Exploited and punished

Michael Sullivan, the US attorney, was clear about the reasons for the raid at the Michael Bianco leather goods factory on Tuesday in New Bedford.

The action was necessary, he said, because workers were being exploited with low-paying jobs in lousy conditions, taxpayers were being cheated, and legal workers were being deprived of jobs.

It all sounded good: our government standing tall for the working poor.

Unfortunately, that's a far cry from the scene that unfolded, according to factory workers and advocates who said that hundreds of terrified employees were rounded up by a massive federal security force, some of whom pulled weapons. The workers' children and other family members were left behind. Those taken into custody were shipped to the former Fort Devens, where state Department of Social Services workers who sought contact with them had so little luck that the governor called on a congressman to intervene.

Sullivan and the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement division may be proud of one of the largest immigration raids in US history, but their actions just speak to a confused and unfair policy.

"It's a humanitarian tragedy here in New Bedford," said Corrin Williams of the Community Economic Development Center. Williams's group, operating out of a church basement, was busy yesterday trying to help family members track down their absent relatives.

In the eyes of some, cracking down on illegal immigrants is an urgent matter of public safety. But I think those who hold that position would have their hands full explaining how a raid on a group of seamstresses advances the cause of safety.

If you accept Sullivan's rationale for the raid, then much of the punishment is coming down on the victims, the exploited workers. True, the owners of the company were arrested and arraigned on Tuesday and face federal prosecution. But the company was open for business yesterday, ironically, producing backpacks for the government. Much of its workforce was in custody, and those found to be in the country illegally face deportation. The arrests, which followed an 11-month investigation, blew open a web of illegal activity: a company that hired illegal employees, a nearby vendor who allegedly distributed bogus Social Security numbers and other documents, and, yes, the workers themselves.

Nothing about this ring should surprise anyone. This kind of network thrives because undocumented workers who come to this country fill a void. They do jobs that many Americans, even poor ones, do not want. They perform those jobs under conditions that many Americans would find unacceptable.

Such immigrants come here for a better life, a dream we greet with deep ambivalence. We want the fruits of their labor, yet resent their presence. Those mixed feelings are reflected in enforcement of immigration laws, in which those who face punishment are essentially those unlucky enough to work in a company that happens to get raided.

In one proposed solution, Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John McCain are backing legislation that would overhaul immigration laws . A 700-mile border fence would be built and an expanded federal force would crack down on companies that employ illegal immigrants. But the immigrants themselves would be allowed to work toward eventually gaining legal status.

Kennedy has predicted that the bill faces many hurdles, even with Democratic control of Congress. But it would rightly put the burden of criminality on those who prey on undocumented workers. The proposed law would also begin to deal realistically with those workers who are already here, since we aren't about to deport 11 million people.

Ideally, punishment should be in proportion to one's crime. It is difficult to square the "crime" of coming to America and getting a job with the punishment that was being meted out in New Bedford this week. As things stand now, the way we address illegal immigration is far worse than the offense itself.

Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at walker@globe.com.