The Sting That Keeps on Stinging

Ok, picture this: a bunch of immigrant workers congregate to attend a safety training meeting being held by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The room is packed--not only did the fliers advertising the event explain that it was mandatory, but they also promised complimentary doughnuts and coffee.

Now, imagine that the man running the session starts doling out handcuffs instead of Krispy Kremes. What the hell’s going on? Well, it turns out that when he announced, “Welcome to the safety training!” what he actually meant to say is, “I’m here to arrest you and have you deported...but feel free to grab a glazed cruller on your way out!”

Reality check: this is more or less what transpired recently at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina. After being lured to a fake "compulsory" OSHA meeting, 48 subcontracted workers were arrested by the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on charges that they were illegal immigrants from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Ukraine.

OSHA higher-ups weren’t informed of the Immigration Bureau’s plans for the sting, and--needless to say--they weren’t exactly jumping for joy at the misuse of their name and reputation.

According to Allen McNeely, head of the state Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health division, “Federal immigration officials say they have the right to round up illegal immigrants in any manner they see fit--even if it means impersonating Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials.”

What makes the circumstances of this undercover operation so morally repugnant is that it comes at a time when safety agencies nationwide are stepping up their efforts to reduce the outrageously high injury rate among Hispanic workers--a campaign in which Colossal Obstacle #1 is cultivating trust in OSHA amongst a wary immigrant population.

Consequently, the Goldsboro operation will be remembered as the sting that keeps on stinging. Given that many undocumented immigrant workers are unfamiliar with their legal rights and are reluctant to complain about abuses for fear of deportation (thus helping to explain why the fatality rate among Hispanic workers is 20% higher than that of white or black workers), I imagine that OSHA’s future efforts to protect America’s labor force will now be all the more taxing. The cumulative outcome of ruses like this? More disfigurements and deaths in the name of “national security," but also a mounting public outcry.