Thread: 6 workers at Mexican restaurant in Marshfield arrested by ICE

6 workers at Mexican restaurant in Marshfield arrested by ICE, manager says

Giacomo Bologna, Springfield News-LeaderPublished 10:30 p.m. CT July 31, 2018

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(Photo: Nathan Papes/News-Leader)


Six employees of a Mexican restaurant in Marshfield were arrested by officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement in July, according to the restaurant's manager.

El Charro's manager, Jorge Macias, said the six men had no criminal history since illegally immigrating from Mexico several years ago.

Macias said he doesn't know why El Charro is being scrutinized now, but what's happening in Marshfield appears to be part of a surge of similar arrests nationally.

One of President Donald Trump's first actions in office was to expand the power of immigration officers, allowing them to arrest any undocumented immigrant.

The arrests in Marshfield have upset some customers of El Charro.

"It's like a Mexican version of 'Cheers,'" Arilla Butts said of the restaurant. "That's our biggest question — why? ... It just seems to be a target."

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Phillip Thrower, a customer at El Charro, talks outside of the restaurant in Marshfield on Friday, July 27, 2018. (Photo: Nathan Papes/News-Leader)


Phillip Thrower said he and Butts have been regular customers at El Charro for years.

"Every time you come here, it's family," Thrower said. "It's like eating at your grandma's house."

At least three of the arrests are described in federal court documents.

According to the documents, Jose Vargas-Leon, 25, was driving a pickup truck in Marshfield on July 12 when two ICE deportation officers pulled him over.

Vargas-Leon and two other men in the truck presented Mexican identification documents and said they were in the country illegally, documents say.

All three are now in county jails, according to online records.

Federal court documents say the Marshfield police chief responded to the scene and found a loaded pistol in the cab and shotgun ammunition in the bed of the pickup truck.

Vargas-Leon said he had owned the pistol for seven years and had another gun at home, documents say, which ICE officers later seized.

Jose Trinidad Vargas-Leon (Photo: Greene County Sheriff's Office)


Vargas-Leon allegedly said he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on foot in 2011, when he was either 17 or 18 years old.

He was indicted on July 23 for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

A News-Leader reporter attended a court hearing for Vargas-Leon on Thursday and spoke with a special agent from the Department of Homeland Security outside the federal courthouse.

That agent, Greg Bowie, said that before the July 12 traffic stop, Vargas-Leon and his passengers were not suspects in any crimes other than illegally immigrating to the United States.

Bowie said all three men, who lived together in Marshfield, are now on track to be deported.

The News-Leader later learned that the three men also worked at El Charro.

When contacted by the News-Leader about the three arrests, Macias, the manager, said there were actually six arrests.

"I was working almost by myself," Macias said.
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Two other employees were picked up by ICE during another traffic stop in Marshfield, Macias said, and a sixth was arrested at El Charro.

Macias said officers came to the restaurant looking for a man who didn't work there, and when they couldn't find him, they arrested his brother, Alfonso Ayala-Pedroza.

Ayala-Pedroza's wife, Ashlee Myers, said she has visited her husband three times at the Christian County Jail. They have a 2-month-old son, Diego.

Myers said she thought Macias was joking when he said her husband had gotten arrested.

Buy PhotoAshlee Myers cries as she holds her baby Diego Ayala outside of El Charro in Marshfield on Friday, July 27, 2018. (Photo: Nathan Papes/News-Leader)


"I never thought it would happen," Myers said. "Why would they pick on people who haven't done anything?"

Some cities — "sanctuary cities" — have policies against cooperating with immigration authorities.

The mayor of Marshfield, Robert Williams, said his city has no such policy.

Williams would not comment on the arrests of the El Charro employees.

"I know that ICE does exist in our area, but I'm not aware of any specific details," Williams said by phone.

The mayor added that Marshfield will cooperate with state and federal officials.

Williams said that he has been to El Charro before, and when a reporter began to ask follow-up questions, Williams hung up.

Doug Fannen, Marshfield's police chief, did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesman for ICE said the agency does not have data on arrests by state or city readily available.


According to statistics from ICE, the type of arrests that took place in Marshfield — involving individuals who do not have criminal records — is a small portion of the total arrest made by ICE.

However, that percentage is growing.

In fiscal year 2016, ICE arrested 15,353 non-criminal immigration violators, less than 14 percent of the total arrests.

In fiscal year 2017, ICE arrested 37,734 non-criminal immigration violators, more than 26 percent of the total arrests.

Still, the numbers of non-criminal ICE arrests under President Trump have not come close to those in the early years of President Barack Obama's administration.

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In 2010, during the first full fiscal year of Obama's presidency, ICE arrested 129,302 non-criminal immigration violators, which was nearly half of all ICE arrests over that period.

The Obama administration later prioritized arresting immigrants with criminal convictions, leading to a large decrease in non-criminal arrests before Trump took office — a decrease that is now being reversed.

The Pew Research Center estimated in 2015 that there are 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., about half of whom are from Mexico.

During his first remarks as a candidate for president, Trump disparaged Mexican immigrants.

"They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people,” Trump said in 2015.

Macias said his employees are the good people, who pay their taxes and contribute to their community — and he is, too.

Macias, like his employees, faces deportation. He said he illegally immigrated from Mexico about two decades ago.

Macias said he was arrested last year at the Webster County courthouse when he tried to take care of a traffic ticket.

According to Macias, he spent 40 days in an Illinois jail before he was able to bond out.

He said his next court date is in 2021.

Macias said he likes Marshfield "because it's a quiet town, a nice town."

He said he works hard and owns some horses and a small farm that has tomatoes, corn and jalapenos.

"I hope I stay here a little longer," Macias said.

https://www.news-leader.com/story/ne...eld/852520002/

Still, the numbers of non-criminal ICE arrests under President Trump have not come close to those in the early years of President Barack Obama's administration.

I wonder why that is?

Macias said his employees are the good people, who pay their taxes and contribute to their community — and he is, too.

Macias, like his employees, faces deportation. He said he illegally immigrated from Mexico about two decades ago.

So let me see if I've got this right. Macias is an illegal alien business owner who knowingly had illegal aliens working in his business, yet he's not in detention. So he's obviously one of those "catch & release" characters awaiting a court date (2021). Absolutely astounding.

Originally Posted by MW

I wonder why that is?

Sometimes it helps to read the whole article to know where you been and where you're going:

According to statistics from ICE, the type of arrests that took place in Marshfield — involving individuals who do not have criminal records — is a small portion of the total arrest made by ICE.

However, that percentage is growing.

In fiscal year 2016, ICE arrested 15,353 non-criminal immigration violators, less than 14 percent of the total arrests.

In fiscal year 2017, ICE arrested 37,734 non-criminal immigration violators, more than 26 percent of the total arrests.

Still, the numbers of non-criminal ICE arrests under President Trump have not come close to those in the early years of President Barack Obama's administration.

In 2010, during the first full fiscal year of Obama's presidency, ICE arrested 129,302 non-criminal immigration violators, which was nearly half of all ICE arrests over that period.

The Obama administration later prioritized arresting immigrants with criminal convictions, leading to a large decrease in non-criminal arrests before Trump took office — a decrease that is now being reversed.

Originally Posted by MW

So let me see if I've got this right. Macias is an illegal alien business owner who knowingly had illegal aliens working in his business, yet he's not in detention. So he's obviously one of those "catch & release" characters awaiting a court date (2021). Absolutely astounding.

Yeah, eventually you'll understand the enormous problem this huge back-log in DOJ is causing. The villain illegal alien is out on bond, because DOJ couldn't get him a deportation hearing during the 40 days he was in tax-payer funded custody. This deportation hearing process needs to be moved back to DHS and get DOJ completely out of it like it used to be. It's a 2 question process:

1. are you a US citizen, yes or no, verify
2. if no, do you have valid unexpired documents to be in the US, yes or no, verify

If no and no, then out you go. Very simple. Takes 10 seconds, not 3 years.

Originally Posted by Judy

Sometimes it helps to read the whole article to know where you been and where you're going:

Wow, do you honestly think I only read bits and pieces of posted articles? My post was more in sarcasm than anything else. However, that still doesn't change the fact that we should be arresting and deporting far more than we are.

Originally Posted by Judy

Yeah, eventually you'll understand the enormous problem this huge back-log in DOJ is causing. The villain illegal alien is out on bond, because DOJ couldn't get him a deportation hearing during the 40 days he was in tax-payer funded custody. This deportation hearing process needs to be moved back to DHS and get DOJ completely out of it like it used to be. It's a 2 question process:

1. are you a US citizen, yes or no, verify
2. if no, do you have valid unexpired documents to be in the US, yes or no, verify

If no and no, then out you go. Very simple. Takes 10 seconds, not 3 years.

Your understanding of immigration law and the workings of DHS and DOJ is very weak .... even when it has been explained to you in-depth.

What you and the rest of us would like to see is far different than the actual reality of the situation. DHS or DOJ, it doesn't really matter because unfortunately our immigration laws don't adhere to Judy's rules. There is a process and that process has to be followed according to law regardless of who is doing what. For obvious reasons it makes sense that immigration judges and immigration court proceedings fall under the DOJ.

In this specific case, DHS should have grabbed the guy when he bonded out of jail and detained him (doesn't even sound like a detainer was placed on him). A long stint in detention may have convinced him stop legal proceedings and agree to deportation. However, since this guy has been here for over 10 years and could possibly have U.S. citizen born children he is probably fighting his case in the hopes of getting an INA: ACT 240A - cancellation of removal; adjustment of status. Obviously not guaranteed, but most of the the illegals that have been here for a decade or more and haven't broken any laws that would disqualify them do everything they can to prolong their stay here in the hopes our U.S. Congress will pass an amnesty bill.

Originally Posted by MW

However, that still doesn't change the fact that we should be arresting and deporting far more than we are.

Ice Apprehensions

2011---322,093
2017---139,553

I also question why there are not more.

Originally Posted by MW

Wow, do you honestly think I only read bits and pieces of posted articles? My post was more in sarcasm than anything else. However, that still doesn't change the fact that we should be arresting and deporting far more than we are.

ICE is arresting far more than DOJ is deporting. That is the problem. Wake Up!!

Originally Posted by MW

Your understanding of immigration law and the workings of DHS and DOJ is very weak .... even when it has been explained to you in-depth.

What you and the rest of us would like to see is far different than the actual reality of the situation. DHS or DOJ, it doesn't really matter because unfortunately our immigration laws don't adhere to Judy's rules. There is a process and that process has to be followed according to law regardless of who is doing what. For obvious reasons it makes sense that immigration judges and immigration court proceedings fall under the DOJ.

In this specific case, DHS should have grabbed the guy when he bonded out of jail and detained him (doesn't even sound like a detainer was placed on him). A long stint in detention may have convinced him stop legal proceedings and agree to deportation. However, since this guy has been here for over 10 years and could possibly have U.S. citizen born children he is probably fighting his case in the hopes of getting an INA: ACT 240A - cancellation of removal; adjustment of status. Obviously not guaranteed, but most of the the illegals that have been here for a decade or more and haven't broken any laws that would disqualify them do everything they can to prolong their stay here in the hopes our U.S. Congress will pass an amnesty bill.

It seems to me you don't want to fix the problem.