re: Dalton, GA PD Says "Whoopsie" re: Illegal College Girl Turned over to ICE for Deportation

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There needs to be a path to legal status for the folks who bust their arse in those factories all day to make MADE IN AMERICA carpets and rugs

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Umm… there is. It’s just that path isn’t very well traveled for some reason.

She a wetback? She's gotta go.

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I’d bet a pretty red penny that she is going to college for free.

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one of the posters says that her family is paying her tuition, and that it is expensive since they are charging her out of state tuition

Grok's analysis of the timeline:

Timeline: Transition of Workforce in Dalton, GA Carpet Industry
Pre-1980s: Predominantly Legal American Workforce
1940s–1960s: Dalton establishes itself as the hub of the U.S. carpet industry, driven by innovations like tufting machines and synthetic fibers. The workforce primarily consists of local, legal American workers, often displaced farmers from Appalachia and nearby areas.

1970s: The industry relies on native-born workers, including white and Black Americans. Some early Latino immigrants arrive, but their numbers are negligible. For example, in 1970, Georgia’s foreign-born population was only 0.7% of the state total.

1980s: Initial Influx of Latino Immigrants
Early 1980s: A small number of Latino immigrants, primarily from Mexico, begin arriving in Dalton. For instance, Norberto Reyes, a Mexican immigrant, opened a restaurant in 1981 and noted the scarcity of Latino workers at the time.

1986: The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) grants amnesty to millions of undocumented immigrants, legalizing many who settle in Dalton. This coincides with a post-recession hiring boom in carpet factories, attracting more Latino workers.

Late 1980s: The carpet industry faces labor shortages due to soaring demand during a national housing boom. Latino immigrants, both legal and undocumented, begin filling low-skill jobs like feeding yarn into tufting machines. By 1990, Dalton’s Hispanic population is 1,400 (6.5% of the city’s 21,761 residents).

1990s: Rapid Increase in Undocumented Immigrant Workers
Early 1990s: The Latino population in Dalton grows significantly as global demand for carpet surges. Mexicans and Central Americans flock to Dalton’s mills, drawn by job availability and wages better than those in agriculture. By 2000, Whitfield County (where Dalton is located) has the highest Latino population percentage in Georgia.

Mid-1990s: Immigration raids target Dalton’s carpet mills, highlighting the presence of undocumented workers. These raids disrupt operations but do not significantly deter hiring of immigrants. Employers note labor shortages and praise Latino workers as critical to the industry’s survival.

1998: A notable immigration raid on Vidalia onion fields (elsewhere in Georgia) is halted after congressional protests, signaling lax federal enforcement. Periodic raids in Dalton decrease, allowing undocumented workers to become a stable part of the workforce.

Late 1990s: The Latino population in Dalton grows rapidly, with estimates suggesting 40% of the city’s population and 50% of carpet factory workers are Latino by the decade’s end. Many are undocumented, facilitated by a “Mexican jobs grapevine” and weak enforcement.

2000s: Undocumented Workers Become Integral, Tensions Emerge
2000: Dalton’s population is 27,912, with 48% Latino (approximately 13,400). Whitfield County’s Latino population reaches 35.9%. Undocumented workers are estimated to comprise a significant portion of the carpet industry’s labor force, though exact numbers are unavailable.

2001–2008: The economic boom continues to drive demand for carpet, but native-born workers increasingly avoid mill jobs, seeking better opportunities. Undocumented immigrants fill the gap, with some moving into supervisory roles. Local sentiment sours, with lawsuits (e.g., against Mohawk Industries in 2006) alleging that hiring undocumented workers depresses wages.

2008–2009: The housing market collapse and Great Recession devastate Dalton’s carpet industry, leading to significant job losses (4,600 jobs lost from 2011–2012 alone). Some Latino workers leave, and population growth slows. The Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act (2007) requires legal residency for public employment, discouraging some undocumented workers.

2008: Whitfield County partners with ICE under the 287(g) program, increasing deportations (520 per year from 2009–2012). This creates fear among undocumented workers but does not eliminate their presence in mills.

2010s: Mixed Enforcement and Continued Reliance on Immigrant Labor
2011: Georgia passes HB 87, a restrictive immigration law requiring E-Verify for large employers and encouraging deportations. Some Latino businesses in Dalton close, and undocumented workers face heightened scrutiny, but the carpet industry continues to employ them due to labor shortages.

2014: Obama’s executive action on immigration (DACA expansion and DAPA) offers temporary relief to some undocumented workers, boosting local optimism. Employers note that immigrants are the “backbone” of the $20 billion carpet industry.

2017–2018: The Trump administration threatens increased ICE raids and ends DACA protections, causing fear among Dalton’s estimated 4,000 DACA recipients, many employed in carpet mills. Employers express concern about losing skilled workers.

By 2019: Approximately 10.3 million undocumented immigrants are in the U.S. workforce, with significant numbers in manufacturing (6% of the sector). Dalton’s carpet industry remains heavily reliant on Latino workers, many undocumented, despite E-Verify mandates.

2020s: Consolidation and Ongoing Immigrant Workforce
2020–2023: The carpet industry consolidates, with major firms like Shaw and Mohawk dominating. Labor shortages persist, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Undocumented workers remain essential, comprising an estimated 5.2% of the U.S. workforce, including in manufacturing.

2024: Latinos make up over 50% of Dalton’s 35,000 residents and a “big share” of the carpet industry’s labor force. Success stories like Juan Carlos Fraire, who rose from forklift operator to HR manager, highlight immigrant contributions, but undocumented workers face ongoing risks.

2025: Local sentiment on X reflects frustration, with claims that “illegals” have “taken over” Dalton’s carpet industry, replacing American workers. These posts estimate 80–85% of the Latino population as undocumented, though no official data confirms this. ICE is urged to “clean house,” indicating continued tensions.

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Your posts keep getting more and more dense.

One of the myriad problems with the hiring of illegals is that the justification is built on a false premise:

False Premise: Illegals are needed because they're willing to do the work that Americans aren't.

That's categorically incorrect. They're willing to do the work for wages that are unacceptable to American workers. There's a huge difference.

The illegal problem in Dalton got so bad that they had to open one of the only ICE offices that wasn't centered in a state capital, back in the 90s. Before that, the carpet/textile jobs were ALL filled with American workers. As Shaw Industries & Mohawk got bigger and bigger, they gobbled up smaller independent carpet & tufting factories. Their margins got lower and lower, and they essentially forced themselves to turn a blind eye to the hiring of illegal workers because it was a better decision for their bottom lines.

Reagan's amnesty bill in 1986 basically gave a free pass to illegals to flood the region because the federal government did it once. There was no reason to believe they wouldn't give blanket amnesty again.

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No sir. The false premise is that I think it's OK for illegals to work in factories (or anywhere). That's false. The people that provide these services need some kind of legal status, work visa, etc. It's already been admitted here that the system is indeed broken. In addition to deportations, we need to burn the candle from both ends and allow a better way for good people to do good things in a legal and orderly way. It seems this administration is only burning the candle from one end.

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There needs to be a path to legal status for the folks who bust their arse in those factories all day

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There isa process, you just have take action and do it.

My brother is an electrician and his boss partners with a construction crew. They hire these same types of illeglas, BUT, require them to start the legalization process as terms of their employment.

It’s threads like these that make me demur from actually identifying as a Republican.

I’m all for controlled borders, rigorous screening, “has to help the country” qualifying, and all the other stuff that prevents us having a massive problem with illegal immigrants.

I also live in the real world where these people are here, many are contributing, and businesses depend on them. I don’t know what I consider the “right” path, and it may very well be a categorical deportation and re-entry process.

That doesn’t mean I take glee in blasting the lives of the illegals or the business owners. If there is a transition path for all of this that retains the “good” workers (again, even with deportation and re-admission) and keeps jobs here, we should look into that. All this “internet tough guy” crap, though, is bullshite.

There’s a “baby and bath water” thing, whether you like it or not.

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They have put their own self interests and desires ahead of their need to assimilate as productive, law-abiding members of our society. There is no reasonable expectation for them to follow any other laws because they deliberately ignored the most basic ones when they chose to settle here illegally.

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This is simplistic bullshite.

Self-interest and assimilation are not mutually exclusive.

And, unless you’ve never driven over the speed limit or driven when you’re BAL was even slightly over the limit, GTFOH with your “You broke a law so you will break all of them” crap.

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question I would have off the top of my head would be can’t they apply for work visas?

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Maybe they have? I don't know.

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Also in many industries, factories have to use shift differential where you get paid more for working overnight. I guarantee if they pay enough, they’ll have people willing to work overnight. Of course the factories want cheap labor instead.

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They do. My aforementioned buddy chooses to be floor manager during night shifts for the extra money. I don't know how much extra, but it's his choice because it pays much better. His kids are grown.