Thread: {SOB}Protesters want immigration reform, not roundups

Protesters want immigration reform, not roundups
Tuesday July 1, 4:16 pm ET
By Ben Greene, Associated Press Writer
Dozens of activists protest roundup of immigrants working for Maryland painting contractor

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Activists from immigrants rights groups rallied outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Baltimore on Tuesday to protest illegal immigration raids that they say are both ineffective and harmful to children.

Members of the National Capital Immigrant Coalition, CASA de Maryland and churches rallied a day after 45 people were arrested at the office of Annapolis Painting Services in Annapolis. Officials also raided 15 homes believed to be owned by the local painting company. All arrests were related to administrative immigration violations, ICE said.

Jessica Alvarez, vice president of the immigration coalition, said Tuesday that the rally intended to raise awareness on how the raids scar children emotionally.

"We have to see it from a child welfare angle," she said. "This type of enforcement is terrorizing."

A phone message left for an ICE spokesman in Washington D.C. was not immediately returned Tuesday.

ICE, which said the raid was part of ongoing investigations into workplaces that hire illegal immigrants, had been working on the case for 18 months, according to an agency statement. The arrested workers included foreign nationals from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nigeria and Panama.

Liza Zamd, a staff attorney for CASA, said a 4-year-old girl watched as ICE agents handcuffed and forced her father to kneel in their home while they searched for two workers from the painting company who live there. Zamd said the girl's father was a citizen and wasn't charged.

She said another man was arrested Monday, despite concern for his 18-month old child. Zamd said the child was given to a neighbor.

Scott Smith, who owns a general contracting company in Anne Arundel County and attended the rally, agreed that the raids aren't solving the problem. He said he lost 25 percent of business last year because businesses employing illegal immigrants have a competitive advantage from paying lower wages.

Alvarez and the Rev. John Lavin who spoke at the rally said the United States needs a more comprehensive and compassionate immigration system.

Lavin said immigration officials need to consider the humanity of illegal immigrants who often flee countries ravaged by civil war and poverty. He said illegal immigrants should be interviewed to measure their contributions to America such as paying taxes, working and owning a home.

Alvarez said authorities need to stop terrorizing families until immigration reform is accomplished.

"The solution to crack down on businesses is shortsighted and people are shortchanged," Alvarez said.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080701/md_illeg ... .html?.v=1

Doesn't Scott Smith realize he is on th wrong side.

Jessica Alvarez, vice president of the immigration coalition, said Tuesday that the rally intended to raise awareness on how the raids scar children emotionally.

"We have to see it from a child welfare angle," she said. "This type of enforcement is terrorizing."

Can't the same thing be said of the parents who put their kids in this position?

Lavin said immigration officials need to consider the humanity of illegal immigrants who often flee countries ravaged by civil war and poverty

As opposed to the illegal immigrants that come from wealthy, happy countries? I mean seriously, is there any other kind of illegal besides the impoverished kind?

Let's say he's right, wouldn't the 4.3 billion people worse off than the average Mexican deserve a chance first? Is it fair to put Mexicans/Latin Americans at the front of the line not because of relative poverty but mere geographical proximity?

All they do is bring their problems with them and I am not responsible for that. Americans should not keep on taking on others problems or else we will be left with nothing but problems!

So they are NOT being discriminated against! They are here criminally and it's the same scenerio that happens to an American kid when their parents are hauled off by the police for murder, rape, stealing, fighting, and smaller arrest issues.
It's the same job to the police, whether you are a legal criminal or an illegal one. It sucks for them to watch the kids reactions. BUT because you crossed our borders illegally, does not make you SPECIAL!!! You are the one causing your kid and family to go through the suffering. Quit blaming the police and the people that live here legally.
You get caught up in the sob stories but every one in prison or jail has a family, maybe with kids around, that are upset.

Now let's post a story about how much the children of victims of violence by illegal aliens miss their parents. That Border Patrol agent that was run down as he tried to do his job had children - let's talk about them.

These protestors have NO sympathy for American citizens who suffer.

We have poverty here in America too but they don't beak the law or forge documents so they can steal jobs they are not entitled to.

We have citizens who get arrested but these protestors don't give a hoot about their innocent children whose lives are disrupted by the parent who broke our laws.

We have Americans who die because they cannot afford health care yet these protetors could care less.

They have a single mission which in no way benefits the United States or its people and in fact is doing great harm.

They do not respect us because our government has not made it perfectly clear Citizens and their needs come first.

If our government would make this perfectly clear the protesting would stop and we would gain their respect,even though they may not like it,for taking care of our citizens,our poverty,our jobs,our health care needs.

The United States Cannot feed,cloth nor care for everyone who wants to come here and if we try our country will be no more..........

Originally Posted by cvangel

Activists from immigrants rights groups rallied outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Baltimore on Tuesday to protest illegal immigration raids that they say are both ineffective and harmful to children.

Translation: activists want no more raids so illegals can continue to sneak into this country, steal jobs, etc...