Thread: ICE detains two more Migrant Justice activists

ICE detains two more Migrant Justice activists

Mar. 17, 2017, 6:13 pm


Migrant Justice activists Marita Canedo, left, Enrique Balcazar and Abel Luna address reporters
outside Sen. Patrick Leahy’s Burlington offices. Photo by Morgan True/VTDigger

BURLINGTON — Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Enrique “Kike” Balcazar, 24, from Mexico, and and Zully Palacios, 23, from Peru, late Friday afternoon, according to an activist with the group Migrant Justice.They are the third and fourth members of the group to be detained by ICE agents this week. Caesar Alex Carillo-Sanchez, who goes by Alex Carillo, was arrested outside the Chittenden County courthouse in Burlington Wednesday morning.

Will Lambek, a Migrant Justice organizer, said he received a call from Balcazar around 5 p.m., during which Balcazar said he had been pulled over on Shelburne Road and was being arrested by agents. Lambek showed up just as Balcazar and his passenger were loaded into separate ICE vehicles, he said.

Palacios is also a Migrant Justice activist. Neither Balcazar nor his passenger were facing any criminal charges, according to Lambek, and he declined to comment on their immigration status.

An ICE spokesman did not return a message Friday seeking confirmation of the arrests and information about what led to the car stop.

Balcazar is a prominent member of Migrant Justice, and a regular at protests and rallies. He was an advocate for Vermont’s driver’s privilege card law, a policy implemented in 2014 that allows individuals to get a driver’s license without proving legal presence in the United States.

He was also a member of Attorney General TJ Donovan’s recently created task force on immigration issues, which was initiated to address deportation orders issued by President Donald Trump. Donovan could not be reached for comment Friday.

“We’ve heard from other people arrested by ICE in the past that agents have been targeting (Balcazar) for some time now,” Lambek said.

“It’s obvious that the local ICE office is looking to discourage immigrants in Vermont from organizing for their rights and dignity by attacking the only organization led by members of their community. They’re hoping to break the community’s spirit by targeting its leaders,” he added.

Friday night about 100 protesters with Migrant Justice demonstrated outside the ICE field office in St. Albans where Balcazar and Palacios are likely being detained.

Earlier in the week the Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union decried Alex Carillo’s arrest, saying that agents are trampling people’s rights.

Carillo was arrested on his way to a hearing stemming from a 2016 driving under the influence charge, which the state was preparing to dismiss at the hearing.

“It’s clear to us this is political retaliation,” Lambek said of Friday’s arrests.

ICE is following guidance in a January executive order from Trump that broadens enforcement priorities to include people who have been “charged with any criminal offense, where such charge has not been resolved.”

James Lyall, the executive director of the Vermont ACLU, said the president’s order takes the basic legal principle of innocent until proven guilty and “stands it on its head.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said ICE officers arrested 23-year-old Carrillo after a “targeted vehicle stop” Wednesday. He is being held pending deportation proceedings.

No information was available Friday regarding the detention of Balcazar and Palacios.

In a statement provided by Migrant Justice earlier in the week, the Rev. Joan Javier-Duval of the Unitarian Church of Montpelier said, “Trump’s new deportation policy inhumanely tears apart families and communities. The arrest of Alex Carillo will only cause more fear within Vermont’s immigrant farmworker community and cause more people to live in the shadows.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 7:55 a.m. March 18.


Enrique Balcazar, 24, from Mexico, and Zully Palacios, 23, from Peru, are both well-known
advocates for human rights in the state of Vermont. Courtesy photo

https://vtdigger.org/2017/03/17/ice-...ice-activists/

Advocate For Undocumented Farmworkers Arrested By ICE In Burlington

Mar 17, 2017


Enrique Balcazar, left, seen here at an event in June 2016, was arrested in Burlington Friday according to the advocacy group Migrant Justice.

Leaders of the advocacy group Migrant Justice say ICE agents arrested a former dairy farmworker in Burlington Friday afternoon.

Enrique Balcazar has been an outspoken advocate for undocumented farmworkers in Vermont. He came to the United States from Mexico when he was a teenager, and worked for a number of years on Vermont dairy farms, before becoming an organizer with Migrant Justice.

Will Lambek with Migrant Justice says Balcazar was arrested while he was driving down Shelburne Road in Burlington. Lambek says Balcazar called him as he was being arrested, and Lambek arrived on the scene and witnessed him being taken away. Lambek says Balcazar does not have a criminal record.

Migrant Justice leaders say they are staging a protest outside the Immigration and Custom Enforcement offices in St. Albans Friday, where they believe Balcazar is being taken.

This is the second arrest in as many days. Thursday, 23-year-old Alex Carrillo was arrested by plainclothes officers near the Chittenden County courthouse in Burlington according to Migrant Justice.

This post will be updated.

http://digital.vpr.net/post/advocate...ngton#stream/0

OH GOOD, thank you ICE. Get them out. Get them all out, quickly and quietly.

Deport them. They can go be an "advocate" for farm workers in Mexico. Adios!

“It’s obvious that the local ICE office is looking to discourage immigrants in Vermont from organizing for their rights and dignity by attacking the only organization led by members of their community. They’re hoping to break the community’s spirit by targeting its leaders,” he added.

Smart move by the feds. Like I've said before, get rid of the illegal alien 'talking heads' that organize and rally the illegals and the job of getting rid of the rest will become easier. Brings to mind the idiom, "cut off the head of the snake."

What does the following idiom mean cut off the head of the snake? Usually this idiom is used in a battle or military application in which you remove the most dangerous opponent or the leader first, so that the other enemies will be easier to deal with.

By: Spencer Conlin
Posted: Mar 18, 2017 07:09 PM EDT
Updated: Mar 18, 2017 07:09 PM EDT

Burlington, Vt. - On Saturday a few hundred people gathered on Church Street in Burlington, protesting the recent arrests of two immigrants and one undocumented immigrant.

Two of the people arrested were active members of Migrant Justice, an immigrant rights organization led by dairy workers.

Protesters marched through downtown Burlington calling for the release of Enrique Balcazar and Zully Palacios.

"They have been arrested and detained, Kike and Zully were arrested yesterday and they have been held without communication and we haven't heard anything from them since they were arrested by immigration,” said Victor Diaz, Migrant Justice Vermont organizer.

According to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman, on Friday federal agents conducted a targeted arrest of a female who entered the United States legally but overstayed her visa by nearly a year. Balcazar was with her and was also arrested after it was determined he was in violation of U.S. immigration laws.

Protesters took aim at the White House.

"Donald trump the president, we are not going to allow him to continue to separate our families, to continue to divide our communities and to continue to take our leaders we are not going to allow that,” said Abel Luna, Migrant Justice Vermont organizer.

On Wednesday 23 year-old Alexis Carrillo-Sanchez, a citizen of Mexico was also arrested following a targeted vehicle stop. According to officials, he claimed to have entered the United States illegally in 2010.

"Whether it is refugees or immigrants we need to become stronger together,” said Governor Phil Scott, (R) Vermont.

Scott weighed in on the issue at an event in Colchester. He considers it a federal matter, but one he is watching closely.

Scott said, "It has to be upfront and we need to figure out what is going on, the guidelines associated with that and so we are taking it seriously.”

Diaz was also detained about a year ago under similar circumstances.

Diaz said, "I feel a lot of anguish, anger and sadness to see my companions detained people who I have lived with, shared with and to see them taken away from me is terrible.”

Diaz says he and all the others who have rallied in support will not let up as there are several petitions circulating social media.

"We have networks all around the country who are writing in support of our detained friends and we are going to be sending that to ice who are going to start feeling the heat really soon,” said Diaz.

ICE officials say all three are being held pending 'removal proceedings'.

According to Migrant Justice, Enrique Balcazar is a member of Attorney General TJ Donovan’s recently formed Immigration Task Force. Donovan was not immediately available for comment on Saturday.

http://www.mychamplainvalley.com/new...ants/674908604

"Donald trump the president, we are not going to allow him to continue to separate our families, to continue to divide our communities and to continue to take our leaders we are not going to allow that,” said Abel Luna, Migrant Justice Vermont organizer.

Sounds like they think they are in charge of the country - with a large population of illegals in every state now, their overtaking of our country is beyond the first steps - GAME OVER, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE IN THIS COUNTRY IF YOU ARE AN ILLEGAL ALIEN - RETURN TO YOUR COUNTRY NOW!

Friday night about 100 protesters with Migrant Justice demonstrated outside the ICE field office in St. Albans where Balcazar and Palacios are likely being detained.

The 100 protesters would of been easy pickings and should of been asked for identification and detained for deportation processing