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USA TODAY

What are ICE raids accomplishing?

By Raul Reyes

Residents of Postville,Iowa, recently described to a congressional delegation the scars that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on Agriprocessors' meat plant had left on their community. In the wake of the May incident, they say, the town is economically and socially unstable.

ICE raids are, in essence, government-sanctioned racial profiling. Typically, ICE descends upon a workplace with armed agents to determine who is legal and who is not.

Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., has asked the right question about the raids: "When dealing with Anglo identity theft suspects, is federal law enforcement going to start cordoning off white neighborhoods or workplaces, handcuffing and detaining everyone, and only then sorting out the accused?"

The U.S. has every right to deport illegal aliens, of course. But the government has been charging them with identity theft and sentencing them to serve jail time first. While those workers are here illegally, their violation is a far cry from robbing someone of their money or property by stealing their identity. The incarceration is costly and unnecessarily punitive.

Erik Camayd-Freixas, a veteran federal interpreter at the Postville raid, described a sad procession of men and women, shackled at the wrist, waist and ankles, being denied due process. The U.S. attorney's office says the workers' rights were not compromised.

Sure, the raids ensnare a negligible number of undocumented workers, but what do they really accomplish? The Des Moines Register reported that Postville has lost one-third of its population, and that Agriprocessors has begun importing homeless people from Texas to work, leading to a rise in crime, public drunkenness and a run on food banks.

True, the raid exposed a range of possible workplace violations, including child labor and safety issues. But investigators were already looking into these abuses, independent of ICE. Illegal immigrants will clam up in this new climate of fear. The best way to halt these abuses is with comprehensive reform.

Barack Obama and John McCain have criticized the raids and remain committed to immigration reform. In the meantime, Congress should hold hearings on ICE itself. In the USA, all people deserve to be treated humanely — and with justice.

Raul Reyes is an attorney in New York and a member of USA TODAY's board of contributors.

Posted at 12:15 AM/ET, August 08, 2008 in Forum commentary, Immigration - Forum, Reyes | Permalink

USA TODAY - Online - OPINION

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This article in which Reyes does not recognize actual identity theft reminds me of the misunderstanding of the news media when a major figure on our side told them that a protest against Minutemen in Vermont was being organized by someone who idealized and idolized terrorists. They thought he was being hyperbolic when in fact he was citing the writing of the organizer.

The U.S. has every right to deport illegal aliens, of course. But the government has been charging them with identity theft and sentencing them to serve jail time first. While those workers are here illegally, their violation is a far cry from robbing someone of their money or property by stealing their identity. The incarceration is costly and unnecessarily punitive.

And it`s about time they start doing something about the illegals. Taking all they have worked for is ok by me, they weren`t suppose to be here in the first place. You can blame the government for that, if they would have been enforcing the law 25 years ago this wouldn`t be happening right now. And can`t they confiscate drug dealers possessions. Whats the diffence? A felony is felony, period.

The reporter seems to believe identity theft victims are all Anglos. Actually, most are Hipanic. How many illegal workers apply for jobs using names like Jane Doe or John Smith?
Woundn't employers be a little suspicious of Spanish speaking job applicants having Social Security cards with names like Shanika Jones, or Elmer Fudd?

I posted the following:

User Image
cayla99 wrote: 8m ago
Would the writer have been so upset if it was a white person who was wanted for the destruction of his life? Even if the illegal did not take out credit under the false ID, their info will still be merged onto the credit report of the victim. This can, and often does adversly affect the credit of the victim. Then there is the background check problems, that ARE THERE FOREVER NO MATTER WHAT COURT ORDERS EXIST STATING OTHERWISE. This has cost many victims everything from jobs to housing. Let us not forget the grand daddy of them all, the IRS. We all know that the IRS does not take kindly to reporting all income or filing two returns. Either way is going to lead to headaches and legal fees. How can a person report "income" that they never knew about? This income disparity has also cost lives. Some victims depend on government aid for medical care for themselves or their children. When an illegal uses their ID, this often raises them above the threshold of eligibility. People have died waiting to straighten this out.

IF arresting a large percentage of criminals in one spot is inconvienent either for the company that hired them, or the community that conceled them, too bad. They took that riske when they made the decision to aid and abet these criminals.

I only intended to leave on post at this time, but then someone ticked me off so I also posted the following:

User Image
cayla99 wrote: 1m ago
"Have you ever read what is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty? If not, I suggest you educate yourself. Then, if you still feel that much hatred toward illegal immigrants.....solicite Congress until they get New York to rip Lady Liberty down."


It is not our literacy that is in question, my friend, but yours. The quote you are speaking of is this:

""Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I lift my lamp beside the golden door. Not allyway, not open window, not sneaking in like a theif in the night, but walking legally through the golden door. May I suggest you actually read it yourself and know what you are talking about prior to posting?

I am so fed up with those who want to make excuses for ILLEGALS in this country. First of all, they did NOT just go out for a walk and end up in New York, Penn., Ohio, Texas or any other state in this country --- they literally planned and set a date on when they would enter this nation and break OUR laws --- once here the domino effect started----welfare, food stamps, housing, free medical, ID thieft----and on, and on and on!!!!
If we can not depend on companies hiring American Citizens, if we can not depend on our borders being secure then we MUST do what we can for the safety of our families and our country.
When this nation ALLOWS the mexican military to hold OUR border patrol agents at gun point ON AMERICAN SOIL------WE HAVE A BIG PROBLEM---and I say ALLOW because it happens all the time ----I call this an invasion!!! What other country would be allowed to get away with this----someone answer that one question for me---please.

While those workers are here illegally, their violation is a far cry from robbing someone of their money or property by stealing their identity. The incarceration is costly and unnecessarily punitive.

The incarceration is appropriate. They use someones identity and ruin that persons financial reputation and also can attach a criminal record to their identity and then cost them thousands to get their good name back.

This author is nothing but an illegal alien sympathizer, and these kind cannot even be taken seriously, they are totally blind, and stupid to boot.

Just left a comment

Originally Posted by AE

While those workers are here illegally, their violation is a far cry from robbing someone of their money or property by stealing their identity. The incarceration is costly and unnecessarily punitive.

The incarceration is appropriate. They use someones identity and ruin that persons financial reputation and also can attach a criminal record to their identity and then cost them thousands to get their good name back.

This author is nothing but an illegal alien sympathizer, and these kind cannot even be taken seriously, they are totally blind, and stupid to boot.

BRAVO AE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by cayla99

I posted the following:

User Image
cayla99 wrote: 8m ago
Would the writer have been so upset if it was a white person who was wanted for the destruction of his life? Even if the illegal did not take out credit under the false ID, their info will still be merged onto the credit report of the victim. This can, and often does adversly affect the credit of the victim. Then there is the background check problems, that ARE THERE FOREVER NO MATTER WHAT COURT ORDERS EXIST STATING OTHERWISE. This has cost many victims everything from jobs to housing. Let us not forget the grand daddy of them all, the IRS. We all know that the IRS does not take kindly to reporting all income or filing two returns. Either way is going to lead to headaches and legal fees. How can a person report "income" that they never knew about? This income disparity has also cost lives. Some victims depend on government aid for medical care for themselves or their children. When an illegal uses their ID, this often raises them above the threshold of eligibility. People have died waiting to straighten this out.

IF arresting a large percentage of criminals in one spot is inconvienent either for the company that hired them, or the community that conceled them, too bad. They took that riske when they made the decision to aid and abet these criminals.

I only intended to leave on post at this time, but then someone ticked me off so I also posted the following:

[quote:17zrpjm6]
User Image
cayla99 wrote: 1m ago
"Have you ever read what is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty? If not, I suggest you educate yourself. Then, if you still feel that much hatred toward illegal immigrants.....solicite Congress until they get New York to rip Lady Liberty down."


It is not our literacy that is in question, my friend, but yours. The quote you are speaking of is this:

""Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I lift my lamp beside the golden door. Not allyway, not open window, not sneaking in like a theif in the night, but walking legally through the golden door. May I suggest you actually read it yourself and know what you are talking about prior to posting?

[/quote:17zrpjm6]

You go girl!