Is it "illegal" for orchard owners in Eastern Washington and elsewhere to hire illegal immigrants to pick their crops? actually, I don't think it is, I think they have a special dispensation for that particular line of work (and, as a matter of fact, I suspect horse raising and training facilities have a similar dispensation). And you don't say when Mr. Dobbs did the hiring, is it recent? I ask this because I think a lot of us who were blase about illegal immigrants, Mexicans especially, back in the late 20th century have seen the error of our ways. So I think the hypocrisy argument is a little thin. I have hired day laborers who I am pretty sure are illegals, does that mean I have no right to argue against illegal immigration? or that I should at least mute my argument? the point that when one does a convenient thing (e.g., smokes a joint) one loses the standing to argue against it as social policy is an insidious one, gradually reducing one's opponents perhaps but not really advancing the discussion. BTW, do you favor illegal immigration?

Where is the part in the story when McDonald calls the ICE folks and they verify that Dobbs knowingly hired illegal aliens? Did they present false identification? You know, like maybe a Washington State Drivers License or something.

How many Illegal aliens are work for the State of Washington Bob? How many Millions in illegaly obtained benefits, cash payments, food stamps and "free" medical care are they getting here in the Sanctuary State of Washington.

I see a hypocrite in the Story, but it isn't Lou Dobbs.

"Bye bye, miss American pie. Drove my chevy to the levy but the levy was dry. And good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye, singing "This'll be the day that I die, this'll be the day that I die."

The MSNBC video reveals a lot about both sides of this argument, and the link we provided in the first edition of the story seems no longer to connect to the video. Here’s a better one:

http://thelastword.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/10/07/5254853-lou-dobbs-i-have-done-nothing-illegal

For commenters Kieth and Cameron: I think that on reading either the Crosscut story or the Nation Magazine piece that prompted it, you’ll notice no one has accused Lou Dobbs of doing anything illegal. Nation and MSNBC’s O’Donnell accuse him of hypocrisy, which certainly is no crime. The appearance of hypocrisy (if indeed that’s Lou’s vulnerability) can become a problem once you’re a celebrated public figure. Unfair, maybe, but part of the price.
Nation Reporter Isabel MacDonald’s point seems valid: when you’re as important to this urgent public policy question as Dobbs has become, and you call for employers of illegals to be charged as felons, it seems likely to attract attention to your own contractors’ hiring policies. Even those of your contractors’ contractors.

Individuals are one thing, State sponsored law breaking is another. Governor Gregoire, Dow Constantine and Mayor McGinn have all agreed to continue the Sanctuary status of our communities. I can only hope that a change in Federal officials will result in Federal funds being withheld from Governments who choose not to cooperate with Federal authorities. Trying to isolate individuals who have opinoons about illegal immigration as hypocrites when we have entire states ( like Washington) deliberately blocking immigration enforcement is insane. McDonald is a toady for the open borders left.

Mr. Simmons, I notice you do not answer my question. If the campaign by Mr. Dobbs is offensive to you, MSNBC and The Nation then maybe you should explain why. I have never watched Dobbs but I have gleaned the notion that he is intense. The media we have ("Unfair, maybe, but part of the price. ") would rather discuss perceived hypocrisy than the issue itself, thus my query.

"Is it "illegal" for orchard owners in Eastern Washington and elsewhere to hire illegal immigrants to pick their crops?"

Yes.

"I have hired day laborers who I am pretty sure are illegals, does that mean I have no right to argue against illegal immigration?"

No. It means you may have committed a criminal offense.

"BTW, do you favor illegal immigration?"

Nobody "favors illegal immigration". When did you stop beating your wife?

I am a Dem but am disgusted at these Dem smear tactics...they are bad as the Repubs.
This set up of Dobbs is as phony as the one for Whitman.

1. Whitman hired an agency. They checked out Diaz. Diaz presented a fake SS card and drivers license.
2. Then Whitman’s husband gets a SS no match letter. The letter itself says that it should not be taken as a comment of the employee’s immigration status and threatens serious legal consequences if there is any discrimination. If Whitman had questioned her she could have been sued for racial profiling.
3. The Center for Immigration in LA (helps legal and illegal immigrants) has said that Whitman’s husband did exactly what he was supposed to do. He was to check the letter for typos and if he found none, then he was to hand the letter to the employee to hand it.
4. Diaz herself admits Whitman did not know. It was only after Whitman had started to run for Governor that Diaz told her. If Whitman had known before, Diaz would not have had to tell her would she?

Same time of sleeze with Dobbs… he hired companies. There is no way he could have know if one of those companies employees was illegal. If he had tried to inquire that would have been racism and he could be sued.

This kind of journalism is just sickening.

My guess, the pro illegal immigration crowd is gearing up to try and pass another amnesty, probably the Dream Act back door amnesty, and are sliming people who believe that in American no one is above the law.

Bobp,

Yes, there are those that favor illegal immigration. The Dems and even some GOP are both pushing it, backed by the moneyed interests who want the cheap illegal labor to keekp on flowing. They also are, by refusing to enforce our immigration laws, implementing a North American Union without our consent. The dollar is to be replaced by the Amero, and the borders are to be open. It is not being structure to benefit the people of USA/Canada/Mexico, but rather to benefit the rich.

For at least the last 10 years, both Dems and Repubs in power have opened up the border to the south, and have made sure employers could hire illegal labor without consequences. It is still going on today. Obama announces a small increase in the border patrol..but gee, there are all these glitches and red tape and they never quite get there. It is all smoke and mirrors.

Bettybb, the 'They" you talk about are much more insidious that you allude to. The Amero is just the beginning--have you heard about the Trilateral Commission? The Illuminati? The Gnomes of Zürich? (this last group is much more mobile now since the whole, Gnome/Vacation/Postcard trickery). This is why there are no differences between the Dems and Repubs, as you say--they are all members. Noam Chompsky is one of the last hold outs, but that may just be a trick--his first name is very suspicious.

Didn't know that Lou Dobbs was a ranch kid from Idaho and now raises oaters in Joisey. Maybe that explains why he comes across as a horse's ass. Is he also a member of the Illuminati? If so, they have really lowered their membership requirements. Next thing you know they will be admitting illegal immigrants. Just another depressing sign of the times, I guess.

"Governor Gregoire, Dow Constantine and Mayor McGinn have all agreed to continue the Sanctuary status of our communities."

What else do they have in common?

All Democrats? Check.

All facing massive budget deficits? Check.

See a pattern?

The only requirement of employers is that they follow the federal Form I-9 process when hiring all employees. Whether illegal immigrants are able to obtain false documents -- that's a different question. That isn't the employer's fault. The federal government has fallen down on the job. What we really need is reform of the legal guestworker programs to make them easier for employers to use.

"Whether illegal immigrants are able to obtain false documents--that's a different question" Actually that should be the primary question. Particularly when the State is involved in knowingly providing documents to illegal aliens. The only way a guest worker program will work in today's world is the positive identification of the individuals and strict rules about how long people can stay.

Lou Dobbs wife, Debi Lee Segura, is a Mexican-American.

Hard to call him anti-Hispanic.

It is not Lou Dobbs duty to check the immigration status of every employee of someone contracted with him. He contracts with the firm for......housekeeping, farm labor, whatever.......it is the contractor's responsibility to make sure the employees are legal.

Same with Meg Whitman, or for that matter, anyone from the left or the right, who contracts with an agency for the help.

And for that matter, the contractor should only be expected to do so much to verify legal status. I've shown birth certificates and passports to various agencies over the years, for routine verification of citizenship. They should not have to send a private detective to City Hall in some little town on the other end of the country to look up my name in their archives.

The problem is with the left AND the right on this one. Between fraudulent voters to pander to, and illegal workers you can exploit because of lack of legal standing, there is motivation on both sides to continue the immigration fraud......to the detriment of the country as a whole.

If it is easy for an illegal to get fake ID in Washington State........and my understanding is we're an easy state to fake.......the problem is with Olympia or Sacramento or Trenton, not with Lou Cobbs or Meg Whitman.

I agree with Cameron:
"I see a hypocrite in the Story, but it isn't Lou Dobbs."