American Apparel Controversy…Again
It's no surprise that a recent U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement inspection of American Apparel turned up a number of employees not authorized to work in the United States, especially considering CEO Dov Charney's advocacy for immigration reform.
According to the inspection, one third of American Apparel's employees are not authorized to work in the United States, although neither the company nor the employees have been charged with anything, and AA promises to "fully comply with its obligations to establish the employment eligibility of prospective employees under immigration law."
They don't, however, expect the findings to affect sales that greatly, if at all.
Let's not forget that unless you're Native American, we're all immigrants. And what's more effective? Kicking the "problem" out or trying to fix the problem at the source?
NPH Goes Dark
Cokate Supports Ditto!!!!
Kicking the problem out is more effective. Let them follow proper immigration procedures like everyone else has to.
Uh.. I was born here, so technically.. I'm not an immigrant.
/FUCK YOU MARIO YOU WORTHLESS FUCK
right on, Perez. "Let's not forget that unless you're Native American, we're all immigrants." — all y'all note that please.
Why do I feel dirty when I see these ads, why do they do this to these girls?
So, you endorse illegeal immigrants? I'm not saying kick them out, your comment is hardly applicable in this situation.
It took a frickin inspectioin to find out that immigrants, UN-authorized immigrants were working somewhere in the U.S.? Doood, could have walked out to some random neighborhood and made a killing. They probably would have had to bring in a few buses. There not going to do anything about it.
WUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU FRITS COMMENT
legalize my cock
Loves the Native American point! =)
i wonder why stupid ignorant people can't accept the fact that immigrants, no matter where they come from, come here for a better life. living in third world countries is horrible, with no chance of living a good life. they come here to feed their families, to make a better life for themselves. they risk their lives to get here just to give their children hope to become something in life!
Re: heterohilton – very small for consideration
"Kicking the problem out is more effective. Let them follow proper immigration procedures like everyone else has to".
Wuffeh….I couldn't agree with you more.
Mario is a black-eyed piece of crap!!
Native Americans got their cut. This country was established with laws in order to keep it organized and fair, so if you don't like those laws and do not want to follow them, live somewhere else…simple as that.
Fuck you Mario. I was born here. I am not an immigrant. You are - you big fat loser! Kicking the problem out is more effective - trust me! You should be gone as well. Fuck off!
Actually, "Native Americans" emigrated to North America via a landbridge during the last ice age. .
The article I read today in the L.A. Times said that 1,600 were illegal.
That is not 1/3 of it's 100,000 employees. Maybe you meant ALL American Apparel stores and not just the ones that were sent papers to go over their I9 forms.
And just so U know…I am just American, not African-American. You have to be born in Africa or someone within the 100 years of your birth has to be born in Africa. And I can trace back about 300 yrs and all born in America. Only Latinos and Whites feel the need to classify Cuban, El Salvadorian, Puerto Rican, German, Irish, Russian, French or so on and so forth. The majority of Black Americans in this country have no clue what part of Africa they came from and will never know.
So please don't call everybody immigrants. Some of us are just Americans.
Re: BAYBABE – right on!!!
Kicking the problem out, actually. US citizen is not a right to be given to people who wantonly break our laws, it is a privilege. And yes, we are all immigrants, but not all us or our forebears came here illegally. They may have come here when we didn't have such a huge population. They didn't come here expecting us to provide them with food stamps, and educate their kids at a cost of $10, 000 per year per child. They didn't expect free healthcare at the tax payers expense. They didn't fill our jails. The only right thing to do is to crack down on employers hiring them, and deport those we catch. Please stop trying to steal the American dream. Oh and before you start talking about what a hard time they have back in Mexico, remember that there are people out there being persecuted and tortured. You are talking, for the most part, about economic immigrants. I, for one, am sick of my taxes going to support them.
YOUR HITS AREN'T INCREASING FREAK….ITS YOUR WEBSITE'S MORE SCREWED UP..THATS ALL!
actually what obama is doing is making all the illegal aliens in our country now (About a fourth of our population) legal in the next three years. EFF THAT! people should pay more attention to the things he is legislating everyday. i don't blame anyone though, the reporters aren't legally ”allowed” to right now. i say allow in parentheses because it's basically what's going on when it's called something entirely different. ay yi yi.
So ignorant. The definition of *immigrant* is -A person who leaves one country to settle permanently in another.
If you were born in the United States, no matter what country your parents, grandparents, great grandparents and so forth might of immigrated from at whatever point in time, that does not qualify you as an immigrant as well.
Follow basic laws of a country you are trying to immigrate to. It is simple as that.
"Native Americans got their cut", their land was basically stolen from them and they were promised more land, but the government never granted. If you live in America, at least know the American History.
This is the land of opportunity–that's the American Dream and it should be an opportunity bestowed to everyone who enters this border.
their clothes suck and are ugly like their models
Who even shops at American Apparel?! That is the fugliest shizz I have ever seen to begin with…and secondly send the mexi's back and make them get LEGAL citizenship!!!! Illegal immigration is NOT COOL
No, everyone born in this country is a native. My grandfather was an immigrant from Greece. My relatives that came over on the Mayflower were immigrants. If you weren't born here and you live here now, you're an immigrant. I was born in California. I am a native of these United States.
Let's get that right, shall we?
And seriously, just become a legal citizin. I don't care how hard or how long it takes to get citizenship here. Thousands of people do it LEGALLY every day. Suck it the fuck up and come here legally.
I would never move to Greece and expect everyone to speak english and give me the rights of the citizens of Greece. I would become a goddamn CITIZEN and learn Greek and adhere to their laws. What the fuck is so hard about that to understand and follow?
we're not all immigrants you dummy. We were BORN in America, thus we are not immigrants. If they choose to not follow our laws and become legal thats their fault. You live here, you live by the laws like we do.
no.
there is a difference between legal immigration, and illegal immigration.
big difference.
one pays taxes the other doesnt
I'm not an immigrant and if you were born in the USA you are not one either. Don't forget that people. Don't fall for the bullshit of you're an immigrant if you're not native american.
I was born in 1981 and am a NATIVE AMERICAN CITIZEN. SO FUCK YOU.
And shame of American Apparel for supporting illegal immigrants. Look at your home state Perez. California is the most fucked up state in the country right now and it's no coincidence that we have the most illegal immigrants as well.
just one more reason why American Apparel fucking sucks!!!!!
i couldn't be more pissed off with American Apparel on a dispute about a return that has taken 2 months to actually do anything, this is with calling every week, sending emails every week and doing a dispute with my visa company.
The source of the problem being the corrupt governments of Mexico, correct?
Oh, please–all those people are working on your lawns, in the kitchens of your restaurants, cleaning your houses, etcectetcetcetcetc
"Let's not forget that unless you're Native American, we're all immigrants."
i truly LOVED that statement, perezzie!! it pisses me off so bad when my white friends tell me to go back to china…cause even if it's a joke, it's an ignorant one (especially considering my ancestors came here before a lot of theirs)
It is not as simple as just making everyone legal folks.
California is broke. It is currently offering education, health care, food subsidies, housing, day care and many other services to illegal immigrants who do not pay taxes into the system. That means that legal residents are footing the bill and suffering from overcrowded hospitals and schools where a high percentage of students dont even speak english.
While I have sympathy for people who leave their home country for a better life in the US, the truth is that they often face a very hard reality when they arrive here and realize it is not much better. I know many people personally who wish they never left. It is much better to enter the system legally, with proper documentation.
And the bottom line is that the state of California and its citizens cannot afford to bear the burden, nor can we just "legalize" everyone who came here illegally. That would just encourage more people to do the same, and we can't bear the burden. The system is near cracking already.
American Apparel is wrong to be pushing this agenda and plastering los angeles with their "legalize LA" billboards. I dont' buy their clothes for this reason. Plus they are ugly and Dov Charney is a total douche.
get off your soap box, you fat fuck. They take jobs away from Americans.
Re: 1nfamous – then come here legally. maybe you haven't realized that they're getting better benefits than our own citizens. an illegal immigrant is able to get college paid for completely while a citizen can't. when you realize that a large majority of our taxes are being used towards pro-illegal alien "things" then you'll realize why exactly so many people are infuriated. if you want to live in this, or any country, you enter it legally and you learn the fucking language.
Re: BAYBABE – ..FUCK U …!!!!… WHAT CUT ??? CUT OF WHAT ?? YALL KILLING AND FORCING OUR PEOPLE OUT OF OUR HOMELANDS SO U fucking NON NDNS CAN TAKE WHAT IS OURS ???…CUS u DIDNT LIKE THE LAND U CAME FROM ?? ??? FUCK U !!!!
AHHHH American Apparel clothing SUCKS ASS!!! that company is lucky that so many hipsters are retarded enough to waste unnecessary amounts of money on American Apparel's RIDICULOUS merchandise!!!
Of course this country is made of inmigrants…Legally Inmigrants…What part of the word ILLEGAL you don't understand> Thiose fuckers broke our law ….Try to live in any country in the world without proper documentation…It will never happen…The unemployment rate is sky high and some illegals are taking the LEGAL citizens work? Totally not fair.
By the way : native American ARE immigrants. They migrated from China.
"Let's not forget that unless you're Native American, we're all immigrants."
Ummmm no Perez. An immigrant is someone who leaves one country to live in another. So any American born in America isn't an immigrant. I think what you mean is "unless you're Native American"…. your family was once immigrants too.
cute i guess
All of you are stupid, he meant immigrants and descendants of immigrants, which unless you are American Indian, then all of you dimwits are classified as descendants of immigrants. I don't care what AA does, the company and the clothes rock!
At least some of you know that an immigrant is here legally. There is NO SUCH THING as an illegal immigrant. And the only people calling for a change in immigration laws are illegal aliens. The laws work fine,for IMMIGRANTS!
Re: Jacqueline Hyde – Really? Then get on your goddamn knees to clean a fucking toilet or to pick cherries if you don't want these people to come here and do the work your lazy ass doesn't want to do. It's extremely difficult to gain citizenship, its a long and lengthy process to just come here to clean toilets. I suggest you keep your mouth shut before you speak about something you know very little about.
Re: dotdotdot – All people who works in USA pays taxes legal and illegal. You can confirm this in the IRS services.
I totally agree! People can be so insensitve and rude about this very sensitive issue. We all are immigrants. I dont care if you were born here! Your great great great ETC grandparents came from somewhere other than the us. Stop being racist ingnorant fucks everyone.
Damn straight kick the problem out. We're all immigrants, but most of our ancestors chose to come here legally and not sneak across the border. And not to sound like a snob, but we don't need any more uneducated 3rd world people coming here. We have enough of our own problems with our own citizens, especially during this economic recession with so many Americans out of work and struggling. Help our own first. I think immigration is good, if it's done in an orderly fashion. Illegal immigrants are bankrupting our schools and hospitals. How much more can you afford to pay out of your paycheck to cover them??
Re: 1nfamous – hey honey, we can't afford them anymore!!! you want them to have a better life at american people's expense? Enough is enough!!!
HA! i'm native american lol
Let's not forget that unless you're Native American, we're all immigrants.
********** this is the first fucking thing we agree on, white america always forgets that when they came to this country they just killed and stold the land they wanted and years later thought they were being generarous by giving native americans the land they deemed undesirable. like desert and swamp land.
do i smell discounted illegal aliens shirts?
Re: BAYBABE – you are so fucking stupid. get a fucking education.
Re: markfoster – so should we kick out all these disgusting white trash people who use drugs? taking your suggestion that is what you propose. this country has been exploited since these fuckers came on those three ships hundreds of years ago, the british, french, jews, irish, mexicans, have all exploited it, the only people who were dragged here were what we now call african americans everyone else came here to better their lives.***
Re: markfoster – you fucking idiot there are more white trash families on welfare that immigrants on welfare.
Re: markfoster – I cant even begin to articulate how stupid and ignorant you are. you act as if the only illegal immigrants are mexican, have you ever heard of central americans and by the way I hate two polish friends here that are illegal. you are so fucking ignorant but no doubt you are inbred.
I LOVE ME SOME DEBATE ON IMMIGRATION BUT ALL I'LL IS THESE ILLEGALS DO THE FUCKING JOBS NOBODY WANTS TO DO…PICK YO FUCKIN FOOD OUT THE HOT FIELDS, MAKE YOUR CLOTHES, CONSTRUCTION, CLEAN YOU EFFING YARDS! YEA ILLEGAL BUT YALL ACT LIKE THEY ARE DEVISTATING THE U.S. THANK GEORGE BUSH FOR THAT ONE! THANKS!
IM PROUD TO ME MEXICAN&NATIVE AMERICAN!…
Re: higherlife – in case you didnt know president ronald reagan signed a bill towards the end of his term to legalize a lot of illegal aliens. so what do you have to say about that. he was from cali so he probably thought it would help things. immigration is declining right now because this country is in a recession or have you not read about these things?
Re: dotdotdot – wtf are you talking about have you ever heard of TIN numbers? there are a lot of ignorant people on this board and a lot of hidden racism behind a compute I laugh when they just point the finger at mexicans but I live in chinatown and there are tons of illegals here. so fucking what they never point the figer at them.
Re: Baby Gorilla – oh really do you know a lot of white trash ppl who want to work in a sweatshop 12hours a day. when they kicked out a lot of illegals in the 90s the farmers in northern california had to get permits to bring illegal aliens because guess what lazy white trash ppl would rather be on welfare than go pick fruit that is distributed throught the country for everyone to eat. most of these illegal immigrants asians, hispanics come to this country and do the jobs even black ppl wont do let alone fat lazy white trash ppl.
My grandfather was an immigrant and became a citizen, legally. He did it the right way, so why can't they.
Re: tayberrryz – you are so stupid if one is an illegal they cant even get in to a university or college without a valid social security number I know this because a friend of mine got in to harvard on a full scholar ship but she couldnt go because she was illegal. if you're gonna post something pls make sure its true. you are perpetuationg hatred based on lies.
Re: robynnn6 – I agree this clothing sucks and the ceo is ridiculous.
Right on Paris!!! Unless we are NATIVE AMERICANS we are immigrants, because you were born here does not make you AMERICAN .. Where your family comes from is where you are from .. check out your ancestry!!!
Re: MP – there are plenty of ignorants here already with no fucking common sense already, yes I see your frustration, to may of your type walking around.
I do not consider myself an immigrant. My family has been here since the 1800s. I was born here. "Native Americans" immigrated from somewhere else….I have every right to call myself a Native American as does anyone else. Just because my skin color isn't dark and I don't reside on a reservation, does not mean I am not a native american.
Fuck those who say otherwise.
There is a right way to come to the United States, and then there is a wrong way. Crossing over "under the radar" would be the wrong way..
While we may be a country of immigrants, our grandparents respected this country enough to follow its laws and stand in line in New York to earn the right to live here. They broke the law. That should get them thrown out. simple. We are the ONLY country that puts up with this shit. For all the people saying "they're just trying to make a better life for themselves"..
What makes the people better than the millions of people who apply every year for citizenship?? Hmm.. NOTHING. If we just let every person in the world move here that wanted to, THERE WOULD BE NO ROOM LEFT. People need to realize that life is not fair. Every countrt has had the same chance to prosper as this country has. I know everyone loves to blame the US for the world's problems, but let us remember that the US is pretty much the newest country. The world was on its way to being fucked up way before we came around.
Re: 1nfamous – You my friend are an idiot. How can you beleive that this country could support every person who lives in a third world country?
You are saying that all of them should move here.. That's insane.
And your comment "no matter where they come from"..
Way to make it a race issue.. People moving from the UK have to wait in the same damn line..
Re: Jacqueline Hyde – Right on!! Glad to see that people still have brains.
Re: ix3perez – You are not an immigrant. If you were born here, then you are a native american. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Re: MissSmartyPants – I find it very rude for you to assume that all yard care workers are illegal. You don't know who cuts my grass. It could be a white person, a hispanic person, a black person, or it could be me. Did you ever think that if they came over the correct way that they would be able to get other jobs? Hmm. What a strange idea.
And your damn right it takes a long time to get here the right way, but everything that's worth something must be worth waiting for. If you can't go through the right steps, you don't deserve to be here.
Re: please dont be ignorant – DUMB ass! Wrong, wrong, wrong. Sales tax, maybe. That is nothing compared to the income tax we pay. Most of the time these people get paid under the table in cash. That is not taxed.
Re: Baby Gorilla – HELLO……….. LET US NOT FORGET THAT MEXICANS, CANADIANS,CENTRAL AMERICANS AND SOUTH AMERICA ARE ALL AMERICANS……AMERICA IS A CONTINENT NOT ONE COUNTRY…….LEARN YOUR HISTORY STUPID ASS!!!!!!!!!!
I'm soooooooo glad Perez took a stand!
Hmm! My kinda man!
Rico Papi!
Re: openyoureyes28 – EXCUSE ME BUT YOU ARE WRONG NOT EVERYONE GETS PAID UNDER THE TABLE……….ILLEGALS DO PAY THERE TAXES THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT THAY DO NOT GET THERE MONEY BACK LIKE OTHERS………….I MEAN DOESN'T THAT GIVE YOU PEOPLE SOME TYPE OF CLUE THAT THEY ARE HIRING ILLEGALS FOR A REASON…….THEY WORK HARD AND FAST….
fuck all you guys, I'm an American LEGAL immigrant in France, that process sucked dick, but I did it & I LEGALLY work in France now too.
everybody has got to abide by the mothafuckin LAW
amen. everyone is an immigrant, including native americans. we all came here one way or another,even if it was a billion yrs ago.
AAArrrgggg!!!! I am so sick of ignorant people pretending toknow whats REALLY going on on the MExican/American border. Most illegal immegrants are NOT just hard working individuals trying to make a better life. THey are criminals, pedophiles, tax evaders adn drunk drivers. I live down here adn I can tell you that MOST of the people caught coming across the border illegally ALREADY HAVE CIMINAL RECORDS. ORRR>..THey come here and live tax-free off the US's jacked up welfare system supporting their 5 kids with tax payer money and sending OUR TAXPAYER money back to family members in Mexico. They get fre healthcare, free education and GIV NOTHING in return. Its sick and its annoyuing. THings like taxes and car insurance are wayyy higher in Arizona because there are so many ILLEGAL UNINSURED MEXICANS in this state. Don't give me crap about how we're all immigrants and compare the crappy, uneducated welfare sucking Mexicans to the ones who gain citizenship legally. ITS NOT THE SAME>
Good God, folks. Immigration is NOT illegal. Immigration IS LEGAL. You file, you wait, you get in. It takes time, but the system does work. This "debate" is ridiculous. Immigration is a legal process open to every every person from every country in the world.
Thank you #28 , # 36 and #69.
Actually Native Americans are technically immigrants too - they just came thousands of years sooner over the land bridge from Asia. So everyone has even MORE in common with each other.
its so not surprising,.. but they have super cute american made clothing,… if only it wasnt for the skinny boys,… i would have much more love for american appaerel if they made clothes for big boys, its not like im fat, im just real american man,… and i know that me and perez will be thich as thieves when we control the world!!!! you rock perez!!! fuck the haters!!!!
im all for immigration- my parents emigrated here. but, they did it LEGALLY. they had to go through the process, and its not easy. why should these people who are here illegal just be suddenly declared legal americans, if theyve never become americans??
No, you idiot. We are not ALL immigrants.
Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines "immigrant" as: "a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence". My family has been here since the 1700s. As have millions of other families in the U.S. THEREFORE, we are not ALL immigrants. If these illegals would do it LEGALLY (like so many honest, hard-wroking, and honorable aliens have), then it wouldn't be the issue that it is today. They get away with not paying taxes or doing ANYTHING to contribute to the "hopper" that they play a HUGE part in draining every day. Look at the staggering debt that California is in and then think about immigration reform!
Re: Jacqueline Hyde – VERY WELL PUT!
Re: cisco_j – The reason that the illegal aliens took over jobs (like the ones you listed) is because the assholes that hired them pay them so little money (which seems like a fortune to them). It pushed everyone else out of those jobs….because they refused to work for nothing. An illegal alien -of any nationality- will take whatever job they can get just to get here. So don't say that it's because these ppl are doing the jobs that fat, lazy Americans don't want to do. We just know better and won't slave away for $2.00 a day like those idiots do.
Re: C*DUB – Yes, but legal ones.
Perez, drive east of LaBrea once in a while, you fat, West Side FUCK! Illegal immigration has destroyed the very city you live in. Look down from your ivory tower to where the lowly middle class are forced to live. I can't leave my own house without being called GRINGA or ANGLO BITCH. If you love these illegal tax leeches so much, YOU take them over to your WeHo neighborhood! And YOU pay the 13.8 BILLION a year in revenue they're sucking out of our already broke state. IDIOT! Priveleged know-nothings like you and Dov Charney are dooming this city.
Re: 1nfamous –
No problem, YOU write the checks to cover their food stamps, trips to the ER, childrens' education, use of public roads, cops and fire department that they don't pay for because they DON'T PAY TAXES. You are either underage and have no real financial responsibilities or you don't live in one of the places that has been eviscerated by illegal immigration. Enjoy it while you can.
What do you tell the LEGAL immigrants that waited for years and played by the rules? "Sorry?" So unfair to them. Follow the rules or pay the consequences.
You're missing a point here. American Apparel prouds itself to be a company with decent working conditions. How can this be true if some of their employees do not have work permits? How are they supposed to get unionized or get social security? Shouldn't AA as employer at least help them get a temporary working visa or something?
Kicking the problem out is more effective. Corruption and ineffective government in Mexico is the problem — and the United States can't fix that. By legalizing illegals, you just keep the flood gates open and encourage more people to make a run for the border. Hispanics love to tell us to "fix the problem at the source" because they love the idea of increasing their political power by expanding their population in the US, no matter what the means — a very unAmerican concept.
You and all the other immigration idiot whiners out there fail to recognize the real problem. Companies use illegals because they don't have to pay them a living wage, don't have to provide them with healthcare, and can overwork them without the illegals having any recourse. It's bad for the illegal workers and bad for our society - not to mention that the illegals are often using public benefits without paying into our tax system. Face the facts, it's not just about "oooh, we were all immigrants once." Like a lot of your readers have said, I'm not an immigrant. I WAS born here, and my family came through Ellis Island with papers.
We are all immigrants and from what I see the illegal ones are the ones that work the hardest….I will support AA and go on a wild shopping spree because they seem to have a good social conscience by employing these ppl who leave their families and lives in their country to make a few bucks!!! People need to be less ignorant about immigration and more compassionate too.
LEGALIZE LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Re: silzim – Calling us "ignorant" makes you look ignorant. Look at California's problems. You can't just bury your head in the sand.
That's one of the most ignorant and stupid statements I've ever read. Does the word "illegal" in the phrase mean anything to you?
There is no such thing as an illegal human being!!! Everyone who is anti-immigration and all for kicking everyone out is just falling for propaganda. These people are members of our society and they contribute by doing a lot of hard work. IF you are so concerned about them taking your jobs then why don't you go start picking veggies in a field and see how long you can handle the back breaking labor!!!
If we made it easier to become a citizen then I'm sure many of them would become legal, pay taxes ect. What proof do any of you have that they "waste our tax money"?? For the most part illegals are afraid to come forward or reach out for services out of fear or lack of knowledge.
I don't mind paying to educate illegal immigrant's children because would you really rather have a group of second class citizens who are illegal AND completely uneducated with no english???? Seems like the recipe for disaster…
If you were living in poverty or couldn't feed your children and the richest nation in the world was just across the river you can't possibly tell me you wouldnt try to come over for the sake of your family regardless of if it were legal. Lets stop looking at these people as criminals and have a little compassion, you anti-immigration people just look like close minded bigots.
We're all immigrants, but not all of us are illegal immigrants. My grandfather was a LEGAL immigrant from Mexico. My uncle is trying to apply for citizenship now, in the meantime, HE'S NOT GOING TO CROSS OVER HERE AND WORK ILLEGALLY. I don't appreciate all these people who disregard the proper procedures while the thousands of law-abiding hopeful immigrants have to wait and wait. And then I'm expected to be supportive of them just because they're raza like me. Call me a coconut, I don't care. I do not support CRIMINALS.