Temecula group reaches out to day laborers, homeless

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Another nonprofit supporting illegal aliens and hiding behind "the homeless"



Temecula group reaches out to day laborers, homeless
Day laborers who gather in Temecula every morning may soon have other work options and a chance for a better life.
A faith-based charity is teaching job-seeking skills to homeless men, many of whom spend their days on a dirt lot that has become a focal point for day laborers and those who hire them.
The Brook also wants to start landscaping and custodial businesses to employ the men.
Day laborers try to flag down vehicles along Old Town Front Street in Temecula last week- end. A charity called The Brook plans to assist them with writing resumes and interviewing.
"We're not going to give these jobs to anybody," said Gayle Kreeger , of Temecula, a Brook volunteer and part-time real estate agent. "We want people to have a high standard of excellence."
Kreeger said the job-seeking classes consist of eight sessions over two months. Students learn how to write resumes and interviewing skills.
The Brook is working under the umbrella of Project TOUCH, a homeless outreach group that runs a shelter at a former Temecula church.
On a given day, anywhere from a few to several dozen men stand or sit on the lot at the corner of First and Old Town Front streets, hoping to land work for the day. Some are homeless, living in camps along nearby Murrieta Creek. Others rent rooms and trailers. A few said they live in houses with their wives and children and struggle to make ends meet.
On Friday morning, a small mob of men rushed to the passenger-side window every time a van or pickup pulled up.
Within three hours, five vehicles arrived seeking help for jobs such as moving heavy equipment, yard work and passing out fliers door to door for nine consecutive hours.
Chuck Searer, a Temecula-based insurance broker who is helping the group, estimated that about 30 percent of the day laborers stay at least part time at the Project TOUCH shelter.
"For the large part, they're the people that are trying," Searer said. "It's not that they're lazy. It's not that they're bad people. They're good people and lots of time it's some unfortunate set of circumstances that fell upon them."
Several people said any employment help that The Brook might extend, would be a godsend. But some added the men are in greater need of paying work than training.
"I would love to have a full-time job," said Rick Pangus, a 49-year-old who was laid off from a landscaping company. "But honestly I've hit a point in life where it seems like it would take a miracle to get a steady job. But some people are willing to give miracles."
Jose Luis Sizumbo, 50, said in Spanish that while training is good, the day laborers are more worried about finding work so they, and in some cases their families, don't go hungry.
"Training would be a great help but there aren't any clients, there's no work. The economy isn't helping," Sizumbo said. "I have friends who have gotten training in plumbing, welding, being a mechanic and they've wasted their money because there's no work. Without work, we can't eat."
Luis Acosta, 37, said he thinks starting a small business to employ some of the workers in need would go much further than training in resume-writing or interview skills.
"A lot of people out here don't know how to write or don't speak English. But we know how to do construction or welding. Some of us have gone as far as Pasadena to apply for jobs cleaning houses," said Acosta, who added that neither he nor his friends who applied were hired.
http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_slabor04.256d982.html

CURRENT AND PAST SPONSORS


• Albertson’s Market, CA Oaks, Murrieta

• Anthony’s Restaurant, Temecula

• Chick-f-la, Murrieta

• Costco, Temecula

• Duane/Mary Roberts Foundation

• El Torito Restaurant, Temecula

• Figaro Pizza, Wildomar

• Fresh N Easy, Temecula

• Giovanni’s Restaurant, Murrieta

• Home Depot, Murrieta

• Jersey Pizza, Murrieta

• Kentucky Fried Chicken, Temecula

• Kohl's

• Lowe’s, Moreno Valley

• Lowe’s, Temecula

• Macaroni Grill, Temecula

• Murrieta Pizza Company

• Office Depot, Murrieta

• Pat & Oscars, Temecula

• Pizza Factory, Murrieta

• Pole Position, Murrieta

• Postal Connection-CA Oaks, Murrieta

• Ralph’s Market, CA Oaks & Washington, Murrieta

• RJ’s Steer n Stein Restaurant, Murrieta

• Sam’s Club, Murrieta

• Smart & Final, Murrieta

• Stadium Pizza, Temecula

• Staples, Murrieta

• Starbucks, CA Oaks & Los Alamos, Murrieta and Clinton Keith, Wildomar

• Stater Brother’s, Los Alamos, Murrieta

• Target, Murrieta and Temecula

• The Californian Newspaper

• The Mill, Murrieta

• Vince’s Restaurant, Murrieta

• Wal-Mart Inc., Murrieta

• Western Eagle

• Wilson Creek Winery, Temecula

• Winco Foods, Temecula



CIVIL ENDORSEMENTS


• CA Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA)

• City of Murrieta, Councilman, Doug McAllister

• City of Riverside, Mayor, Ron Loverage

• County of Riverside, former District Attorney, Grover Trask

• Deputy District Attorney, Gerry Lopez

• Murrieta Police Department

• Riverside County Board of Supervisor’s

• Riverside County Department of Mental Health

• Riverside County Fire Department

• Riverside County Sheriff’s

• Temecula Chamber of Commerce

• Temecula Police Department

• Temecula Unified School District

• Chuck Washington-Temecula

• Murrieta Fire Department



FAITH BASED/NON-PROFITS


• Birth Choice, Temecula

• Calvary Chapel Murrieta

• Calvary Chapel of Temecula Valley (CCTV)

• Circle of Care, Temecula

• Circle of Hope Shelter, Corona

• Cornerstone Community Church, Wildomar

• Diamond Valley Community Church, Hemet

• Gateway Nazarene Church, Murrieta

• God’s Helping Hands, Perris

• Grace of Temecula AME Church (Angel Food)

• King Hall, Riverside

• Lakeland Ranch, Lake Elsinore

• Mountain View Community Church, Temecula

• Murrieta United Methodist

• New Covenant Fellowship, Temecula

• Path of Life Ministries, Riverside

• Rancho Community Church, Temecula

• Revival Christian Fellowship, Menifee

• Southwest Christian Church, Temecula

• Sunridge Church, Temecula

• Temecula United Methodist Church

• Temecula Valley People Helping People

• The Rock Church, Murrieta

• United Way, Murrieta

• Valley Restart Shelter, Hemet

• Alternatives to Domestic Violence (ADV)

[wetibbe]

Encouraging and Harboring Illegal Aliens

It is a violation of law for any person to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection in any place, including any building or means of transportation, any alien who is in the United States in violation of law. HARBORING MEANS ANY CONDUCT THAT TENDS TO SUBSTANTIALLY FACILITATE AN ALIEN TO REMAIN IN THE U.S. ILLEGALLY. The sheltering need not be clandestine, and harboring covers aliens arrested outdoors, as well as in a building. This provision includes harboring an alien who entered the U.S. legally but has since lost his legal status.

An employer can be convicted of the felony of harboring illegal aliens who are his employees if he takes actions in reckless disregard of their illegal status such as ordering them to obtain false documents, altering records, obstructing INS inspections, or taking other actions that facilitate the alien's illegal employment. Any person who within any 12-month period hires ten or more individuals with actual knowledge that they are illegal aliens or unauthorized workers is guilty of felony harboring. It is also a felony to encourage or induce an alien to come to or reside in the U.S. knowing or recklessly disregarding the fact that the alien's entry or residence is in violation of the law. This crime applies to any person, rather than just employers of illegal aliens. Courts have ruled that "encouraging" includes counseling illegal aliens to continue working in the U.S. or assisting them to complete applications with false statements or obvious errors. The fact that the alien is a refugee fleeing persecution is not a defense to this felony, since U.S. law and the UN Protocol on Refugees both require that a refugee must report to immigration authorities without delay upon entry to the U.S.

The penalty for felony harboring is a fine and imprisonment for up to five years. The penalty for felony alien smuggling is a fine and up to ten years' imprisonment. Where the crime causes serious bodily injury or places the life of any person in jeopardy, the penalty is a fine and up to twenty years' imprisonment. If the criminal smuggling or harboring results in the death of any person, the penalty can include life imprisonment. Convictions for aiding, abetting, or conspiracy to commit alien smuggling or harboring, carry the same penalties. Courts can impose consecutive prison sentences for each alien smuggled or harbored. A court may order a convicted smuggler to pay restitution if the alien smuggled qualifies as a victim under the Victim and Witness Protection Act. Conspiracy to commit crimes of sheltering, harboring, or employing illegal aliens is a separate federal offense punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 or five years' imprisonment.

Enforcement

A person or entity having knowledge of a violation or potential violation of employer sanctions provisions may submit a signed written complaint to the INS office with jurisdiction over the business or residence of the potential violator, whether an employer, employee, or agent. The complaint must include the names and addresses of both the complainant and the violator, and detailed factual allegations, including date, time, and place of the potential violation, and the specific conduct alleged to be a violation of employer sanctions. By regulation, the INS will only investigate third-party complaints that have a reasonable probability of validity. Designated INS officers and employees, and all other officers whose duty it is to enforce criminal laws, may make an arrest for violation of smuggling or harboring illegal aliens. State and local law enforcement officials have the general power to investigate and arrest violators of federal immigration statutes without prior INS knowledge or approval, as long as they are authorized to do so by state law. There is no extant federal limitation on this authority. The 1996 immigration control legislation passed by Congress was intended to encourage states and local agencies to participate in the process of enforcing federal immigration laws. Immigration officers and local law enforcement officers may detain an individual for a brief warrant less interrogation where circumstances create a reasonable suspicion that the individual is illegally present in the U.S. Specific facts constituting a
reasonable suspicion include evasive, nervous, or erratic behavior; dress or speech indicating foreign citizenship; and presence in an area known to contain a concentration of illegal aliens. Hispanic appearance alone is not sufficient. Immigration officers and police must have a valid warrant or valid employer's consent to enter workplaces or residences. Any vehicle used to transport or harbor illegal aliens, or used as a substantial part of an activity that encourages illegal aliens to come to or reside in the U.S. may be seized by an immigration officer and is subject to forfeiture. The forfeiture power covers any conveyances used within the U.S.

RICO -- Citizen Recourse

Private persons and entities may initiate civil suits to obtain injunctions and treble damages against enterprises that conspire to or actually violate federal alien smuggling, harboring, or document fraud statutes, under the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO). The pattern of racketeering activity is defined as commission of two or more of the listed crimes. A RICO enterprise can be any individual legal entity, or a group of individuals who are not a legal entity but are associated in fact, AND CAN INCLUDE NONPROFIT ASSOCIATIONS

[wetibbe]

Great place for SOS to start a new initiative -