Report: AG Eric Holder’s Brother Hires Illegals

Article audio sponsored by The John Birch Society

A website in North Carolina alleged last week that the brother of disgraced U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder employs illegal aliens at his business.

William Holder, who owns four McDonald’s franchises in Wake County, North Carolina, denied that he hires illegal workers, although the Carolina Journal Online alleged that a reporter was party to conversations at which employees admitted they were in the country illegally and did not have permission to work here.

The news comes less than two months after President Obama put into effect an amnesty that will permit “young” illegals to continue to live in the United States.

Allegations Denied

According to Carolina Journal’s Don Carrington,

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s brother, William Holder, apparently employs illegal foreign workers at one or more of the four McDonald’s restaurants he and his wife Deborah purchased last year in Wake County, a Carolina Journal investigation has found.

A CJ reporter made approximately 30 visits in September to observe and talk with workers at the restaurants, at least one of which has been visited by the attorney general. The reporter was present during a conversation at which some employees stated they did not have a Social Security number, a green card, or any other document that would give them the legal authority to work in the United States.

One employee said he was planning to go through the “deferred action” program announced in June by President Obama that would allow young-adult illegal immigrants to receive legal-resident status and work permits. CJ also has a document corroborating that one of the workers does not have a green card or Social Security number.

Carrington reported that the majority of Holder’s employees are Hispanic and mostly speak Spanish. Some did not speak English.

While William Holder did not answer CJ’s questions initially, after Carrington contacted McDonald’s regional headquarters, Holder sent a response.

Wrote Holder,

As a McDonalds franchisee, i take these matters seriously. My organization strives to comply with all local, state and federal employment and immigration laws.

As an employer, i do not knowingly hire or employ undocumented or unauthorized workers. Our current job application process requires all individuals accepting employment to provide proof of their identity and authorization to work in the United States; they must also complete the federally mandated Form I-9 to document their authorization to be employed in this country. Every employee in my organization has done so and i have not received any credible evidence suggesting that any of my employees lack such employment authorization. If you have concrete and credible evidence to suggest otherwise, please share that information with me personally so that I can take appropriate action. We are an equal opportunity employer. We remain committed to diversity and will continue to hire, train, and promote a diverse workforce.

According to Carrington,

The email was sent from an address belonging to the NY/NJ Black McDonald’s Operators Association Inc. in Commack, N.Y. It included no telephone number for return contact. CJ sent a reply to the email, asking who sent it, and also requesting a phone call confirming receipt of the message. At press time, CJ had received no reply.”

William Holder confirmed that his brother, in serious trouble with Congress for dissembling before a committee over the Fast and Furious gun-running scandal, visited one of the restaurants.

North Carolina’s Illegal Problem

Steve Camarota, of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), explained to CJ how illegals affect North Carolinians. “In 2000, 70.4 percent of North Carolina residents age 18-29 with a high school diploma or less were employed,” Carrington reported. By 2010-11, that figure had dropped to 46 percent. “Less-educated native-born persons have less opportunities as a result of illegal immigration,” Camarota told the publication, noting that 300,000 illegal immigrants work in North Carolina.

According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which put the number of illegals at 410,000 in 2010, they are draining the state’s treasury. Overall, it costs Tarheelers $2.1 billion annually to pay for illegals, FAIR estimated. Some $1.2 billion of that is for educating more than 100,000 illegal-alien children in grades K through 12. Medical care for illegals costs about $250 million annually. Jail, court, and police costs are $155 million. Child-care and other welfare outlays are about $150 million.

As well, The New American reported in August, citing CIS, illegals are a major drain on the country. For instance, CIS reported, “26 percent, the national [poverty] rate for illegal immigrants by themselves, is about twice that of natives. The rate is even higher (30 percent) when their U.S.-born children are included.”

Nationally, illegal immigrants and their U.S.-born children account for 9.9 percent of all persons in poverty, compared to their 4.9 percent share of nation’s total population. Illegal aliens clearly have low incomes, and the low-income population in the United States is clearly larger because of immigration. Nonetheless, illegal immigration accounts for only a modest share of the total population in poverty. Moreover, it should also be clear that most illegal immigrants do not live in poverty.

Nearly 50 percent of illegals use welfare, while about 40 percent get food assistance and 35 percent use Medicaid. Nationally, it costs taxpayers $40 billion to educate illegals and their children.

CIS also reported that nearly 15 percent of the uninsured in the United States are illegals or their children:

In Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas, roughly one-fourth of the uninsured are illegal immigrants and their children. In New Jersey, Washington, and North Carolina roughly one-fifth of the uninsured are illegal immigrants.

Is Holder’s Brother Benefiting From Amnesty?

Employers such as Holder — whose brother, again, is mired in scandals involving a rogue gun-running operation and voter intimidation and racial bias — stand to benefit greatly from President Obama’s amnesty, which was announced on June 15. They can hire cheap workers.

The amnesty, which permits illegals to stay in the country if they meet a short list of criteria similar to that in the failed DREAM Act, took effect in August. On August 15, illegals across the country lined up in hordes to get Obama’s free pass, not least a permit to work at a time when nearly eight percent of Americans are unemployed.

As the New York Times reported,

The work permit young immigrants can receive with the deferral opens many doors that have been firmly shut. They can obtain valid Social Security numbers and apply for driver’s licenses, professional certificates and financial aid for college.

When Obama announced his stay-in-the-country-permanently program, news organizations reported that it would “help” some 800,000 illegals. But after the program began, that estimate quickly doubled, with the New York Times reporting a figure of 1.7 million.

Obama’s plan to undermine the nation’s borders was nothing sudden. His deputies laid the groundwork more than a year ago, when they began telling reporters they would not deport illegals who met the criteria of the DREAM Act, which failed in the Senate in December 2010. Obama then halted some 300,000 deportations, and in June unilaterally declared, for all intents and purposes, that the DREAM Act was law.

Last week, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced that he would honor Obama’s amnesty.