I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
Sen. Glenn Anderson (D-Westland) has introduced legislation in the state Senate which would revoke the business license of any company doing business in Michigan found to have hired undocumented workers.
“We’re always blaming the workers,” Anderson said in an interview. “But I believe it is the unscrupulous businesses that are hiring illegals that the problem.”
Anderson believes that by shutting down businesses which employ undocumented workers, it will shut down the flow of illegal immigration into the country. “If the jobs aren’t there, the people won’t come.”
Anderson says current policy creates fences and walls but fails to address the real issues of illegal immigration into this county.
“Until you address the underlying motivation to come to this country illegally, people will always find a way to get into this country,” Anderson said. “It’s human nature to go where the jobs are.”
“If the source of those jobs dries up, then I believe, it will resolve the problem,” he said.
Anderson introduced SB 1474 Aug. 24, but says the Aug. 30 Michigan Messenger investigation into allegations of undocumented workers on the Marshall oil spill clean up has “highlighted” the need for the legislation.
The Messenger investigation documented a subcontractor’s use of undocumented workers in unsafe working conditions on the river. Less than 24 hours after the Messenger story went live, Hallmark Industrial LLC was fired by Enbridge contractor Garner Environmental.
Hallmark then loaded workers onto charter buses headed back to Texas. Authorities in Winnie Texas stopped two of the buses, and detained 59 people from the buses. Of those, 42 were determined to be in the U.S. illegally and are currently in a Houston Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility awaiting deportation. Hallmark Industrial owner Phillip Hallmark has not been seen since before the buses were stopped.
Anderson said the situation perfectly reflects the issues of undocumented workers being “used” by businesses. He believes that the main contractor on a job — in this case Enbridge — should ultimately be responsible for subcontractors who do not verify their workers are eligible to work in the U.S.
“That company should be expected to do its due diligence,” Anderson said.
Anderson said he has no indication from the Republican majority in the state Senate the legislation will even receive a hearing.
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