http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/ho ... 018576.php

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Orange police turned over immigrants at a Border Patrol checkpoint.
By COURTNEY PERKES and TOM BERG
The Orange County Register

ORANGE – Eight day-laborers could face deportation after police arrested them in front of a Home Depot store on Friday, triggering more debate over the role of local police in enforcing federal immigration laws.

Orange police said such arrests are not uncommon, but a Home Depot spokeswoman said they were the first she'd heard of at a Southern California store.

The arrests come amid tension over Costa Mesa's plans to become the first city in the nation to take on federal powers to deport felony suspects. The Orange County Sheriff's Department is considering a similar proposal to remove undocumented immigrants who commit serious crimes.

The men were arrested after complaints from businesses and shoppers, said Orange Sgt. Dave Hill. City code forbids soliciting work in private business parking lots.

The laborers lacked valid identification and were delivered to the Border Patrol checkpoint in San Clemente, Hill said.

On Saturday, some Home Depot shoppers questioned why police targeted people who seemingly posed no harm.

"I've probably hired a couple of them over the years," said J Quinn, 52, of Orange. "Just looking for work doesn't constitute a crime. I'm sympathetic to anybody that's willing to work for a living."

Orange officials defended the decision to turn the men over to the Border Patrol.

"If the police arrest someone (without citizenship ID) breaking the law, do I support their taking them to INS? Absolutely," said Councilman Steven Ambriz. "Because if they're breaking one law, what other laws are they going to break?"

Day-laborers stayed away Saturday morning from their usual gathering spot on the sidewalk along Katella Avenue in front of the store. A police truck was parked in the lot, and signs were posted in English and Spanish forbidding solicitation for work.

Controversy over day-laborers is not new. In Laguna Beach, an established day-laborer site has drawn several protests in the last year from anti-illegal immigration groups, resulting in at least one near-brawl.

Home Depot spokeswoman Kathryn Gallagher said company policy bans any kind of soliciting.

"If you have someone standing in a driveway or out in the street impeding traffic, it creates a public-safety concern," she said.

In 2001, a similar situation sparked uproar in Anaheim.

An 18-year-old Colombian woman was pulled over with her baby for expired license plate tags. Police took her to the Anaheim jail, where immigration agents determined she was not in the country legally. For months afterward, both sides on the immigration debate packed City Council meetings.

While some cities, such as Santa Ana, don't ask about immigration status, the matter becomes trickier when people can't prove their identities.

Santa Ana Sgt. Lorenzo Carrillo said the city doesn't prohibit day-laborers from seeking work. But police do respond to complaints of drinking, urinating or littering. If officers can't verify identity, they may call immigration authorities to see if they have a record

"We still deal with the crime we are able to enforce. Our biggest concern is what they were doing in our city," Carrillo said. "Immigration status is a secondary thing."

Orange's protocol was unclear Saturday. The department declined to answer detailed questions, but did say the eight men admitted to being in the country illegally. A ninth laborer was cited and released.

Register staff writer Ellyn Pak contributed to this report. She can be contacted at (714) 704-3788 or epak@ocregister.com CONTACT US: (714) 704-3788 or epak@ocregister.co

Orange County Day Labor Sites:

http://media.putfile.com/1inchgroup-of-SOS-in-LF