Thread: {Sob}Families, friends fearful after raid

Families, friends fearful after raid
By Sara Israelsen-Hartley and Amy K. Stewart
Deseret Morning News
Published: February 9, 2008
PROVO — Not only was Francisco Ortiz supposed to come home from work Thursday night, he was supposed to bring his paycheck as well.
But he never made it. He was arrested Thursday morning by federal immigration agents who conducted a raid at the Universal Industrial Sales Inc. plant in Lindon.

A total of 57 undocumented workers were arrested — the result of a lengthy investigation that led to federal charges being filed against the company and its human resource director.

Ortiz's wife, Wendy Castaneda, spent Friday morning in court, watching as her husband appeared via video screen from the jail to get bail set at $7,500 cash or bond for potential criminal charges.

But she doesn't have that kind of money.

Right now she doesn't even have money to feed her crying 3 1/2-year-old child.

"(These wives) went to bed without a source of income, without a husband," said Maria Ortiz, a relative, friend and translator who came to court with Castaneda and sister-in-law Irma Ortiz, who is now the sole supporter of two children, ages 4 and 6.

"They gotta find a baby-sitter, pay for their homes, feed and clothe their kids," said Maria Ortiz. "Why can't we come to the table? Both (sides) want the same thing." She began crying. "The strength of society is families," she said. "That is destroyed (when families) are living in two countries. Society goes down the toilet."

Thursday and Friday, Maria Ortiz's Provo home became the information hub, with visitors and callers desperate for any information about their husbands, brothers, sons and uncles.

"When they finally find somebody who's bilingual, they come and spill their guts," she said. Although she is Native American, Ortiz married a Hispanic and speaks fluent Spanish. Plus, her background as a notary public allows her to explain the legal process to the concerned families.

She helped Castaneda and Irma Ortiz understand what was going on Friday morning, as their husbands stood in front of 4th District Court Judge Fred Howard, answering questions about their home countries and how long they've been in Utah.

Most of the employees are from the same area of Villa Corona, Jalisco, Mexico, and are related by blood or marriage. A few of the others are from California, Honduras or Argentina.

Nearly all the men had been in Utah longer than two years, with some as many as 12 years.

They are being held in the Utah County Jail for investigation of possession of a forged writing device and some for identity theft. The few who have a criminal record, such as DUI, theft or drug possession, got bail of $10,000 cash or bond. The majority who answered they had never been convicted of a crime were given $7,500 cash or bond bail.

The one thing uniting most of those arrested were their families left behind.

A wife and a daughter. A wife and three children. A mother and a brother.

But it's more than just those immediate family members who are afraid.

Tony Yapias, director of Proyecto Latino de Utah, says undocumented immigrants across the state were afraid to go to work or out to shop Friday. He said the Latino mall in Salt Lake was nearly deserted.

"Everybody is not shopping, they're not coming out, they don't want to go to work," Yapias said. "The earthquake hit in Lindon. The aftershocks have gone all over the state."

At the Mercado Latino at 275 S. University Ave. in Provo, owners knew that fear was the reason business was so slow. Many people are afraid immigration officials are still out there looking to pick up more undocumented residents.

But for Marissa, whose family owns the shop, that fear also turns to frustration.

"What people don't understand is ... they don't see the poverty these people live in (in Mexico)," she said. "They're living in cardboard boxes."

While on a multi-media internship from Utah Valley State College to a television station in Mexico, she was saddened to learn the top editor made only $300 a month — and that was with an education.

There are no opportunities in Mexico, she said. That's why people come to the states. They need a way to put food on their family's table.

And even though she's frustrated with the situation, Marissa said she's still a bit scared and asked that the Deseret Morning News not print her last name.

The wave of fear also swept through the Alpine and Provo School districts.

Staff at Canyon View Junior High School, at 625 E. 950 North in Orem, said a few students, who were visibly upset or crying, checked out of school on Thursday. There were slightly more absences than normal for Friday, they added.

Sharon Elementary School in Orem is 50 percent Hispanic and had six students check out Thursday and six students absent Friday because of the raid, said assistant principal Susann Wagner.

"These raids are hard on the kids," she said.

Orem Junior High, with a student population that's 21 percent Hispanic, didn't have attendance problems, but several students wanted to start a petition to free the detainees, said Dennis Bacon, assistant principal. But after talking with the student council, the students decided it would be more productive to write letters expressing support to the detainees and their families, Bacon said.

It's especially frustrating for Castaneda, a legal citizen, whose husband has been approved for legal papers, but is still on the waiting list to get them.

"Instead of being able to help these people through the system, (we) make it much more difficult," said Ignacio Garcia, professor of history at Brigham Young University who specializes in Mexican American Latino civil rights issues in history. "They're not moving to El Salvador ... (or) Cuba ... (or) Jamaica. Why? There are no jobs there. Every Latino will tell you they came to this country because somebody in their family whispered that there was a job to be gotten here. Our war against undocumented is like our war against drugs. As long as you have this great demand, then you're going to have people coming ... in their search for wanting to make a better life."


http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695251642,00.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contributing: Deborah Bulkeley
E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com, astewart@desnews.com

© 2008 Deseret News Publishing Company | All rights reserved

Right now she doesn't even have money to feed her crying 3 1/2-year-old child.

Nice touch.

I wonder if this was the raid that was mentioned on one of the tv channels yesterday where 46 of the illegals were released because of "humanitarian" reasons?Most of those 46 released will never appear for their court dates of course.

Pass the Kleenex NOT. No sympathy here.

Nice symp sob piece to justify crimes that would be serious jail
time for most Americans

I really am beginning to wonder about a culture of people
that break the laws and then blame us for trying to enforce them

Am I missing something here?

Plus, her background as a notary public allows her to explain the legal process to the concerned families.

A notary public who only swears to the identity of a person on paper. Well I guess it's ok for her to practice law without a license explaining the legal process, since this involves illegal aliens.

American are sick and tired of hearing these planted "sob" stories.....these families were placed in these situations by the illegal aliens who purposely chose to pay a criminal human smuggler money to cross the border, the sleazy employers that hired the illegal aliens and the crminal alien false document peddlers. Our laws aren't to blame ...we all know that. These "parents" placed the safety, security and unit of their families in jeopardy when they chose to violate our laws. At least they have the option to take their children home with them.

The humanitarian thing to do would be for the illegal alien lobby , advocates to help the families make arrangements to liquidate their assets, get their paperwork ready and get on a bus, train, or plane back to their home country before they too, are forcibly deported. Don't let the children suffer anymore, take them back to their home countries, reunite them with their relatives and make a life back there. There are about a BILLION people far worse off then anyone in Mexico, or Central America. Haitian kids are literally eating dirt cookies.

Right now she doesn't even have money to feed her crying 3 1/2-year-old child.

If things are that bad, why don't they go to the nearest Mexican consulate for help?

"Why can't we come to the table? Both (sides) want the same thing."

Really? I think that's news to most Americans.

Plus, her background as a notary public allows her to explain the legal process to the concerned families.

Since when does being a notary public give you a license to practice law.

"Everybody is not shopping, they're not coming out, they don't want to go to work," Yapias said. "The earthquake hit in Lindon. The aftershocks have gone all over the state."

It's a crime that these people can't go shopping. It's also a crime to enter the country illegally. They knew they were breaking the law and these are the consequences of those actions.

1. Identity theft and document fraud are crimes. Any American would go to jail.
2. If they are living in cardboard boxes and are so poor, then don't have a freekin kid.
3. I have yet to see a starving, skinny IA. It would be easy to pick them out if that's the case. There are many other countries that have it way worse than Mexico.
4. No one is separating the families - they are free to reunite in Mexico.

So i suppose that the Americans in our jails that have children and broke the law could use the same excuse and should be let out of jail...or is this just feel sorry for Latino law breakers....

steeling documents in this country is a felony....those laws are for everyone..we are not going to pick and choose who these laws cover.

Start packing and go march in the streets of Mexico...Force all those American companys (and there is alot) to pay a decent wage, health insureance and retirement....

It will serve those company's right for bailing out on Americans to have to pay a decent wage, insurance and retirement to Mexican citizens and then on top of that, have to pay to ship their goods back to America I hope you eat it Ford, Herseys etc.

And I wish Mexican citizens alot of luck dealing with these companys, you have the upper hand....you have what they need in Mexico....your labor....they can not do bussiness without you, remember that, stick together and you can win and build a nation.

What you can not have is OUR nation!!!