L.I. Home Held Up to 64 Men, Authorities Say

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Well I moved from this town 3 years ago. I still live only 3 miles away.


L.I. Home Held Up to 64 Men, Authorities Say
FARMINGVILLE, N.Y.—Long Island law enforcement agents raided and closed a small one-family home here that they said had been converted into an illegal rooming house jammed with 44 beds and up to 64 male occupants.

Officials said they are investigating an additional 117 houses for illegal overcrowding in this blue-collar suburb, which has been polarized in recent years over an influx of thousands of Mexican laborers, many of them illegal immigrants who work in the contracting, landscaping and service industries.

The crackdown is the latest front in the battle over immigration here that has prompted homeowner protests and even violence. Last year Farmingville became the title of an award-winning documentary on the struggle.

Shortly after dawn on Sunday, a team of Brookhaven building inspectors and fire marshals joined county police in raiding the dilapidated, 900-square-foot home at 33 Woodmont Place and found 28 men there. But inspectors said they had counted as many as 64 men emerging from the house on other mornings in recent weeks.

The tenants paid $225 to $250 a month each for a bunk in the house, the police said. Suffolk’s district attorney, Thomas J. Spota, estimated the gross monthly rent at $9,000.

{snip}

“The conditions were disgusting” in the house, said Councilman James Tullo of Brookhaven. Officials said the inside was a filthy jumble of mattresses, clothing and food. Photographs and videotape showed a collapsing ceiling, overloaded electrical wiring and blocked basement windows.

The main floor had a kitchen and two bathrooms. That floor and the basement were crammed with beds and belongings. Outside were two bicycles, a grill and cases of empty beer bottles in two shopping carts.

Conditions are as bad or even worse at some of the 117 other houses that the authorities are investigating, Mr. Tullo said.

Defenders of the immigrant workers say they provide low-cost menial labor but are often exploited by contractors who pay illegally low wages with no benefits.

Mr. Ramirez accused Mr. Levy of “racism” and “ethnic cleansing.” While conceding “horrible conditions” in the house, the minister said the abrupt enforcement means “basically there will be 25 or 30 men sleeping out on the street.

Officials said they are investigating an additional 117 houses for illegal overcrowding in Farmingville, N.Y., where there has been an influx of thousands of Mexican laborers.

And who does the mainstream press attack. Thats right our local government for finally doing something about this. On any morning you can go by the local 7-11 and find hundreds of them waiting around looking for work. These guys have put many local ccnstruction workers out of work as they wont work for the same money.

[Tribesman]

These guys have put many local ccnstruction workers out of work as they wont work for the same money.
Call in the Union , they are very good in NY.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Call in the Union , they are very good in NY.

What union? I guess you fail to understan whats going on. Local contractors now instead of using young local americans are now hiring illegal aliens because they will work for less. Freinds of mine have lost their jobs because of this. Its funny as no Americans hang out at the 7-11. They would be run off. These people actually have the balls to tell us they will take our town from us.

[Papewaio]

Its funny as no Americans hang out at the 7-11. They would be run off. These people actually have the balls to tell us they will take our town from us.

What goes around comes around?

[Gawain of Orkeny]

What goes around comes around?

Your right we took LI from the Mexicans. Bye the way when are you giving your nation back to the Aborigines?

[Papewaio]

Your right we took LI from the Mexicans. Bye the way when are you giving your nation back to the Aborigines?

Well they might find it hard to immigrate from anywhere else.

I was actually thinking along the lines that the unions have been weakened over the years which in the end results in situations like this. A lot of conservatives (not all by any means) are anti-unions and have done their best to weaken them over the years.

Illegal immigration does happen here, however even legal immigrants tend to do the same job for less money or the same job for more money and better at it. A large portion of the problem I think is the lazy locals. Go to an Australian minesite and half of them will be Kiwis.

[Spetulhu]

What union? I guess you fail to understan whats going on. Local contractors now instead of using young local americans are now hiring illegal aliens because they will work for less.

No union? No minimum wage laws? I guess you just have to take it then.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

I was actually thinking along the lines that the unions have been weakened over the years which in the end results in situations like this. A lot of conservatives (not all by any means) are anti-unions and have done their best to weaken them over the years.

Local contractors rarely if ever used or use Union members. In fact I dont know of any. These guuys are indenpdent contractors whos whole crew fits in a van or two and do things like swimming pools , patios and additions to homes. Things like sheetrocking and the like. Yes if your building a new housing develpoment you will have union labor but not when work is being done on a single family home. I know I used to do this to make extra money when I was young. My father was one of these contractors.


No union? No minimum wage laws? I guess you just have to take it then.

We certainly have minimum wage laws here. But noboby works for that. The minimum wage is something like 5 and a half dollars. You get 10 bucks an hour to start at Mc Donalds here. These guys are making 100 to 150 dollars a day. Thats cheap for what they do but they are no where near as skilled as our workers nor do they have their own tools. Heaven forbid they hire an american and pay them what the jobs worth.

[Papewaio]

Well this is just an example of companies without government interference.

I'm sure the customers love getting the job done at a cheaper price.

[IrishMike]

No union? No minimum wage laws? I guess you just have to take it then.



We do have minimum wage, but the fact is that its not being obeyed here. They get paid under the table, and in cash. That way, no real way to trace, and if asked about if they hired them, their is no way to prove it happened.

[Gawain of Orkeny]

I'm sure the customers love getting the job done at a cheaper price.

Yup thats the rub. Its the same as the whole country likes getting cheaper fruits and veggies because of this yet we are the first to want them deported. You cant have your cake and eat it too. As the Lovingspoonful once sang"did you ever have to make up your mind"

The other thing though is they dont really charge less but make a bigger profit for themselves. My dad just had a pond put in and it cost him 100k. The guy would drop the mexicans off and they go to another site. He would travel between crews all day telling them what to do and how to do it.

[Ironside]

The other thing though is they dont really charge less but make a bigger profit for themselves. My dad just had a pond put in and it cost him 100k. The guy would drop the mexicans off and they go to another site. He would travel between crews all day telling them what to do and how to do it.

But rich people is excellent to the economy... according to your country's economists in charge. ~D

[BDC]

Well if they are just doing the same thing for less money and to a level just about high enough not to be dangerous, then surely that's just capitalism at its best?

[Meneldil]

Wow, that's not like if that kind of thing has been happening in the whole western world for decades...

[_Martyr_]

Its capitalism, red in tooth and claw. ~:eek:

[bmolsson]

If the local workers wasn't so lazy and expensive, the Mexican immigrants wouldn't be able to take their jobs. It's all about market economy. Either they get themselves an education or they just have to accept working for minimum wage.......

[Idaho]

And who does the mainstream press attack. Thats right our local government for finally doing something about this. On any morning you can go by the local 7-11 and find hundreds of them waiting around looking for work. These guys have put many local ccnstruction workers out of work as they wont work for the same money.

Is that there fault or the construction companies fault for wanting cheap workers who don't want benefits or insurance?

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Is that there fault or the construction companies fault for wanting cheap workers who don't want benefits or insurance?

Partially but its mainly the fault of the government for not enforcing the immigration laws.


If the local workers wasn't so lazy and expensive, the Mexican immigrants wouldn't be able to take their jobs.

Yeah thats right American workers are lazy.

[scooter_the_shooter]

Just kick them out of the country.


My fathers has a roofing business the #$%% illegals came and did the job cheap.... His business went under for a while.... but then every one saw how Junky the mexicans worked they quit hiring them. The only problem is they came for the work its over but they still wont leave.

I want to know how they got here I live in ohio its pretty far north.


(there was alot of work because of a big storm)

[Red Harvest]

So where is the real problem? The illegals, or the companies that employ them?

Cracking down on the illegals won't have much impact as they are easily replaced, making an example of their employers...hmmm...now we are at the heart of the matter. Remove the "consumer" of the illegal labor and you are getting somewhere.

[PanzerJaeger]

Unions really have nothing to do with this.. an american labor union means nothing if americans arent being hired.

[scooter_the_shooter]

We need to actually PUNISH these people because we send them back and they just dross again. we need to do something to make them never want to come here again?? but what

[Steppe Merc]

It's the companies fault, not the immigrants.

[scooter_the_shooter]

Its both fault deport the immigrants and put the comopany on trial for treason

[Slyspy]

I wouldn't blame a man for crossing a border if he new he could get more money in hard currency than in his own country. The Mexican immigrants go where the work is. It is the companies hiring them that should be tracked and punished. But then this would likely involve prosecuting good, honest Americans not shady Mexicans right?

[Gawain of Orkeny]

Its both fault deport the immigrants and put the comopany on trial for treason

Go to the thread on the new immigration law. It cover all of this.

[Papewaio]

Well if you throw drug users in jail for using drugs.

Why not throw illegal immigrants users in jail for using illegal immigrants.