By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – Leaders of the Buffalo Building and Construction Trades Council say they will meet Wednesday with the US Attorney Office and the Erie County District Attorney to discuss an ever increasing problem of illegal workers.
In the last couple of weeks, 13 illegal aliens were arrested for working at two separate construction sites in Western New York. Members of the Building Trades uncovered the illegals at the Hampton Inn site in East Aurora and Sam's Club retail project in Cheektowaga. In both cases, the area construction firms in charge of the projects said the illegals were hired by out of town sub-contractors.
But Building Trades President Dan Boody says his union has been following this problem since 1996. He says companies should no longer be allowed to violate federal laws and hire illegals as cheap labor. Boody hopes the US Attorney's office fights for stiffer penalties.
"We agree that agree that prosecution is the answer. Somebody has to go to jail," Boody said. "But when it comes to the issue of making a lot of money, the only thing that scares people is going to jail."
Both cases are now being investigated by the INS. But US Senator Charles Schumer says the agency is partly to blame. Schumer says the INS is "not up to snuff."
"But what we also can to do is get the INS to be a lot better about who comes into the country and how doesn't," Schumer said. "Its computers are from the year one. It's understaffed and poorly administered. It has to be an agency that is beefed up."
Schumer and the union also agree that in a time of stepped up security against potential terrorism threats, there should even be tighter regulations for hiring illegal aliens.
Boody says the current federal law leaves no accountability for companies which are subcontracting the work. Schumer tells WBFO News the local building trades should reach out to him for help.