So as some of you may know or at lest have heard, Sheriff Joe Arpairo raided our Phoenix offices on July 27th. When he does this he makes it seem that the company is doing something wrong, that we are shady in someway, etc. We are getting out in front of this to state our point. My only real complaint surrounds the notification of the media. If they are to find out, then fine, but the fact that the Sheriff’s office contacts the media themselves before the raid begins, seems nothing more than a publicity stunt. The people they were after had stolen someones identity, which I am sure happens hundreds of times a day through out the country. We do not condone this crime in the least, however we never see these raids at other business that are not predominately Hispanic work forces. Why is that? Why can’t they go to each of these persons homes and detain them there? Why the show at our office? Why damage or sully our reputation, or even infer that we have done something wrong, when the fact is that these are individuals who make these choices.
Below is our statement that was posted hours after the raid occurred and that is posted on our work site. Thank you all for the support you have shown. It is difficult to be labeled or have the media or local Sheriff paint us as bad or immoral people. We are not. We follow the law to the absolute best of our ability. We have hired all of our employees in good faith while following all local, state and federal hiring laws.
Offices Raided by Local Sheriff’s Office
Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by admin in News
In May of 2010 a manager for Valley View Building Services was detained on the Fort Huachuca military base for a baseless charge made by a disgruntled employee. This charge has since been dropped. During that investigation, it came to light that he was working in the United States illegally, even though he presented a valid AZ drivers license and social security card. He was allowed on base (entering through the main gate and having to present his ID each time) during the entire duration of this 3 month long project.
As owners, we were notified of his current immigration status by ICE officials. We terminated him immediately. ICE then began a company wide investigation into our hiring practices of current and past employees.
The raid today was for ID theft issues only – it was not an enforcement of the employer sanction law.
Since this occurrence, we have been open and transparent throughout the entire investigation. Our company has always verified employment by checking and verifying required ID’s. Since the inception of E-Verify, we have strictly complied with its requirements and regulations. We comply with all relevant local, state and federal rules concerning employment issues. We complete the I9 form, we have been registered with E-Verify since January of 2008 and all of our employees are paid through a payroll service with all the proper withholdings deducted and paid to local, state and federal agencies. We have acted in good faith with respect to the employment eligibility of our workforce and take this matter very very seriously.
We cannot condone illegal immigration and I am sure most all of America feels the same way. We provided ICE with all our I9 documentation, copies of ID’s, and any other document they requested or needed. Since this cases inception we have been begging ICE to notify us if any of our other employees were not legal to work. We still have not received any letter (formal or otherwise) informing us that any of our other employees are illegal.
Today was the first time we had received any notice that there were more problems. We support the detaining of the 4 people who were identified as using some other identity and we also support the detaining of the 1 individual that has a misdemeanor warrant out for his arrest. These crimes are serious and need to be dealt with. We live in a country of laws. It is what keeps our country free.
We support the action made by the Sheriffs office and local and Federal ICE officials, even though we may disagree with the methods and media notification by the Sheriffs office themselves.
At this time we urge all public and elected officials to step up and become statesmen instead of worrying about re-election or public opinion. We are dealing with real people and real problems that deserve to be handled respectfully and justly. If we error, let us err on the side of compassion, but let us do what is required of us both morally and constitutionally. Let us protect our country, while also realizing that we were all immigrants at one time. May we turn to our Father in Heaven for the divine and providential guidance that our country so desperately needs at this point. Let us all use this opportunity to make the tough decisions, to make our country great once again.
Here is a link to a descent story about the incident and problem with the current system.
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/business/e-verify-system-flaws-7-27-2010
Another story:
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=184785
An okay video made by 12 news.
http://www.azcentral.com/video/275375486001
A good commentary.
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/local_news/news_blogs/irvin-commentary%3A-how-effective-is-az%E2%80%99s-employer-sanctions-law%3F
Please feel free to contact me at any time for comments or questions:
Email: joel@vvbs.net
Cell Phone: 801-898-3464
Thank you,
Joel Votaw, Owner
Valley View Building Services
Thu, Jul 29, 2010
Family