Lou Dobbs May Have Broken Own Rules and Hired Undocumented Workers

A yearlong investigation by The Nation and the Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute have found that former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs hired undocumented workers for years, even while taking a harsh stance on undocumented immigrants and employers alike on national television.

At least five undocumented workers told reporter Isabel Macdonald that they were hired by Dobbs, who now hosts his own radio show, “The Lou Dobbs Show,” to tend to his multimillion-dollar properties and the horses he keeps for his 22-year-old daughter.

“I looked after Dobbs’ horses while I was illegal,” said Marco Esperanza in the article titled, “Lou Dobbs, American Hypocrite.”

Another employee, Rodrigo Ortega, says Dobbs once introduced himself as “Luis.”  He says Dobbs “knew very well the majority of us didn’t have papers,” but that “was never a problem.”

During one April show in 2006, Dobbs said that “illegal employers who hire illegal aliens” should face felony charges.  He also described $10 an hour as, “a decent wage, not, in my opinion, an adequate wage, but a decent wage.”

“The pay is bad,” Jorge Garcia, a 24-year-old Guatemalan immigrant who was paid $9 an hour by Dobbs, said.  He says his brother, Miguel Garcia, also worked for Dobbs but was paid $8 an hour.

Dobbs once posed the following question to viewers of his now defunct television show: “How much more would you be willing to pay each year for fruits and vegetables if it would improve working conditions and raise wages for farmworkers?”

Dobbs, who has not ruled out a Senate or presidential run in 2012, is scheduled to speak at the Virginia Tea Party Convention on October 9.

Macdonald called the revelations about Dobbs “especially hypocritical” since Dobbs has crusaded against undocumented workers and their employers throughout his career.

“The irony is breathtaking,”  Macdonald said.

The Nation

NY Daily News