Site Outs Employers of Illegal Immigrants

SAN BERNARDINO — Tori Stordahl and Jason Mrochek have a message for employers who hire day laborers, many of whom are in the country illegally: Your picture may be taken and posted on the World Wide Web.

Stordahl and Mrochek, both of San Bernardino, stood at 21st Street and Lincoln Drive on Monday near the Home Depot here, snapping pictures of employers who stopped to pick up laborers, many of whom are Mexican immigrants.

Their plan is to post the photos on the Web site, which features a “Hall of Shame,” listing names, phone numbers and other information about businesses that reportedly hire undocumented immigrants.

Mrochek believes a majority of the workers who line the sidewalks here every morning have entered the country illegally, though it would be difficult to know for sure, he said.

He quoted a study conducted by UCLA’s Center for the Study of Urban Poverty, which shows that less than 6 percent of day laborers have entered the country with documentation.

“That’s strong enough (proof) to have us come out here,” he said.

Mrochek is the co-founder of the Federal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Coalition, which operates the Web site.

Stordahl is a member of the Minuteman Project, but became concerned with the issue of illegal immigration long before the project was organized about a year ago.

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