Video: Looking at Immigration Layoffs at American Apparel

Icing American Apparel from Patrick Burke on Vimeo.

Although the Obama Administration stopped Bush-style immigration raids, a different tactic was used to deter illegal immigrants working in the U.S.: forced sackings. American Apparel with it's "Legalize L.A." slogan was one of the first to see this type of "raid" and had to let go around 1,800 people.

"On the surface, this might seem like a more humane approach." explains Spot.Us, a community-funded investigative reporting project in San Francisco and L.A. However, reporter Patrick Burke found last month that "the result may not be that much different from the Bush-era raids."