South Dakota's state-supported mega-dairies have seen a predictable share of illegal immigration arrests. If South Dakota got on the stick and helped investigate the exploitation of illegal immigrant labor, it might recoup more of its investment:
An immigration raid at a Michigan dairy farm turned into some big cash gifts for two state police agencies, which received more than half a million dollars from the federal government for helping investigate and expose unlawful hiring practices at the farm, federal authorities announced today.
The Michigan State Police and the Huron County Sherriff’s Office have each received nearly $287,000 – money that stemmed from a criminal investigation of Aquila Farms, a Bad Axe dairy farm that was staffed almost exclusively with illegal immigrants, officials said....
Michigan State Police and Huron County Sheriff’s Office both worked on the investigation, which made them eligible to receive the funds obtained from the probe under the federal government’s asset-forfeiture program, which applies to assets obtained from criminal activity.
The state police and Huron County agencies received ceremonial checks in the amounts of $250,652 and $35,807 [Tresa Baldas, "Illegal Immigration Raid at Dairy Farm Pays Off for Police," Detroit Free Press, 2013.03.07].
Maybe Governor Daugaard could protect his pal M. Michael Rounds from a primary challenge by appointing Rep. Stace Nelson state illegal immigration czar. He could sink his teeth into fighting illegal immigration and other abuses by mega-dairies.
First of all, the mega dairies can't cash flow without the Governor. The S. DAK people that milking cows are struggling with high price corn and alf hay because Mother Nature threw a curve ball called a drought! There is so much of a milk supply, that Quacker Oats is going to help use up the surplus milk by putting the word milk in place of water on their labels of Quacker Oats. If any one has looked into these big dairies that use immigrants, its quite disturbing. There pay checks go to Mexico by using western union. They come up from Mexico for 3 or 6 months and they have access to social security cards they pass to the next guy coming up to milk cows. Also when they do come, work and sometimes they go and party and get stopped by law enforcement, a couple of years backnever got ticketed. Thats all changing and now are getting ticketed. When Immigrantion was called they looked the other way! So if there are laws not being followed, enforce them! Fine the dairies or companies that use this type of labor. Allow only LEGALS to work if they meet the regulations set forth by the United States to be here and throw the book at the rest! I believe this is a big problem and those in power are turning there back on it! Turn Stace loose.
Cory, I commend you for not following the AP and substituting for the use of "illegal immigrant". It is what it is.
The AP is being urged to strike 'gay marriage' from its lexicon in favor of marriage equality.
Will we ever know the real story about Walt Bones? The stories being reported are really wishy washy!
Mega dairies are being subsidized by cheap illegal labor. What used to be family labor supplied by family farms is being replaced by non family labor.
Cheap labor has not made south Dakota rich in the past and will not in the future. But cheap labor will destroy the rest of the family farms that use there own labor.
Stace Nelson needs to consider a run for US Senate. Noem doesn't cut it as an alternative. These dairy's are horrible.