ICE arrests 24 people on immigration charges at Md. day-labo

[UB]

ICE arrests 24 people on immigration charges at day-laborer site
By BEN NUCKOLS, Associated Press

Posted Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 7:46 pm
BALTIMORE — Twenty-four people were arrested on immigration charges this morning after day laborers approached Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents sitting in unmarked cars in a convenience store parking lot and asked them for work, ICE officials said.

Hispanic advocates quickly condemned the arrests, accusing ICE of targeting only day laborers who appeared to be of Latino descent.

The ICE agents did not plan to arrest anyone in the 7-Eleven parking lot, said Marc Raimondi, an ICE spokesman. Rather, they regrouped there after a targeted attempt to arrest people known to have been ordered to leave the country by immigration judges, he said.

“We don’t find that credible at all,” said Eliza Leighton, a spokeswoman for CASA of Maryland, which quickly sent representatives to the site after hearing about the arrests. “This is a place where day laborers often congregate. In our estimation, this is a clear example of ICE engaging in racial profiling.”

The 7-Eleven at the corner of South Broadway and East Lombard streets sits in the heart of southeast Baltimore’s Upper Fells Point neighborhood, which has a substantial Hispanic population. The city and CASA have attempted in recent years to set up a day laborer center in southeast Baltimore but have run into resistance from neighbors.

Mayor Sheila Dixon believes today's arrests highlight the need for a designated day-laborer site, said Anthony McCarthy, a spokesman for the mayor. The city is exploring several potential sites, said Rafael Regales, the mayor’s Hispanic liaison.

“It will protect potential employers and employees alike and really give the city and the people who are looking for resources an opportunity to do it in an environment that’s safe,” McCarthy said.

The ICE agents congregated in the parking lot after they didn’t find any of the illegal immigrants they were looking for at a nearby location, Raimondi said.

“Today’s operation was not planned, but nevertheless, when we encounter immigration status violators, our mandate is to enforce the law,” Raimondi said.
CASA of Maryland representatives, however, interviewed people who witnessed the arrests, including non-Hispanic day laborers who said the ICE agents ignored them.

Witnesses also told CASA that the agents rounded up Latinos who happened to be walking by and demanded that they show identification.

“They focused on people who look like me,” said Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA. “We believe that is unacceptable. It is discrimination.”

Asked to respond to those allegations, Raimondi said ICE agents acted in accordance with federal immigration laws.

According to ICE, six of those arrested had criminal records in the United States. Eight had been deported or ushered to the border to leave the country voluntarily, only to return. Two had been ordered to leave the country by immigration judges. And one had been caught six times trying to enter the United States from Mexico.

Ten of those arrested were from Honduras; eight were from Mexico; five were from El Salvador; and one was from Peru.

“Fugitive aliens and other immigration status violators flaunt our laws and threaten the integrity of the immigration system,” John Alderton, acting director of the ICE field office in Baltimore, said in a statement.

The day laborers admitted they were in the country illegally after they asked the ICE agents if they needed labor and the agents responded by asking them, in Spanish, where they were from, Raimondi said.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs ... S/70123071

[dlm1968]

Hee-Hee. Looks like ICE and therefore us had a good day.

[crazybird]

“They focused on people who look like me,” said Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA. “We believe that is unacceptable. It is discrimination.”


Sorry......you can't demand to be noticed and then cry discrimination when someone looks.

[gofer]

How about day laborer profiling? Day laborers are, by definition, illegal aliens. Legal people have jobs. They don't go to the trouble of coming here legally and stand on street corners. Of course, there will always be a few who are not illegal, but the overwhelming majority is and everybody knows it. Why do these people stand on corners anyway? Does a full-time job get in the way of their other "activities", like drug dealing?

[Matthewcloseborders]

Today has been a very good day for us and ICE. Over 700 sent back to there country. In possibely many more, Bush in his NAU and iligals appear to be losing slowly be surely. God bless America.

[swatchick]

It is not profiling at all. I seen them by a gas station and they remind of prostitutes as when a vehicle drives up they approach. In reality they are loitering which is a misdemeanor.

[paravour]

Now if they would only do the same in Montgomery County.

[dragons5]

this is great news. this means that ICE units all over the country just have to go sit in parking lots to get em....


Im gonna make flyers

[MW]

According to ICE, six of those arrested had criminal records in the United States. Eight had been deported or ushered to the border to leave the country voluntarily, only to return. Two had been ordered to leave the country by immigration judges. And one had been caught six times trying to enter the United States from Mexico.

This is definitely a case where the end justified the means!

Perhaps these arrests will open new doors of opportunity for ICE. If they can get that many apprehensions of criminal illegals from one day labor site, imagine what they could do at day labor sites throughout the country.

Seriously, these agents did have a small case of the stupids though. Why didn't they check everyone at the sites identification - then there could have been no claims of racial profiling. IMHO, ICE needs to work a little smarter.

[odiesback]

ICE should have no problem arresting
day laborers.

It is like the police arresting prostitutes. Both
work on corners, approach stopping cars and
charge by the hour.