Thread: Wallingford, CT family says immigration raid was traumatic

Wallingford family says immigration raid was traumatic
Wallingford family says immigration raid was traumatic - story by Kent Pierce
http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=6969495&nav=3YeX
by News Channel 8's Kent Pierce
Posted Aug. 22, 2007
5:45 PM

Wallingford, CT (WTNH) _ A Wallingford family is demanding answers from the government for raiding their house and seizing a man in front of his kids.

Said Zaim-Sassi, a Moroccan immigrant, was doing everything he could to stay in this country legally but he lost his last court battle in January.

He told immigration officials he would surrender whenever they wanted, but instead they raided his home before dawn on Monday. Now relatives are saying that his children have been traumatized for no reason.

"I'm sorry, they just hauled him off right in front of his kids," says Zaim-Sassi's sister-in-law, Jawahiri Hamdi. She says government agents burst into her parents house early Monday morning.

"All my mother heard was 'Break the door down.' So she quickly started unlocking," says Hamdi. "She didn't want someone breaking the door down on her."

Said has been in the United States for 19 years. He overstayed his initial visa, but now has a wife and three children who are all U.S. citizens, and his family say he's always done what immigration authorities told him to do.

"He reports to them every single month. He abided by all the rules and regulations," says Hamdi.

But Said does have one black mark on his record. The federal government decided that years ago, his first marriage to a U.S. citizen was only to improve his immigration status. That's considered marriage fraud and under the current rules he's now barred from applying for permanent resident status.

Despite letters of support from family, friends, and his employer, Metro-North, Said lost his last court appeal in January, and the court has issued a final order of removal.

"They have no legal right in this country. I'm sorry that he has to go back," says Ted Pechinski with Southern Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Reform (SCCIR).

Members of SCCIR say once an immigrant is ruled illegal, they should expect authorities to come and get him like anyone else who is breaking the law.

"The average working American citizen in the New Haven area is going to find his life changing drastically if we begin setting up two sets of laws in this country: one for Americans and one for foreigners," says Veronica Kivela, another member of SCCIR.

Said is now at the Wyatt Detention Center in Rhode Island and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) say he will be deported. When asked about Monday's raid a spokeswoman says agents had consent to enter the house. Agents say that they identified themselves and found Said hiding.

Hamdi disagrees and says Said was asleep and there was no reason to drag away a father in front of his children.

"Now my niece is afraid. She sees a police car and she says, 'Mommy, Mommy hurry up! Let's get home before they get us.'"

ICE says they never give any warning because that gives people a chance to run. As far as the government is concerned Said is an illegal alien and had to be seized.

An immigrants' rights group is planning a protest Friday morning in front of an immigration court in Hartford.

Waaaaaaaa! He had 8 months to leave! He could have gotten on a plane and left any time he pleased.

Waaaaaaaaa!

Dixie

WHAT DO THEY THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN? IN THE LONG RUN, IF THEY ARE ILLEGAL, THEY ARE GOING TO GET THE BOOT. WHAT IS THE BIG SUPRISE?

Where is Paul Harvey when we need him? I think we need to hear THE REST OF THE STORY.

This is not unlike the initial reports that ICE unceremoniously dumped Elivra at the Tijuana border. When the ICE agent took the podium he said the delivery was pre-arranged with the Mexican Consulate to insure her safety. These stories are calculated to raise the ire of their sympathizers.

A Wallingford (illegal) family is demanding answers from the government for raiding their house and seizing a man in front of his kids

...here we go again. Time after time, in these type of reports we hear that illegals are demanding this and demanding that...Hey...you're ILLEGAL...nothing gets demanded unless it's me demanding that your ass be deported.

A Wallingford family is demanding answers from the government for raiding their house and seizing a man in front of his kids.

Here, let's see if we can help them out with that, shall we?

he lost his last court battle in January.

Said has been in the United States for 19 years. He overstayed his initial visa

But Said does have one black mark on his record. The federal government decided that years ago, his first marriage to a U.S. citizen was only to improve his immigration status. That's considered marriage fraud and under the current rules he's now barred from applying for permanent resident status.

Said lost his last court appeal in January, and the court has issued a final order of removal.

"They have no legal right in this country.

once an immigrant is ruled illegal, they should expect authorities to come and get him like anyone else who is breaking the law.

As far as the government is concerned Said is an illegal alien and had to be seized.



Hope that clears it up for 'em.............

We demand answers from our government over illegals over staying and working here!!! We don't have good luck in that department though!

Why do they think they can break the law and not face any consequences????!!!!

ICE says they never give any warning because that gives people a chance to run. As far as the government is concerned Said is an illegal alien and had to be seized.

Go Ice! btw if your ever in the neighborhood

Sorry, but lots of Americans who break the law get hauled away in front of their kids. Break the law, you get arrested. What is so difficult to understand about that?