School Construction Site Investigated for Employing Illegals (illegal immigrants, how much, identities)

[Benicar]

This is why they fight E-Verify.

MIAMI (CBS4) Three construction companies that have received millions of dollars of taxpayer money are being investigated for allegedly using illegal immigrants at a school construction site in Miami, CBS4 News has learned.

As part of the ongoing criminal investigation, 22 undocumented workers were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last Friday, shortly after the workers left the construction project at Southside Elementary, located at 45 SW 13th Street.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, the workers were being paid under fictitious names given to them by construction managers. Their paychecks were cashed on site and the workers were charged a fee for the check cashing services.

I-Team: School Construction Site Investigated - cbs4.com (http://cbs4.com/iteam/school.construction.illegal.2.964228.html - broken link)

[Negrapola1975]

Originally Posted by Benicar

This is why they fight E-Verify.



I-Team: School Construction Site Investigated - cbs4.com (http://cbs4.com/iteam/school.construction.illegal.2.964228.html - broken link)

Disgusting..

[HoustonCynic]

Originally Posted by Negrapola1975

Disgusting..

It should not just be the hiring company (usually the sub contractor) it should be ALL involved. ALL have responsibility.

Nevertheless, the primary focus of the investigation is on the companies that hired the undocumented workers and the lengths officials for those companies allegedly took to conceal the workers' true identities. Investigators are also looking at how much – or in this case, how little – the illegal immigrants were being paid.

While these types of contracts are necessary they must be realistically set in order to avoid running into the situations where contractors and subcontractors are forced to cut corners on overall quality (supplies and labor)

Coastal was given what is known as a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) contract for the Southside Elementary project worth a total of $16.17 million. Under a GMP contract, the school district locks in a fixed price and doesn't have to worry about cost over runs. But critics warn that GMPs also encourage companies to cut corners and find ways to reduce costs while still billing the school district for the full amount of the contract.

Both companies in addition to school district are responsible to verify and validate every part of the procurement process.

While Coastal is the primary contractor, it is believed that the illegal immigrants were working for one of the subcontractors brought in by Coastal.