Right Side of the Rainbow

Still further proof that there’s always more than one way to skin a cat:

BOISE, Idaho — A southwest Idaho county filed a racketeering lawsuit against agricultural companies accused of hiring illegal immigrants — an attempt to recoup money the county says it has spent on the workers.

The lawsuit by Canyon County commissioners alleges four agricultural companies and a nonprofit have taken part in an “illegal immigrant hiring scheme,” and that the county has paid the cost of medical care, jails and schools.

The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday claims the companies violated the federal Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act, which allows winning plaintiffs to receive triple damages.

It’s the first time a government entity has used RICO to demand damages from businesses for the costs of allegedly illegal employees, say legal experts, including Notre Dame law Professor G. Robert Blakey, one of the authors of the law.

“Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime. It has cost Canyon County millions of dollars, and we expect to recover it,” said Howard Foster, an attorney representing the county.

The lawsuit was spearheaded by Commissioner Robert Vasquez, who previously tried to get Canyon County declared a disaster area due to illegal immigration and tried to charge Mexico $2 million for what he said had been spent on medical services and jail for illegal immigrants. Both those efforts failed.

A grandson of Mexican immigrants, Vasquez now is campaigning for U.S. Congress.

The lawsuit names as defendants Syngenta Seeds, Sorrento Lactalis, Swift Beef Co. and Harris Moran Seed Co. and the nonprofit Idaho Migrant Council.

The four companies, which together employ hundreds of people in Canyon County, are accused of knowingly hiring hundreds of illegal immigrants, partly through agreements with worker recruiting companies.

All five defendants either declined to comment on the suit or denied wrongdoing.

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is found at 18 U.S.C. §1961 et seq.