Group protests arrests of illegals

By JESSIE SALISBURY and ANNE LUNDREGAN, Telegraph Correspondent and Staff

Published: Tuesday, May. 24, 2005

There were a few people in the crowd supporting Police Chief W. Garrett Chamberlain, but most of those gathered in front of the New Ipswich police station Monday afternoon were protesting his recent arrest of a Mexican citizen who was charged with criminal trespass for being in the country illegally.

The case will go to trial July 12.

The protesters, who called themselves a Human Rights Caravan, carried signs with messages like: “No Human Being is Illegal,� “Undocumented Immigrants Pay Taxes, is that illegal?� and “You Can’t Trespass on Public Property.�

Bob Miller of Franklin carried a sign in support of Chamberlain: “Thank you, Chief. Send Illegals Back Home.�

The demonstration organized by the New Hampshire Immigrant Rights Task Force was generally peaceful and well mannered. The event drew a large number of reporters from both local newspapers and television stations. About 35 demonstrators came in spite of a cold, misty drizzle.

After New Ipswich, the group traveled to Hudson to talk to the police chief Richard Gendron.

“We are representing communities across the state and don’t want the message sent that this is what New Hampshire is all about,� said Mark MacKenzie, president of N.H. AFL-CIO, just before leaving for Hudson. “All people who come here should be protected.�

Chamberlain was the first to use state law in an attempt to enforce a potential federal immigration violation when he charged Jorge Mora Ramirez, a 21-year-old Mexican, with trespassing in New Ipswich because he is believed to be in the country illegally.

In Hudson, police followed suit when they issued summonses for criminal trespass following a traffic stop on Route 102 to Sergio Ruiz-Robles, 21, and Margarito Jaramillio Escobar, 23, both of 55 Perham St., after they presented Mexican government identification documents.

In Hudson, protesters met with Gendron and several officers inside the police station.

Among those present was Escobar. “We’re here just to work, not be treated as criminals,� he said.

Others had words of encouragement for police.

“I know there’s been a lot of media attention,� said Republican State Rep. David Buhlman of Hudson. “There’s no other chiefs in the country doing this.�

The federal government should be defending its borders, Buhlman said, citing grassroots efforts like the minutemen in Arizona. The two chiefs should be commended for setting an example to other law enforcement agencies in the country, he added.

In New Ipswich, Franklin resident Miller was eager to back Chamberlain.

“I appreciate what the chief is doing,� Miller said. “The federal government is doing nothing. I’m not against anyone coming here legally. Illegals suck off the system.�

Jim Giddings of Greenville took the opposite side. “I’m against using criminal trespass,� he said. “There is a national immigration law and we ought to be applying it in this case. (Criminal trespass) should be used for private property.�

“People are coming here to earn a living,� he added. “Their option is to sneak across the border to get a job.�

Chamberlain came out into the drizzle to listen and to address the crowd.

State Rep. Hector Velez of Manchester, speaking for New Hampshire Immigrants Rights Task Force, read from a prepared statement, and said his organization was “deeply troubled by the arrests here and in Hudson,� and said it was an “unjust denial of human rights.�

He added that he was concerned it would lead to “racial profiling of motorists and pedestrians, people whose complexions are dark, who speak a different language and who are born in another country. We feel this should stop here.�

Chamberlain answered, “the problem is, the situation is being misconstrued. I have no objection to legal immigration. It is against the law to be in the United States illegally. Legal is legal. My authority is under state law, not federal. I applied a state law. The law is on the books, I just chose to apply it. Don’t try to portray it as a race issue.�

The meeting with Chamberlain lasted only a few minutes. Most of the comments were made before or after the presentation to the chief.

Peter Buchanan of Dover said coming to New Ipswich was worth the drive.

“(Chamberlain is acting) out of the realm of local law enforcement. He should not be involved in immigration; that is a civil matter,� he said. “People who are undocumented come here for better opportunities, the same as our ancestors did. They want to work to support their families. The way he is going about it is negative. It is racial profiling.�

Selectman Chairman Jay Hopkins backed Chamberlain. “If it is illegal, you have broken the law. Garrett was hired to enforce the law and that is what he is doing.�

Prior to the demonstration, Chamberlain spoke with reporters. “Nothing has changed,� he said. “I will continue to do what is right for the citizens of New Ipswich and New Hampshire. I have the full support of my selectmen.�

He added, “(Some people) are trying to make this into a social profiling thing, but it has nothing to do with race. I will deal with people from any country. It is legal or it isn’t. My position will never change.�

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