Illegal Residents To Protest Openly

[jimpasz]

Illegal Residents To Protest Openly

By CHRIS ECHEGARAY The Tampa Tribune

Published: Apr 28, 2007


TAMPA - At pro-immigration rallies here and nationwide Tuesday, a number of illegal immigrants will admit to their status, holding signs touting their work ethic, sharing stories of arduous border crossings from Mexico.

They won't be touched by authorities, leaving immigration critics baffled as to why agents will not arrest people who entered the country illegally and admit to it in public.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents don't do random sweeps, spokesman Marc Raimondi said. They conduct targeted operations.

"They are based on investigations and intelligence geared toward fugitive aliens, egregious violators, significant threats to public safety and national security," Raimondi said.

Having illegal immigrants in the streets is a threat, said Pam Hill of Brandon, a member of the Minutemen Florida Corps, which opposes illegal immigration. She said police should do their jobs by deporting them.

"It's not immigration - it's an invasion," Hill said. "If police could arrest people for other minor things, they can arrest them for this."

Some say the more than 100,000 deportations annually by ICE aren't enough.

"If you had an American citizen smoking pot at a rally, they would be arrested for sure," said Mike Jarbeck, a former Minutemen member and founder of the Florida chapter. "They are both misdemeanors, so it can be compared. But they refuse to enforce the laws against foreign nationals."

Immigration advocates say illegal immigrants realize some people oppose their annual May 1 rallies, but it won't stop them. About 7,000 people turned out last year at Dale Mabry Highway and Columbus Drive. Organizers for the Day Without an Immigrant rally expect a similar, but smaller, event this year.

Sweeps at rallies would be intimidating and chaotic, said Lurvin Lizardo, president of Tampa's Hondurans United and an organizer of the rally.

"You have citizens, residents and people who are legally here at those events," she said. "Going through the crowd would be a bad idea."

Amaparo Franco, who crossed the Mexico border illegally 21 years ago, attended last year's rally.

Franco crossed with her two toddlers, who now are grown men. She cleans homes to support the family.

Franco, of Tampa, said illegal immigrants who don't have any legal problems should be allowed to protest peacefully and not be targeted.

"I have not hurt, killed or robbed anyone and never had any problems," she said. "You have to be respectful of the law. I make an honest living. We should be able to ask for progress and not get arrested."

There's a pragmatic reason for not arresting illegal immigrants, said John Keeley, spokesman for the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington organization that favors restricting immigration.

"There's no place to put them," Keeley said. "If you can't detain 28 illegals caught in a truck in El Paso, Texas, where are you going to put 40,000 from L.A. or Chicago?"

Tampa police will be at Tuesday's rally, but they won't carry out immigration enforcement there, said the department's Hispanic liaison, Brenda Canino. Organizers said they welcome police so that the rally is peaceful.

U.S. DEPORTATIONS
From Oct. 1 through April 1:
REMOVALS: 110,748

VOLUNTARY DEPARTURES: 5,868

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Reporter Chris Echegaray can be reached at (813) 259-7920 or cechegaray@tampatrib.com.

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBGP21H11F.html

[Jean]

Reading mixed stories about the protests for this year. Can see how illegals in Florida feel emboldened. One could say that about CA too but I read there probably won't be much marching in San Diego this year.
We won't see what we saw last year, that was an eye-opener for many of us.

[AmericanElizabeth]

"If you had an American citizen smoking pot at a rally, they would be arrested for sure," said Mike Jarbeck, a former Minutemen member and founder of the Florida chapter. "They are both misdemeanors, so it can be compared. But they refuse to enforce the laws against foreign nationals."

Now here's a thought, maybe each and every one of us should simultaneously commit and "misdemeanor" then when we are arrested and charged, maybe jailed, we need to turn around and sue the government for discrimination. They would willingly arrest an American and charge us, but not someone who has most likely commited numerous misdemeanor offenses against America's laws.

Well, you all get the point, I really do not want any of you to go out and do that just to prove the prejudice of our own politicians and legal system today.

[2ndamendsis]

holding signs touting their work ethic,

What WORK ETHIC?

Doing DOO DOO in the fields?

Crapping on the streets and in flower pots?

Urinating in the streets and in elevators?

Want me to go on?

WHAT FREAKING WORK ETHIC?
spitting in food?

piss poor cleaning in hotel rooms?

cooking in restaurants while DIRTY?

WHAT WORK ETHIC?
stealing copper pipe from buildings?
{and anything that is or is not nailed down?}

shoddy construction so that buildings fall down?

WHAT FREAKING WORK ETHIC?

[AmericanElizabeth]

Sis, I have seen this work ethic recently. I admit, I have avoided fast food altogether, but in the last few days, we were pushed to have to eat at BK twice, it will likely be the last time.

This particular BK was doing ok, for a bit, but suddenly, it has taken a sharp nose dive, not only in service, but the "quality" of the employees.

Here's the scenario. We walk in and try to order "hi, I'd like a tripple whopper meal, no cheese, and only ketchup and mustard, medium size meal for that please", we got, triple whopper, with relish (?since when did BK start using relish), she forgot the cup. I asked for NO mayonaisse, got it, plus about another cup extra too!!

All of this was done with the bare understanding of her accent. Her saying "dis tu ant ickles?", me "WHAT?". Then my husband went back to order, he watched this same girl taking an order from two girls and their father, and the two girls wanted chocolate milk with their kids meals, this woman looked confused "chocit mik?", "yes", the father said "chocolate milk", "oh, yes milk", "no" he said "I said "CHOCOLATE MILK". She nodded her head, punched something in, and then gave him two kids cups for fountain drinks!

While there husband also noticed man in back doing burgers, drive-thru, English speaking American girl looks at the warmer she said "Whopper, where's my whopper?", he looks questionable "Whopper?", "Whopper" she says again in frustration, "Whopper?, "yes, Whopper, where's the Whopper?", man again looks blankly at her "Whopper?". She said something to the middle man, a manager who is apparently Hispanic, Spanish speaking, he starts barking out something to the back in Spanish, things start rolling back there.

My husband said he thought it looked deliberate on this man, and this young womans part, to make every effort towards the only American employee there, frustrated and have order problems. Once the manager came up and yelled, suddenly everyone was competent and doing their jobs!

My mother has related their work ethics, to me, about the ones she works with in the folding and sorting area of a large dry-cleaners here. One woman in her fifties, mother to another employee, supposed to be taught how to sort "fire orders" with my mother, and also how to fold things already done, would NEVER listen to my mothers instructions, even when a Spanish speaking girl translated to be clear, she simply refused to do what my mother (about 10 years seniority there) told her to do. She would, however, do it the way she was told by other Latino workers, but not my mother.

[mkfarnam]

I`d put up posters and carry a sign saying:



Immigration Laws

will not be enforced





"Until after the Rally"

[2ndamendsis]

Call me crazy but I don't give a flying fig.

I'm a stubborn gal when I know I'm right.

Only when each and every one of us takes a stand and REFUSES to drive into or walk into ANY AND EVERY place that hires these people, MAKES IT KNOWN WHY TO THE MANAGERS & OWNERS.............will there be any movement whatsoever in the AMerican worker's favor.

AFTER THE PROFIT takes a hit.

with all due respect,
For me, there is no excuse to drop my hard earned American money in any one of these places of business! And I HAVE NOT IN YEARS.
I'll eat dirt first You all will have to be willing to join me eating that dirt before one has earned the right to complain.

my 2 cents

[SOSADFORUS]

holding signs touting their work ethic,

What WORK ETHIC?

Doing DOO DOO in the fields?

Crapping on the streets and in flower pots?

Urinating in the streets and in elevators?

Want me to go on?

WHAT FREAKING WORK ETHIC?
spitting in food?

piss poor cleaning in hotel rooms?

cooking in restaurants while DIRTY?

WHAT WORK ETHIC?
stealing copper pipe from buildings?
{and anything that is or is not nailed down?}

shoddy construction so that buildings fall down?

WHAT FREAKING WORK ETHIC?

SIS, don't forget the bedbugs they are leaving behind in our motel rooms while cleaning them, that is now epidemic in our country again.
Just doing jobs Americans won't do!!

[WavTek]

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents don't do random sweeps, spokesman Marc Raimondi said. They conduct targeted operations.

There's nothing random about arresting people who admit they're criminals. How much more targeted can you get, Mr. Ramondi?

This just proves to me that ICE is not serious about enforcing our laws, only making a show, so Bush can get his amnesty.