worker organizations, business groups, etc.) are doing everything they can to defeat E-Verify. It will cut off their power supply.
Points. 1. E-Verify is to be used ONLY for NEW hires, and the NEW hire’s information is entered into E-Verify ONLY AFTER the person has been hired. 2. If an employer receives a “tentative non-match” from E-Verify, it means that the submitted information does not EXACTLY match the database information. It could be as simple as a typo or a name that was not changed when the person married. The employer notifies the employee to get in touch with the Social Security Administration. The timeframe for contact is 8 days—8 days for the new employee TO CONTACT the Social Security Administration to see what the problem is. The tentative non-match does not have to be corrected within the 8 days. A contact timeframe is needed so that the employee will respond as soon as possible and will not let the problem continue. After contact is made, the employee and the SSA work together to rectify the tentative non-match. 3. An employer CANNOT terminate an employee based on a tentative non-match. That is specified in the E-Verify program. www.dhs.gov/e-verify.
Employers must be held accountable. It is important to understand the extent and the effects of illegal immigration. This is not just the usual corruption in Rhode Island government. Recent events clearly demonstrate how one thing leads to another, hopefully setting off the domino effect.
On July 14, federal immigration agents and state police arrested 31 cleaning and maintenance employees at six R.I. courthouses: Garrahy Complex, Licht Complex, McGrath Complex, Murray Complex, Kent County Courthouse, and the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal. Those arrested are believed to be in the U.S. illegally from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Brazil and are employed by TriState Enterprises and Falcon Maintenance under contracts with the State of Rhode Island. After these arrests, maintenance employees did not show up for work at other State buildings (that were not involved in the arrests): William Powers Building, Oliver Stedman Center, Bicentennial Building, Motor Vehicle Control, “US Prop & Fiscal Office,” Quonset Air National Guard 143 Airlift Wing, Army Aviation Support, and the Armory of Mounted Commands, as well as URI, CCRI, and the Attorney General’s office. Patrick Lynch caught on when one of the two janitors in his own office did not show up for work.
“This should send a clear message to all companies who are doing business with the state,” said Governor Carcieri. “We will not tolerate non-compliance of state and federal laws and we will not tolerate companies who violate the terms of their contract.” And, in an apparent revelation, Juan Garcia, organizer for Immigrants in Action at St. Teresa Church, said, “This is the consequence of the governor’s executive order. All companies receiving money from the state will review the legal status of people.” Now he gets it. He is exactly right! This is the positive effect the Executive Order is supposed to have—to uncover the Rhode Island employers who are blatantly violating federal law by hiring illegal aliens.
The owners of TriState Enterprises are Anthony E. DeSimone Jr. and David Civetti. Vincent D’Elia is the owner of Falcon Maintenance. These two companies have more than 48 cleaning/maintenance contracts with the executive and judicial branches of State government, including the State Office Building on Smith Hill, two state Division of Motor Vehicles offices, Board of Elections, North Main Street Armory, National Guard Command Readiness Center, and the emergency telecommunications system, E-911. In fiscal 2007-2008, the court system paid TriState $493,325 and Falcon $261,643. Under non-court cleaning contracts, the State paid TriState an additional $732,891 and Falcon $579,456.
In an interview after the arrests, TriState Vice President David Civetti had this to say: “The public thinks that this company hires anybody off the street, doesn’t care if they’re legal or illegal, and that we know nothing about them. Well, they got a [driver’s] license, issued by the State of Rhode Island, and they got a Social Security card, issued apparently by the Social Security Administration. ... If those things are fraudulent, well that’s the [criminal’s fault] not the employer.” As mentioned before, this is the standard employer excuse used to get around Federal Immigration Law. And—you have to ask: Where did the illegal aliens get the fake identification, and just how deep is the document fraud cottage industry in Rhode Island?
Eliza Lima and Christiane Billafon, sisters who worked illegally as cleaners at URI, are also accused of stealing Social Security numbers and other personal information from URI’s Alumni Center and have each been charged with 9 counts of identity fraud, 3 counts of larceny under $250 and 3 counts of larceny over $250. In their apartment, Fall River police seized a computer, credit card applications, and bills in other people’s names. They took information from the trash and recycle bins and gave it to a woman named “Marcia Souza.” Eliza admitted that “Marcia” had printed a fake Social Security card for her, but “Marcia” left for Brazil a few weeks ago and she doesn’t know if she will be coming back. The sisters
were employed by TriState Enterprises, as were workers at a dozen other buildings at URI, at CCRI in Providence, Lincoln, and Newport, and at the state Training School for delinquent teens.
Both TriState and Falcon told the State they had enrolled in E-Verify, but neither has produced evidence of either that enrollment or that they require their employees to prove their identity and that they are legally eligible to work in this country. The I-9 form, has been required by federal law since November 6, 1986. Falcon also could not prove that it has “current liability and workers compensation insurance.” Falcon’s President “admitted” at a meeting on July 21 with Department of Administration officials that “he had not been completing the Form I-9 — Employment Eligibility Verification Form for the company’s employees as required by federal law.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security employer handbook states: “Employment is often the magnet that attracts individuals to reside in the United States illegally. The purpose of the employer sanctions law is to remove this magnet by requiring employers to hire only individuals who may legally work here: citizens and nationals of the United States, lawful permanent residents and aliens authorized to work.” Lorraine Hynes, the State’s acting purchasing agent, said that, in her opinion, continued use of the two companies would “present a clear and immediate danger to the public interest.”
As of 11:55 p.m. on July 25, the Executive branch terminated all contracts with TriState Enterprises and Falcon Maintenance. On July 28, Superior Court Judge Patricia A. Hurst rejected TriState’s request for a temporary restraining order. “I’m being asked to do more than maintain the status quo,” Hurst said. “I’m being asked to require the state to open its doors to employees whose status can’t be verified.” The judge said she would not do that. However, the judiciary branch—in its infinite wisdom—had decided to continue doing business with TriState and Falcon. Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch—the State’s top law enforcement position--will also continue with those companies because he doesn’t want to “victimize” the one, legal custodian he has left. At the very least, this is an extreme example of misguided loyalty. Although Falcon’s action is not the fault of that particular, LEGAL employee, the Attorney General should find another way to keep that LEGAL worker employed.
The Attorneys General of other states have issued their own position statements, ordinances, executive orders, etc., to stand firmly behind legislation to control illegal immigration because it is in the best interests of their states and their citizens—and because the duties and responsibilities of an Attorney General demand that our laws be enforced. Evidently, that does not concern Rhode Island’s Patrick Lynch because he has chosen to align himself—and his office of Attorney General--with a company that “has admitted to ignoring federal law to keep certain documents on his employees.” This is the same Attorney General who was unanimously elected on June 19, 2008, to be the 101st President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), earning him a place in history as the Association’s first President hailing from the nation’s smallest state. The members of NAAG must be as proud as we are here in Rhode Island.
On August 1, the Governor’s Advisory Panel on his Executive Order met to “discuss members’ concerns that they were unaware that federal immigration agents were raiding state courthouses midway through the panel’s first meeting on July 15.” Before the meeting, Bruno Sukys, Director of the International Institute of Rhode Island’s Feinstein Center, said he is resigning from the panel and would not attend that meeting. According to the Journal, members of the Governor’s Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs have drafted, but not yet submitted, a group resignation letter. Mr. Sukys (also a member of this commission) and member Jaime Aguayo said that a majority of commissioners “all signed [the draft resignation letter] collectively last week.” Mr. Sukys said that after Carcieri “ignored” the Hispanic/Latino commission, he hoped that the larger, more diverse panel “had a better shot.” But the coinciding courthouse raids and advisory panel meeting “was too much. We just lost trust.”
The Governor’s duties and responsibilities are to ensure and maintain the best interests of the State of Rhode Island and its citizens. These two panels/commissions operate in an advisory capacity. They are not part of law enforcement, and they are not part of State government. It is a privilege to serve on a panel or commission—a privilege that many Rhode Island citizens would appreciate if they had the opportunity. Members make their own decisions about participating. Evidently these two members have done that.
More domino effect. Last June, Fuerza Laboral (Power of Workers) demonstrated outside the home of Lucilia Ramos, in East Providence, carrying signs that read: “Pay Your Workers — Stop Wage Robbery.” Ramos owns Lucy’s Cleaning Service and, coincidentally, she is also the Manager of Operations for
TriState Enterprises. Three of her workers said she had not paid them for weeks. Lucy’s Cleaning pays the workers, but Ramos gave them shirts—with the logo of TriState Enterprises—to wear to work. This newly uncovered connection brings up even more questionable employment practices: Are these workers “employees” or “independent contractors” (self-employed). TriState, Falcon and Ramos have declined requests to discuss their hiring arrangements.
In court filings, TriState’s parent company, DECI Inc., described itself as nothing more than a “management company/billing agent for a number of franchisees/subcontractors.” The company’s lawyer, Thomas DeSimone (brother of TriState President) wrote, “TriState Enterprises sells cleaning contracts to subcontractors.” “These individuals are more often than not husbands and wives who operate their own cleaning companies. They deal directly with the customers as to when, where and how often a building is to be cleaned. DECI Inc. collects the money, pays the individual contractor bi-weekly and each individual contractor has its own liability insurance. They are all individual business owners who have their own customers as well as the customers that DECI Inc. sells to them,” said DeSimone. An affidavit from company Vice President and CFO Civetti said each of TriState’s workers was required to file a “DWC-11-1C form declaring himself/herself to be an independent contractor and waiving any and all rights to workers’ compensation and its benefits.”
ITEM: These “franchisees/subcontractors” evidently have business licenses issued by the city or town in which the business is located. Are they also subject to the Governor’s Executive Order: 2. The Department of Administration shall require that all persons and businesses, including grantees, contractors and their subcontractors and vendors doing business with the State of Rhode Island also register with and utilize the services of the E-Verify program to ensure compliance with federal and state law.
Classifying workers as independent contractors saves companies money and paperwork, distances the companies from the workers, and transfers all reporting responsibilities to the worker—ideal for companies that want to profit by the cheaper labor of illegal aliens but don’t want to have to answer for breaking the law. Just another way for companies to find a way around Federal Immigration Law. It also enables these companies to avoid large insurance premiums (including Workers’ Compensation), which are based on the number of employees on the payroll.
IRS Regulations. The Internal Revenue Service states that it “is critical that employers correctly determine whether workers providing services are employees or independent contractors (self-employed).” Determining that can be complicated, but basic criteria include “evidence of the degree of control and independence” of a worker. The key involves weighing these factors, examining the entire relationship, and documenting each of the factors used in making the determination. For more information, go to the IRS Web site, www.irs.gov.
R.I.I.L.E. meets the first Wednesday of every month at the Euart VFW Post, 55 Overland Avenue, Pawtucket, at 7 p.m. Please help us save Rhode Island.
SILENCE IS CONSENT - LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!
Executive Director Terry Gorman
Director Karin Gorman
Writer/Contributor Kathleen Gudaitis
Editor Karin Gorman
_________________________________________________________________
RHODE ISLANDERS FOR IMMIGRATION LAW ENFORCEMENT (R.I.I.L.E.)
July 2008 - Issue 7
SILENCE IS CONSENT - LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD
E-VERIFY. It is a violation of U.S. Immigration Law to employ anyone who is in this country illegally. E-Verify is an electronic verification system, provided by the U.S. government, for employers to determine if an employee is, indeed, a legal U.S. resident. On the federal level E-Verify is a voluntary program, but there are efforts to make it mandatory. S2091, the Rhode Island E-Verify Bill, with its House companion Bill H7107, would make this verification program mandatory for R.I. employers.
The R.I. House passed E-Verify in 2007 and 2008. In both years, 27 senators co-sponsored the E-Verify legislation, and the support from the citizens of Rhode Island was overwhelming. Yet, for the second consecutive year, Senator M. Teresa Paiva-Weed refused to allow S2091 out of Committee, thereby killing the Bill on the last day of the legislative session.
Three items of concern about the Bill were brought out by the Senate Labor Committee’s Legislative Counsel at the second hearing of S2091 on June 11: the constitutionality of the fines for employers, the issue of due process, and severability. Sen. Marc Cote, sponsor of S2091, and Rep. Jon Brien, sponsor of H7107, worked every minute for the next ten days to make the necessary changes to the Bill so that it could be brought back to the Committee for their vote and sent to the Senate for a full vote on the Senate floor.
Senator Cote and Representative Brien kept all parties up to date on their progress so that they could meet every condition and every deadline—and they did what they set out to do. They made the changes, and they made the deadline. Senator Cote also vetted the proposed revisions with the Department of Labor and Training (the department that would be responsible for monitoring compliance with the state mandate), and DLT did not have any objections to the proposed changes to the legislation.
Senate Majority Leader, M. Teresa Paiva-Weed, claimed 1) that the challenges to S2091 came so late in the legislative session that there was not enough time to make the changes and have the Bill proceed through the required process, and 2) that she had a concern about the constitutionality of the Bill. NOT TRUE. If the leadership at the General Assembly WANTS something, IT IS NEVER TOO LATE IN THE SESSION, and the issue on constitutionality HAD BEEN REMEDIED. After every condition had been met, and leadership didn’t have any other excuse to use, the truth came out. On the last day of the session, June 21, Senator Cote had a conversation with Senate President Montalbano, who said that he would not override the Senate Majority Leader in her decision not to let the E-Verify Bill go forward. That was it. A very important piece of legislation was killed by one person because she did not want the Bill to pass—and a floor vote in the Senate would certainly have passed S2091.
Senator Paiva-Weed has demonstrated, yet again, exactly whose interests she is representing: illegal aliens and the U.S. employers who want cheap labor and don’t care how many laws they break to get it.
She chose to invoke the power of her office to totally disregard the rights of citizens to participate in their government and to strip our senators of their duty to represent those citizens. She could have allowed the democratic process to work and enact legislation supported by an overwhelming majority of Rhode
Island citizens and both chambers of the General Assembly. But, instead, she chose to demonstrate that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Questions: 1) Do all the citizens of Jamestown and Newport agree with Senator Paiva-Weed’s support of illegal immigration? 2) Do all the citizens in Senator Montalbano’s district agree with his decision to allow Senator Paiva-Weed to support illegal immigration in total disregard of the citizens of Rhode Island?
ProJo Headline June 14: Immigration sweep nets 42. This was not an “immigration” sweep. It was the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Rhode Island Fugitive Operations Team rounding up ILLEGAL aliens who had committed crimes. The team arrested 42 people from Brazil, Guatemala and Mexico in NEWPORT and Middletown. (Coincidentally, Senator Paiva-Weed is the senator representing Jamestown and NEWPORT.) According to Paula Grenier, spokeswoman for ICE in Boston, 21 of the illegal aliens arrested had ignored final orders of deportation, 12 had illegally re-entered the country after being deported, and 9 others were in this country illegally. IF E-VERIFY WERE PART OF RHODE ISLAND LAWS--AS IT SHOULD BE AND WOULD BE EXCEPT FOR SENATOR PAIVA-WEED--THESE ILLEGAL ALIENS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN RHODE ISLAND TO BE ARRESTED—BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET A JOB.
Illegal alien kidnaps and rapes. Marco Riz, an illegal alien from Guatemala, living in Providence (our capital city and Mayor Cicilline’s sanctuary city), was charged with kidnapping a woman on June 8 outside a Warwick supermarket and raping her in Roger Williams Park in Providence. After sorting through at least a dozen aliases, police were finally able to track down and arrest Riz, who is now in jail.
Riz had just been fired that day from his job as a cook at Texas Roadhouse in Warwick. HOW WAS AN ILLEGAL ALIEN WITH AT LEAST A DOZEN ALIASES AND FRAUDULENT I.D. DOCUMENTS ABLE TO GET A JOB? IF E-VERIFY WERE PART OF RHODE ISLAND LAWS--AS IT SHOULD BE AND WOULD BE EXCEPT FOR SENATOR PAIVA-WEED--ILLEGAL ALIENS WOULD NOT BE IN RHODE ISLAND TO COMMIT CRIMES BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET A JOB.
Riz had been arrested and released by Providence police TWICE in 2007. ICE confirmed that Chief Dean Esserman’s Providence Police Department does not properly use the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS). Chief Esserman’s department has been trained on the system and how to use it, as has every other police department. Names of arrested foreign nationals are entered into the database and, usually within seconds, a report is issued as to whether that person has a criminal record. Instead of following established protocol with the database, Chief Esserman has his department hand-write a list of every person arrested (not just the foreign nationals) and fax the list to ICE. This process not only undermines the purpose of NLETS but also slows down the notification to, and response from, ICE, which could, and does, in some cases, allow the arraignment, plea, and release of someone before Providence receives the federal criminal information on that person. That certainly did happen in the case of Marco Riz. In 2003, Riz was ordered by a federal immigration court to leave the United States. ICE would have taken Riz into custody immediately if Chief Esserman’s department had used NLETS according to protocol; and Riz would not have been in Rhode Island to kidnap and rape.
Providence detectives in major crimes and the gang-prevention unit are in constant communication with the local ICE office. Evidently, Chief Esserman does not consider other types of crimes committed by illegal aliens to be important enough to include in their “constant” communication with ICE. Well, it is important now, and he might want to reconsider his priorities. If Mayor Cicilline and Chief Esserman were complying with the law instead of trying to get around it, Marco Riz and other illegal alien criminals would not be on our streets threatening our safety.
Information is still being revealed. Only a few hours after he kidnapped and raped a woman, Riz had made his way to yet another Stop & Shop parking lot—this time in Cranston—and was asking women for money. One woman was disturbed enough to call Cranston Police, who responded and talked to Riz but did not take him into custody. The Cranston Police Department is conducting an internal investigation into the facts of the incident.
ProJo headline June 26: Case of illegal immigrant fires political feud. Governor Carcieri has had a very public discussion with and about Mayor Cicilline and his decision not to cooperate with the Governor’s Executive Order to Control Illegal Immigration. This is not a political feud, pitting a Republican Governor against a Democrat Mayor. Controlling illegal immigration is not based in either political party. E-Verify and other Bills introduced to control illegal immigration were sponsored mostly by
Democrats. E-Verify has the support of the majority of both the House and Senate, where the majority party is Democrat. Controlling illegal immigration is an American issue—recognized by both political parties.
The Governor is standing behind his Executive Order to Control Illegal Immigration, and Mayor Cicilline
is doing all he can to keep Providence a sanctuary city for illegal aliens. The Governor supports law enforcement, the protection of our state, our country, American citizens and other legal U.S. residents. Mayor Cicilline and his police chief have chosen to endanger the law-abiding general public in order to aid and abet illegal aliens.
Let’s connect a few dots. How did Marco Riz—an illegal alien with an outstanding deportation order—get a driver’s license? Did he buy it from Dolores Rodriguez-LaFlamme, clerk at the Division of Motor Vehicles, who was arrested for selling drivers’ licenses to illegal aliens and criminals? And who, by the way, was an illegal alien herself who lied on her job application by saying that she was an American citizen.
LaFlamme came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic in 1996, was hired at the DMV in 2000, and wasn’t arrested until October 2007. She had a deportation order against her after her application for adjusted status was denied following an investigation into two fraudulent marriages. She was well-known in the politically active Latino community in Providence and was treasurer of the RI Chapter of the National Labor Council for Latin-American Advancement. Her good friend, R.I. Representative Anastasia Williams, is Chairwoman of that organization, and was absolutely exuberant in her belief in, and support of, LaFlamme after learning of her arrest.
LaFlamme has also been involved “with a lot of different [political] campaigns,” Rep. Williams said, including those of Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, and Providence City Councilman Nicholas Narducci Jr. Councilman Narducci found out that LaFlamme was not a U.S. citizen in 2006 when she tried to run for a seat on the Ward 4 Democratic Committee and it was discovered that she was not eligible to vote. NOTE TO EVERYONE: Only American citizens are “eligible” to vote! In her campaign, she touted her employment at the DMV. So, what did they do when they found out LaFlamme lied about being a U.S. citizen? THEY PUT HER ON WARD 4’S COMMUNITY ACTION COMMITTEE!!
LaFlamme also volunteered for a neighborhood crime watch and was “the face” of the DMV at the 2006 Latino Expo held at the Rhode Island Convention Center. During an “Ask projoCars!” seminar, LaFlamme was a co-presenter. The topic? “How to Save Time at the Department of Motor Vehicles.”
Others accused in the DMV scam are: Luis Rivera, Arismendy Gonzalez, Jose Bueno, and Jose Nieves, all of Providence, arraigned for aiding and abetting to commit identity fraud. Nieves, known in Massachusetts as Jose Gonzalez and Hector Aponte, was wanted for distributing cocaine in Massachusetts. Five others, already incarcerated for drugs, faced charges of conspiracy to commit identity fraud and aiding and abetting: Alexander Hernandez, alias Noel Aguasvivas, arrested in Orlando for possession of cocaine, previously deported THREE times; Fernando Iglesias Vargas, alias Osvaldo Hernandez, arrested in New York City for possession of cocaine with intent to deliver; Fleridilia Alvares, arrested in Providence for possession of cocaine; Charles Rosario, alias Charlie Adrian, of Providence, arrested for possession of cocaine; Rafael Feliciano, alias Juan Paula, previously deported as a felon, arrested for possession of 44 pounds of marijuana.
NOT ONLY WAS LaFLAMME--AN ILLEGAL ALIEN--ABLE TO GET A JOB--SHE GOT A STATE JOB! LaFLAMME SAID SHE IS A U.S. CITIZEN. SHE IS NOT A U.S. CITIZEN. SHE LIED. WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU ABOUT OUR VOTER REGISTRATION LIST???? E-VERIFY WOULD STOP ILLEGAL ALIENS FROM GETTING JOBS AND KEEP THEM OUT OF RHODE ISLAND.
Illegal alien convicted of child abuse re-enters U.S. TWICE. On June 19, a federal judge sentenced Gustavo Granados, a Mexican national, to 46 months in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States after being deported TWICE. In 1992, he was convicted in Rhode Island Family Court of second-degree child abuse, sentenced to three years, and deported as an aggravated felon in May 1995. He illegally re-entered the country, and was deported AGAIN in October 1999. He re-entered the U.S. in July 2005 and had been living on Mowry Street in Central Falls. Granados told ICE agents that “he keeps coming [back] because he has family in Rhode Island.” When he finishes his sentence, he will be
deported FOR THE THIRD TIME! In Rhode Island, Granados is the second illegal alien in the past two months to be imprisoned for re-entering the U.S. after being deported. Domingo Enrique Lorenzo-Ferrera, a convicted drug dealer from the Dominican Republic, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison.
These are the people who benefit when Senator Montalbano, Senator Paiva-Weed, Mayor Cicilline, Chief Esserman, and others choose to support and defend illegal aliens at the expense of the legal, law-abiding residents of Rhode Island.
Legal residents of Rhode Island are not in fear of the Governor’s Executive Order or of law enforcement. They are in this country legally. But they, and every other legal, law-abiding person in Rhode Island are justifiably in fear because these crimes—committed by illegal aliens—did not have to happen. IF E-VERIFY WERE PART OF RHODE ISLAND LAWS--AS IT SHOULD BE AND WOULD BE EXCEPT FOR SENATOR PAIVA-WEED—ILLEGAL ALIENS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO GET JOBS AND WOULD NOT COME TO RHODE ISLAND.
THESE ILLEGAL ALIEN CRIMINALS ARE STRENGTHENING THE CASE THAT RHODE ISLAND MUST ENACT LAWS TO CONTROL ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION—PRO-ACTIVE LAWS THAT WILL BE A DETERRENT NOT ONLY TO CRIME BUT TO ATTRACTING ILLEGAL ALIENS TO OUR STATE.
ProJo headline June 29: Rhode Island group linked to controversial foes of illegal immigration. On talk-radio, Ramon Martinez, president of Progreso Latino, called Terry Gorman, founder and Executive Director of RIILE, a white supremacist and urged him to disassociate from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which would include removing the link to FAIR on RIILE’s website. Joining Mr. Martinez in his charges are the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the National Council of La Raza (The Race), and the Anti-Defamation League. The SPLC, a “civil-rights” organization, designated FAIR as a hate group last December. Questions: What constitutes a “hate group”? Who authorized the SPLC to decide which groups are “hate groups”?
So, in the absence of valid information from a valid source, which none of these critics are, RIILE has
no valid reason to remove the link to FAIR from its website.
When you oppose a special interest agenda, you expect to be attacked. American citizens have the right to free speech. That includes RIILE and the people and organizations attacking RIILE.
Rhode Islanders for Immigration Law Enforcement is well known in Rhode Island as a supporter of American citizens, legal residents of the United States, and enforcement of our laws. Illegal immigration is a huge issue with an enormous impact on our country, and the organizations attacking RIILE have a deeply vested interest in promoting illegal immigration.
The truth is not hate speech. RIILE trusts that everyone who believes in what we are doing will realize that the voice of American citizens is extremely powerful, as evidenced by the efforts of those who try to silence that voice. We cannot allow that to happen—and neither can you.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
R.I.I.L.E. meets the first Wednesday of every month at the Euart VFW Post, 55 Overland Avenue, Pawtucket, at 7 p.m. Please help us save Rhode Island.
SILENCE IS CONSENT - LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!
Executive Director Terry Gorman
Director Karin Gorman
Writer/Contributor Kathleen Gudaitis
Editor Karin Gorman
RHODE ISLANDERS FOR IMMIGRATION LAW ENFORCEMENT (R.I.I.L.E.)
P.O. Box 1, Central Falls, RI 02863 (401) 475-2410
www.riile.org EMAIL: info@riile.org
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______________________________
P.O. Box 01
Central Falls, RI 02863
(401) 475-2410
www.riile.org
info@riile.org
SILENCE IS CONSENT - LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD
S2091, Electronic Verification of Employees-Sen. Marc Cote. No decision yet on Senator Cote’s Bill to require RI employers to electronically verify employment eligibility (legal U.S. residency) of new employees using the E-Verify Program--a FREE, Internet-based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security partnered with the Social Security Administration. The hearing before the Senate Labor Committee began on May 7 and was completed on May 14, with the Committee voting to hold the Bill for further consideration.
Six members of the Senate Labor Committee are co-sponsors of S2091: Senators Tassoni, Fogarty, Ciccone, Bates, Ruggerio, and Lanzi. And the late Senator Roger Badeau was also a Committee member and a co-sponsor. Of 38 senators, 25 have signed on as co-sponsors to Senator Cote: Senators Sheehan, Lenihan, Maselli, Tassoni, Blais, Felag, Breene, Walaska, Doyle, Gallo, Fogarty, Algiere, Alves, Sosnowski, Raptakis, Ciccone, McCaffrey, Bates, Issa, Goodwin, Gibbs, Ruggerio, DaPonte, Lanzi, and McBurney. There is internal pressure for these senators to change their minds and vote against S2091. If they decide to do that, they should have to do it in front of the American citizens who comprise their constituencies.
In order to become law, S2091 must be passed by the Committee and approved by the Senate in a floor vote. That floor vote would be televised (Cox channel 15), and the senators would have to vote in front of their constituents. We would be able to see which senators speak out against this Bill and which senators speak out in favor of it—who is there for the vote and who is conspicuously absent. WE NEED THAT FLOOR VOTE, and the General Assembly needs it, too. The Rhode Island General Assembly needs to bring our government “out of the shadows.”
Last year the Senate leadership KILLED the E-Verify Bill by not allowing a hearing to be held. This year a hearing was held--THREE WEEKS AGO. TIME IS RUNNING OUT IN THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION! IS THIS JUST ANOTHER WAY TO KILL THE E-VERIFY BILL AGAIN THIS YEAR?
S2076, R.I. Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2008-Sen. Christopher Maselli. The hearing on S2076 was held before the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services on May 21, and the Committee decided to hold the Bill for further consideration. Key components of this legislation require state agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities in enforcing federal immigration laws, deny driver’s licenses to illegal aliens, and make it a crime to knowingly rent to, hire, or harbor illegal aliens. “It’s time we start taking care of the legal residents and citizens of this state,” said Senator Maselli. “Based on the outpouring of support--the e-mails and phone calls--there are a lot of people from all communities who support this bill.”
S2765, Workers’ Compensation-Illegal Immigrants-Senators Breene and Blais, at the request of the Governor. This Bill would not recognize, as an employee eligible for Workers’ Compensation benefits, any person “who has come to, entered or remained in the United States in violation of the law
and who is not authorized to work in the United States.” At the May 7 hearing, the Senate Labor Committee referred S2765 to the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council, which voted to hold the Bill for further study and may return it to the Senate Labor Committee.
Individual states have different laws governing Workers’ Compensation. In 1989, the Rhode Island Supreme Court, Villa v. Eastern Wire Products Co., 554 A.2d 644 (R.I. 1989), found that a person's legal status is not a bar to entitlement of compensation benefits.
Speaking to numerous immigrant advocacy groups and others at a community forum on May 19, Chief Judge George E. Healy Jr., said that the Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Court does not check the immigration status of complainants, and no employee--including undocumented workers--should be afraid to pursue a claim. State law entitles all workers to pursue claims, regardless of immigration status. Maryann Medeiros, Compliance Assistant for the Providence office of the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), said employers in the private sector “are required to provide a safe and healthy work environment to every employee. I did not say ‘illegal immigrant.’ I said every employee. We do not ask questions about immigration status. We do not need to do that.”
The answer is, of course, for the General Assembly to pass into law the E-Verify Bill, S1091. If employers are penalized for hiring illegal aliens, they will not hire them. If illegal aliens cannot find employment, they will have to leave Rhode Island.
S-2556, Labor and Labor Relations-Immigrant Status-Senator Levesque. This Bill was finally heard by the Senate Labor Committee on May 21, postponed from May 7 and May 14, and was also held for further consideration. Senator Levesque’s Bill would give illegal aliens the same State rights, protections and remedies that are available to American citizens and legal residents, regarding application for employment, current employment, or former employment. And, for purposes of enforcing any State labor law, a person’s immigration status would be irrelevant regarding an employer’s liability. It would also grant to anyone—regardless of immigration status--all protections, rights and remedies available under State law for “purposes of enforcing state labor, employment, civil rights, and employee housing laws.
RECENT EVENT. Two face deportation and other charges after trying to elude police. On May 26, state troopers arrested two Guatemalan men, both residents of Providence, after a chase on Route 95. The troopers spotted the car’s erratic movements as it came up behind them. When they attempted to stop the car, it sped away, and the passenger began throwing beer bottles out the window.
The driver had a fraudulent international driver’s license and was charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol, eluding the police, driving without a license, obstruction of justice, identity fraud, resisting arrest, refusing to take a chemical breath test for alcohol, and various motor vehicle infractions. A check with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed that a deportation order had been entered for him, and he was turned over to immigration officials after arraignment in District Court. ICE also determined that the passenger, charged with resisting arrest, is in this country illegally; and he was ordered held at the Wyatt Detention Center pending deportation proceedings.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? R.I. DMV Clerks arrested in license-selling scam. On May 14, in U.S. District Court, Providence, a federal grand jury returned a 12-count indictment against former DMV clerk Dolores Rodriguez LaFlamme on charges of producing new valid state drivers’ licenses that were sold to illegal aliens and criminals in a scam uncovered by the State Police in the fall of 2007. The indictment charges one count of conspiracy, six counts of fraudulently producing identification documents affecting interstate commerce, and five counts of fraudulently using another person’s identity. Ms. LaFlamme is being held by federal immigration authorities on an outstanding deportation order because SHE LIED on her job application and answered YES to the question: Are you a U.S. citizen? As expected, no person or agency follows through on a declaration of U.S. citizenship which IS ALSO PART OF THE APPLICATION TO REGISTER TO VOTE!
LaFlamme also faces STATE charges on 19 felony counts of identity fraud and 14 counts of conspiracy fraud. Mike Healey, spokesman for Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, said the two cases are “on parallel tracks.” If convicted, LaFlamme could face up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for conspiracy and fraudulently producing identity documents and two years in prison and a $250,000 fine for fraudulent use of identity. She pleaded not guilty on May 15, and Magistrate Judge David L. Martin ordered her detained.
Soraya Santiago, also involved in the scam, accepted a plea agreement with the state last month and pleaded no contest to one count of identity fraud. She was given a three-year suspended sentence, with probation and ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. The original charges were 11 counts of identity theft and 11 counts of conspiracy to commit identity theft. Healey said Santiago had no prior criminal record “and, there was no evidence that Santiago benefited from her involvement in creating the 11 bogus licenses.” That may be OK for the Attorney General, but it cannot be considered justice; and the punishment certainly does not fit the crime. The criminal acts of these two people could have far-reaching effects on our State and our citizens because of the power of putting the driver’s license identification document into the hands of criminals and illegal aliens.
Michael Bianco factory raid, New Bedford, March 6, 2007. Francisco Insolia employed hundreds of illegal aliens at his factory that manufactured equipment under U.S. military contracts. The criminal case against him and his managers is moving slowly through federal court, according to Bruce M. Foucart, special agent in charge, ICE Investigations Office, Boston, and he hopes to get to court in the near future. He said that ICE is trying to stop the magnet, by preventing employers from hiring illegal aliens. “Without those people hiring illegal aliens, there’s no incentive for them to come into the United States.” Some employers across the country are now seeking ICE assistance to verify workers’ legal status.
Of the 361 original detainees, 153 have been deported. Foucart underscored the fact that “almost one quarter of the administrative arrests that we made were people who were already fugitives from U.S. immigration courts--either they had been deported and returned, or had existing warrants of deportation.”
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