100 illegals working on new courthouse

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-- Just because the long-delayed new Duval County Courthouse is finally under construction doesn't mean all the controversy is behind the project.

One of the selling points to build the new $350 million courthouse was to create jobs for the city, but it was expected those jobs would be American workers -- not illegal immigrants.

So city workers said they were shocked when they learned Monday that out of 350 construction workers hired at the courthouse, 100 of them had falsified green cards.

That does not sit well with Kelly McMullen.

"I've been looking for a job since March, February of this year and I can't get any work anywhere," McMullen said.

Hiring undocumented workers could be a major problem for the contractors building the courthouse.

"Our primary concern is to make sure everyone who is working is doing so legally, so we have asked the General Council's Office to examine all of the facts involved, all of the laws involved and any contract provision to determine how best we should move forward," said Misty Skipper, spokeswoman for Mayor John Peyton.

The city has sent a letter to the general contractor, Turner Construction, saying, "knowingly hiring illegal workers could include contract termination." The city says the work badges of all the 100 illegal workers must be revoked, and failure to do so would be a breach of contract.

Federal Immigration and Custom Enforcement officials have been watching the construction site and have picked up 19 illegal workers near the courthouse since September.

The U.S. Border patrol told Channel 4's Jim Piggott that they are not legally allowed on the construction site, so the city has required the contractor to keep extensive records of employees, including green cards of anyone not a citizen of the United States. A review of those records on Monday revealed that scores of immigrant workers did not have proper documentation.

The city said they will be watching even closer in the future.

"Our concern is that there are people working on a city job site ... not doing so legally," Skipper said.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/21575650/detail....

With an unemployment rate over 10% we find almost 1/3 of the workers on a government job are illegals. The contractor and subs should be heavily fined. I give the city credit for getting the feds in there to check it out but its probably only because somebody threatened to sound the alarm if they didn't and they are trying to save face.

I thought they exposed this when they first started work on the courthouse. I could be mistaken but this was brought to light before. I thing the sub contractors knew and I agree that they should be heavily fined.

It would be interesting to see the paychecks of some of these workers. That would be very telling if they were paid on the books. Chances are that they were not.

By the way, am I the only one seeing the irony in all of this?

Cool Peppa wrote:

I thought they exposed this when they first started work on the courthouse. I could be mistaken but this was brought to light before. I thing the sub contractors knew and I agree that they should be heavily fined.
It would be interesting to see the paychecks of some of these workers. That would be very telling if they were paid on the books. Chances are that they were not.
By the way, am I the only one seeing the irony in all of this?

Many times they are accepting legitimate paychecks. The businesses want to claim their salaries as costs so they must show something that will show up on tax paperwork. There is a thriving black market for inactive social security numbers. They often use the social security number of someone who is dead or has not been employed for a significant period of time. They actually pay benefits into Social Security on that person's number. Its quite a convoluted system and they know how to manipulate it well.

Reading this article I got the feeling they hired few local workers and should not a city of Jacksonville project employ citizens of Jacksonville?

Fire them all and put the jacksonville workers to work on this project.

Shock, Surprise, Utter Disbelief,

NOT!

What I found interesting is that Turner Construction did not win any of the first couple of bids for the court house, then on the very last one they under bid everyone else to win the bid. Wonder If this was in the plan to break even?

Another thing can you believe that these “Illegal’s” would break America laws by making or buying falsified green cards and work documents? Shocking just Shocking

The story had this line; “Hiring undocumented workers could be a major problem for the contractors building the courthouse.”

Could be, could be HELL NO!! SHOULD BE!

General Council's Office to examine all of the facts involved, all of the laws involved and any contract provision to determine how best we should move forward,"

Shouldn’t the General Council's Office already know this, or is the contract full of LOOP HOLES like ALL government contracts so the government, at all levels, can skirt the laws they hold the rest of business too.

"Our primary concern is to make sure everyone who is working is doing so legally, so we have asked the General Council's Office to examine all of the facts involved, all of the laws involved and any contract provision to determine how best we should move forward," said Misty Skipper, spokeswoman for Mayor John Peyton.

The city has sent a letter to the general contractor, Turner Construction, saying, "knowingly hiring illegal workers could include contract termination."

Again the word could, how about should!

Raped by city government again.

Just keep your mouths shut and your arse propped up in the air. Got to keep your government happy and satisfied.
After all you work for them, they don't work for you.

Logic, you are absolutely correct. No way should they be allowed on the project. I know they can come in with false docs but wouldn't a credit bureau clarify this or even a criminal background check? When you put in a SS # you will be given name, addresses and criminal history. Names, ages, and previous employment history must match up.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse to break it. Chances are that they have done this willingly and it really angers me. I also think that the person or persons who granted the contract should be investigated.

Ah... diversity at work once again. Now I suppose it's time to appoint an illegal to serve on the Supreme Court just to prove we're not intolerant bigots.

These people should be allowed to work and also get free health insurance too.They work harder for less and aren't strung out on oxycontin and liquer like local redneck workers.

Obamacrats wrote:

These people should be allowed to work and also get free health insurance too.They work harder for less and aren't strung out on oxycontin and liquer like local redneck workers.

They are working and their health insurance is on the way.

It might be better for some long time unemployed construction workers to forsake their american citizenship and become a mexican citizen, jump the border, come back to Jax and get hire right away.

Go to ANY major construction site in jax and see whose working,and I dont blame the mexicans,I blame these as*hole subcontactors who get away with it time and again with no punishment.

johncb wrote:

Go to ANY major construction site in jax and see whose working,and I dont blame the mexicans,I blame these as*hole subcontactors who get away with it time and again with no punishment.

i do blame the illegals...if they didnt come here illegally..then they would get hired!

But scott,if people didnt hire them they wouldnt come here,would they?

johncb wrote:

But scott,if people didnt hire them they wouldnt come here,would they?

which came first, the chicken or the egg?

The egg,dammit!:)

johncb wrote:

The egg,dammit!:)

and the illegals came first! im all for an american citizen, whether natural born or someone who has become a legal american citizen to work whatever jobs available...but these illegals need to go thru the right chaNnels like the ones who are here legally.

I'm all for giving right of first refusal to our own area workers first, but what if local workers want too much money for the job? Why pay some union guy, say $40 an hour, when an equally skilled worker could do it for $20? Union workers used to mean quality. No more.

you can hire me and my cousins for 8 pesos

Scooter wrote:

I'm all for giving right of first refusal to our own area workers first, but what if local workers want too much money for the job? Why pay some union guy, say $40 an hour, when an equally skilled worker could do it for $20? Union workers used to mean quality. No more.

As usual your stupid comment has nothing to do with the problem under discussion.