It’s not just BP and Deepwater Horizon that are sullying the Gulf waters. The Federal government has its own kind of skill for scandal. Again, though, I have to go with this commenter (and, this comment raises a good point before descending into rage):

After Katrina, the undocumented workers participating in the reconstruction efforts became the victims of exploitation and the targets of violence, not because they were taking jobs, but because their status left them with little legal recourse. Undocumented workers often carry large amounts of cash and don’t feel safe going to the police.

A man who worked on our house after Katrina (as part of our contractor’s crew) was shot in the head for the few hundred dollars he had on him. He was one of the faces that didn’t change daily, so I sort of got to know him (though we couldn’t communicate well), and for me, he’s the reason ICE needs to get involved. Undocumented workers are workers at risk. It’s not racism to say that all workers, all people, should have the same protections under the law.

There’s a real chance Americans will descend to their vaunted proclivity to demonize each other equally, without treating each other, and others, fairly.

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Filed under: America, Business/Economy, Immigration, News, Politics, USA Tagged: bp, deepwater horizon, katrina, mother jones, oil spill