[FoRK] Huh...

[Sat N]

An illegal immigrant works hard and earns money - govt takes that
money away, so they can use it to fund Dick Cheney's hunting trips.

As much as I oppose illegal immigration, this isn't about immigration
- its about govt stealing hard earned money. Wrong..Wrong..Wrong..

Happy Thanks giving....

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/27/immigrant.money/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

 Mistake costs dishwasher $59,000

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- For 11 years, Pedro Zapeta, an illegal
immigrant from Guatemala, lived his version of the American dream in
Stuart, Florida: washing dishes and living frugally to bring money
back to his home country.
Zapeta

Pedro Zapeta, an illegal immigrant, managed to save $59,000 while
working as a dishwasher for 11 years.

Two years ago, Zapeta was ready to return to Guatemala, so he carried
a duffel bag filled with $59,000 -- all the cash he had scrimped and
saved over the years -- to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International
Airport.

But when Zapeta tried to go through airport security, an officer
spotted the money in the bag and called U.S. customs officials.

"They asked me how much money I had," Zapeta recalled, speaking to CNN
in Spanish.

He told the customs officials $59,000. At that point, U.S. customs
seized his money, setting off a two-year struggle for Zapeta to get it
back. Video Zapeta describes how he lost his money »

Zapeta, who speaks no English, said he didn't know he was running
afoul of U.S. law by failing to declare he was carrying more than
$10,000 with him. Anyone entering or leaving the country with more
than $10,000 has to fill out a one-page form declaring the money to
U.S. customs.

Officials initially accused Zapeta of being a courier for the drug
trade, but they dropped the allegation once he produced pay stubs from
restaurants where he had worked. Zapeta earned $5.50 an hour at most
of the places where he washed dishes. When he learned to do more, he
got a 25-cent raise.

After customs officials seized the money, they turned Zapeta over to
the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The INS released him but
began deportation proceedings. For two years, Zapeta has had two
attorneys working pro bono: one on his immigration case, the other
trying to get his money back.

"They are treating me like a criminal when all I am is a working man," he said.

Zapeta's story became public last year on CNN and in The Palm Beach
Post newspaper, prompting well-wishers to give him nearly $10,000 --
money that now sits in a trust.

Robert Gershman, one of Zapeta's attorneys, said federal prosecutors
later offered his client a deal: He could take $10,000 of the original
cash seized, plus $9,000 in donations as long as he didn't talk
publicly and left the country immediately.

Zapeta said, "No." He wanted all his money. He'd earned it, he said.

Now, according to Gershman, the Internal Revenue Service wants access
to the donated cash to cover taxes on the donations and on the money
Zapeta made as a dishwasher. Zapeta admits he never paid taxes.

CNN contacted the U.S. Attorneys office in Miami, U.S. Customs and the
IRS about Zapeta's case. They all declined to comment.
Don't Miss

Marisol Zequeira, an immigration lawyer, said illegal immigrants such
as Zapeta have few options when dealing with the U.S. government.

"When you are poor, uneducated and illegal, your avenues are cut," he said.

On Wednesday, Zapeta went to immigration court and got more bad news.
The judge gave the dishwasher until the end of January to leave the
country on his own. He's unlikely to see a penny of his money.

"I am desperate," Zapeta said. "I no longer feel good about this country."

Zapeta said his goal in coming to the United States was to make enough
money to buy land in his mountain village and build a home for his
mother and sisters. He sent no money back to Guatemala over the years,
he said, and planned to bring it all home at once.
advertisement

At Wednesday's hearing, Zapeta was given official status in the United
States -- voluntary departure -- and a signed order from a judge. For
the first time, he can work legally in the U.S.

By the end of January, Zapeta may be able to earn enough money to pay
for a one-way ticket home so the U.S. government, which seized his
$59,000, doesn't have to do so