RICO May Be Our New Best Friend in the Anit-Illegal Immigration Fight

From this story in the Houston Chronicle, a Chattanooga, TN, federal judge has set a March 2008 trial date in a civil lawsuit against Tyson Foods under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO, which was expanded in 1996 to allow punitive damages in cases like this one should the court find for the plaintiffs), alleging that Tyson hired illegal workers in an attempt to depress wages among its employees working in this country legally. Chicago attorney Howard Foster, a RICO expert, is representing the plaintiffs in this case, and is attempting to have it certified as a class action. If there's an attorney capable of winning this fight and striking a major blow against the hiring of illegals by corporate America, it's him. Tyson's argument that they should be absolved of civil liability because a few low-level managers went to jail of hiring violations of criminal law is, at best, unconvincing. The only thing most corporations care about is money, and hitting them in the pocketbook may be the only way to get their attention when it comes to enforcing the legal mandates that say they must employ only workers who are legally authorized to work in the U.S. I wish Mr. Foster and the plaintiffs in this case all the luck in the world, and I'll be rooting for them.