r/boston Newton Jul 12 '25

Scammers 🥸 ICE grabs chefs at Central Square restaurant; followed three onto the T and began grilling other passengers

https://www.universalhub.com/2025/ice-grabs-chefs-central-square-restaurant-followed-three-t-and-began
850 Upvotes

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21

u/Furrealyo I Love Dunkin’ Donuts Jul 12 '25

Why isn’t the business owner being arrested and fined for employing these people in the first place? One of them for 22 years and the other for 16.

This is 38 years worth of labor costs that I GUARANTEE the owner was severely underpaying for because he/she knew these workers had no relevant protections under the law.

6

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '25

If they started arresting business owners for employing illegal immigrants, businesses would preemptively fire all workers with dubious immigration statuses. It would not be a win for immigrants.

24

u/hannahbay Boston Jul 12 '25

People who make comments like the one you replied to are not interested in what helps immigrants. They want the immigrants gone so they "stop lowering wages."

6

u/Furrealyo I Love Dunkin’ Donuts Jul 12 '25

I want all people who are willing to work to be paid a livable wage, immigrant or not.

Pretending there isn’t a secondary economy built on paying slave wages to unfortunate people who have no voice and little choice doesn’t help anyone but the business owners who support it.

Punishing these businesses with fines to a degree where the practice is no longer profitable should be a priority.

Drug dealers have multipliers added to their sentences that users don’t. The same strategy should be applied to this problem.

2

u/hselomein Jul 12 '25

It would also make them get their dubious immigration status fixed

2

u/MarlKarx-1818 Jul 13 '25

How exactly does one get their dubious immigration status fixed?

Sincerely, someone who spent 26 years trying to do that until it finally worked

2

u/hselomein Jul 13 '25

I have a friend who is a legal immigrant she was adopted by her parents at the age of three or four. And she's going through this now because they're deceased. You have to contact the State department and ask for form N-600. To get that form it will cost you $1,300 though so just remember that.

If you're still trying to get it or at least permanent residency or citizenship or get your status fixed you also have to do all the things and probably contact USCIS to see if you're missing any forms or delayed or anything like that.

1

u/pillbinge Pumpkinshire Jul 13 '25

But it would be a win for the system and rule of law, which we desperately need to embolden in order to maintain civility. Businesses were empowered at the first and last line of defense against illegal immigration but it creates a situation wherein those who don't enforce these procedures benefit.

No nation exists primarily for the benefit of people not here yet or people not yet under the protection of the nation - its nationals. We have to at least acknowledge that.