Thread: Advocate question plan for illegals to turn themselves in

August 1, 2008
Advocates question plan for illegal immigrants to turn themselves in

By Luis F. Perez | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
August 1, 2008
Self-service deportation?

Federal officials unveiled a pilot program Thursday to invite immigrants ordered out of the country to turn themselves in to be sent home.

The benefit, Immigration and Customs Enforcement says, is that the plan ends the risk of sudden arrest and detention for immigrants who stay after being issued deportation orders.

ICE plans a 17-day test program beginning Tuesday in Santa Ana, Calif., San Diego, Phoenix, Chicago and Charlotte. After the test phase, the program could be expanded, officials said.



"This program addresses concerns raised by aliens, community groups, and immigration attorneys who say ICE unnecessarily disrupts families while enforcing the law," said Julie L. Myers, Homeland Security assistant secretary for ICE. "By participating in the Scheduled Departure Program, those who have had their day in court and have been ordered to leave the country have an opportunity to comply with the law and gain control of how their families are affected by their removal."

But immigration attorneys and advocates questioned the program.

"This sounds like a policy straight out of a Saturday Night Live skit, not a serious proposal," said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, an immigrant advocacy group. "The idea that millions of people are going to knock on the government's door and ask to be deported is pure fantasy. This is not a solution; this is mass deportation on the cheap, and it just won't work." Officials said the test program will run through Aug. 22.

"This latest operation sounds like it's immigrant friendly, but I doubt immigrants will see it that way," said Cheryl Little, executive director of the Florida Immigration Advocacy Center.

Many are still holding out hope for immigration reform, she said.

"Immigrants have lots of reasons not to believe immigration officials won't detain them if they come forward and won't give them an opportunity to prepare for their departure," Little said.

Luis F. Perez can be reached at lfperez@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4553.

Don`t hold your breath....

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/ ... 1175.story

Let's see how many illegals just boogey out of the test cities and move somewhere else. It is kind of silly when these people mostly are here to feed their families, etc. in extremely poor countries ($27 billion in remittances sent to Mexico alone last year.) Why does this gov't bother with pilot programs instead of just announcing a new policy for the whole country? This is calling for leadership, something W has bungled since his first day in office.

We need to make sure this is not a setup to give the illegals immunity from arrest till after the election and we need to make sure the raids continue.

W

Originally Posted by ALIPAC

We need to make sure this is not a setup to give the illegals immunity from arrest till after the election and we need to make sure the raids continue.

W

I agree 100%!

My own thoughts have been gravitating toward a set up scenario myself and initially I thought that it might be something to benefit the IAs as well.

But, it doesn't really make much sense to offer it in only 5 cities and for such a very limited amount of time, especially when ICE just KNOWS that IAs are not going to be rushing the doors to turn themselves in.

Also, to me anyway, there almost seems to be a preemptive strike sort of tone to the whole thing like "They can't say we didn't give them a chance to do it their way"

That's when I began to wonder if we might not see another enforcement action coming up in the not so distant future which....just like what happened in Postville.....is going to take all of us by surprise and is not going to be something the IA advocates like one bit.

But, as I said in another thread....I guess we'll have to wait and see where this goes.