2008 Woodie Awards
El Vaquero arrests show ill-placed national priorities
Phil Jarrett
Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: Opinions
The first time I rode to the new El Vaquero, it was in the backseat of a luxury car - you know, the type that has the back-up camera built into the trunk and the navigation system that talks to you through the state-of-the-art sound system. It was my friend's stepmom's car. And as we pulled up to the restaurant, she noticed a vehicle substantially shabbier than her own. The windows were tinted, and ornate lettering on the back window spelled out a Hispanic name.
"If you ever want to find good Mexican food," my friend's stepmom said, "all you need to do is follow a car that looks like that one."
A little part of me died right then.
According to El Vaquero owner Taly Lopez, a raid of the restaurant last Friday by immigration authorities resulted in the detention of eight employees as well as three lunch patrons from another local Mexican restaurant. Adair County Prosecutor Mark Williams said the federal search warrant cited inappropriate use of social security numbers as grounds for the raid.
With roughly 12 million illegal immigrants in this country and nearly 12 percent of those working in food services illegally, one has to consider the unfortunate odds of the 'man' targeting the best restaurant in Kirksville.
In fact, this is one of a series of stings on the El Vaquero chain. Lopez has told the Index that he now plans on hiring non-Mexicans to work in his Mexican restaurant. That's right - no more Mexicans at the Mexican restaurant.
And here's another part of me dying.
But let us put this in context. The "improper use of social security numbers" should not be any surprise. The Pew Hispanic Center reports that illegal immigrants make up nearly 5 percent of the labor force, and since the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act established consequences for employers who deliberately hire illegal immigrants, fake IDs have been part of the game.
Lopez told the Index that he believed all his employees were legitimate citizens, and although that belief could be questioned, perhaps it is not so odd. Lopez said no employees were paid under the table and that the social security numbers in question were fake and not stolen. This has some interesting implications.
"If you ever want to find good Mexican food," my friend's stepmom said, "all you need to do is follow a car that looks like that one."
A little part of me died right then.
According to El Vaquero owner Taly Lopez, a raid of the restaurant last Friday by immigration authorities resulted in the detention of eight employees as well as three lunch patrons from another local Mexican restaurant. Adair County Prosecutor Mark Williams said the federal search warrant cited inappropriate use of social security numbers as grounds for the raid.
With roughly 12 million illegal immigrants in this country and nearly 12 percent of those working in food services illegally, one has to consider the unfortunate odds of the 'man' targeting the best restaurant in Kirksville.
In fact, this is one of a series of stings on the El Vaquero chain. Lopez has told the Index that he now plans on hiring non-Mexicans to work in his Mexican restaurant. That's right - no more Mexicans at the Mexican restaurant.
And here's another part of me dying.
But let us put this in context. The "improper use of social security numbers" should not be any surprise. The Pew Hispanic Center reports that illegal immigrants make up nearly 5 percent of the labor force, and since the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act established consequences for employers who deliberately hire illegal immigrants, fake IDs have been part of the game.
Lopez told the Index that he believed all his employees were legitimate citizens, and although that belief could be questioned, perhaps it is not so odd. Lopez said no employees were paid under the table and that the social security numbers in question were fake and not stolen. This has some interesting implications.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Heidi Kaplan
posted 4/03/08 @ 12:01 PM CST
Right on, Phil!
When I was in DC, the excuse I heard floating around the hearings was that we 'just didn't have the resources to do anything' about the number of false social security employment information submitted each year. (Continued…)
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