Italian Welders Denied Entry to U.S.
Italian Welders Denied Entry to U.S.
Date: Sunday, February 07, 2010 5:25 PM
<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 2082 -- 2/07/2010 >>>>>
web version:
http://blog.vdare.com/archives/2010/02/07/italian-welders-denied-entry-to-us/
Since my commentary (11/25/09) about the Italian welders who are working in
the U.S. illegally on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Texas ("Italian Welders
Work On Dallas Bridge -- Texans Remain Jobless") was published, there has been
a miraculous turnaround.
Italian Welders Work On Dallas Bridge -- Texans Remain Jobless")
http://www.vdare.com/sanchez/091123_italian_welders.htm
According to a February 5th news story on WFAA-TV by Byron Harris: "Italian
workers lose visas after WFAA investigation". It might sound too good to be
true, so be sure to go to the website to see the video report.
Italian workers lose visas after WFAA investigation
http://www.wfaa.com/news/investigates/Italian-Workers-Lose-Visas-After-WFAA-Investigation-83680437.html#
After the WFAA story broke in November, outraged unions and concerned
Americans raised a big stink over the Italian welders. They let the Texas
state government know that they weren t happy to see Italian welders take away
jobs that belonged to Americans.
After the News 8 story aired last November, the Texas Department of
Transportation -- the "customer" for the bridge -- requested an
investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Byron Harris and WFAA definitely deserve the lion s share of the credit for
the good news. Most of the national news media ignored this story even while
it was going radioactive in Texas. Harris was the lone journalist that dug the
story up, and WFAA had the courage to put it on TV. In this age of politically
correct mainstream media, it s very rare to see a story like this to make it
to television.
Give a tip of the hat to Byron Harris and WFAA Channel 8!
So, here is the good news:
When seven of the eleven workers returned to Italy for Christmas,
their visas were revoked by the U.S. Department of State. Four
Italians remain in Dallas.
Not all of the workers are employed by Cimolai, which manufactures
the unique steel. Some are simply employees of an Italian steel
assembly firm. Additionally, not all the workers are from Italy,
with special Italian skills; some are from Slovakia.
After the News 8 story aired last November, the Texas Department of
Transportation -- the "customer" for the bridge -- requested an
investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
When seven of the eleven workers returned to Italy for Christmas,
their visas were revoked by the U.S. Department of State. Four
Italians remain in Dallas.
Harris didn t explain why the remaining Italians are still working in Dallas.
It seems as though ICE is giving them a free ticket to remain in the U.S. as
long as they don t leave and try to come back. There is no question the
Italians should be deported because they used the B-1 visa improperly, so why
are they allowed to stay in the U.S.?
Oh, and Cimolai s claim that they couldn t find Americans that had the special
welding skills needed to do the job were exposed as lies in a real real zinger
-- not all the workers were Italian. Slovakians were also used, which lends
credibility to the claim that the company Cimolai was using foreigners to cut
labor costs.
Not all of the workers are employed by Cimolai, which manufactures
the unique steel. Some are simply employees of an Italian steel
assembly firm. Additionally, not all the workers are from Italy,
with special Italian skills; some are from Slovakia.
Byron Harris also blew the whistle on the non-English-speaking airplane
mechanics that were using Trade NAFTA visas to work at San Antonio Aerospace
(SAA). Harris found out that the mechanics couldn't read the English repair
manuals for the Delta and UPS airplanes they were doing maintenance on.
"Loophole allows for easy immigration for aircraft mechanics," June 15, 2009.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/64813312.html
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.wfaa.com/news/investigates/Italian-Workers-Lose-Visas-After-WFAA-Investigation-83680437.html
Italian workers lose visas after WFAA investigation
by BYRON HARRIS / WFAA-TV
Posted on February 5, 2010 at 10:15 PM
Updated yesterday at 7:03 PM
DALLAS -- The new Calatrava-designed bridge over the Trinity River in Dallas
is made of steel fabricated in Italy by the Italian firm Cimolai.
Eleven Italian steelworkers were given B-1 visas to come to Dallas and
assemble the structure -- a two-year, 70,000 man-hour job -- after Cimolai
argued that the Italians had special welding skills with the steel.
Construction is specifically prohibited under the provisions of the B-1 visa,
but Cimolai maintained the workers would not be building the bridge but rather
"installing equipment."
A News 8 investigation asked whether the Italians had unique skills American
welders don't have, and if Italian steel is different than American steel.
Texas construction unions said the premise was a travesty, an excuse to use
cheaper labor, and a circumvention of the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires that
construction using taxpayer monies utilize American labor.
"Companies use the cheapest labor they can get," said Michael Cunningham of
the Texas AFL-CIO. "These guys are welders just like our welders in this
state. And there's a lot of unemployment in this state, and our guys could be
doing this work, too."
After the News 8 story aired last November, the Texas Department of
Transportation -- the "customer" for the bridge -- requested an investigation
by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
When seven of the eleven workers returned to Italy for Christmas, their visas
were revoked by the U.S. Department of State. Four Italians remain in Dallas.
A letter written by an immigration lawyer working for Cimolai argues that the
State Department violated procedure in not permitting the Italians to re-enter
the U.S., and that they should be re-instated.
In the letter -- addressed "Dear Interested Parties" -- attorney Angelo
Paparelli calls for Texas senators and congressional representatives to
intervene to get the visas back. But the letter also reveals some new facts in
the case.
Not all of the workers are employed by Cimolai, which manufactures the unique
steel. Some are simply employees of an Italian steel assembly firm.
Additionally, not all the workers are from Italy, with special Italian skills;
some are from Slovakia.
There is at least one more Calatrava-designed bridge slated for construction
over the Trinity River. Texas workers say they hope that contract will be
handled differently.
E-mail bharris@wfaa.com
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