Thread: AZ: Protesters speak out on immigration enforcement

Protesters speak out on immigration enforcement
Dianna M. Náñez
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 20, 2007 04:17 PM

People from as far as Michigan and Minnesota joined local immigration-rights groups Friday ) to protest against what they view as Gilbert's unjust treatment of undocumented immigrants.

Many of the approximately 40 protestors said they were there to denounce Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman's comments regarding stricter immigration enforcement, as well as the deportation of three undocumented teens who were stopped by the Gilbert Police Department last month.

Rocio Olivas, 49, of Gilbert, said that she was stopped by a Gilbert Police officer last month. "He stopped me and asked me if I had been drinking," she said in Spanish. "I'm a citizen. I'm not scared of them. I told him I was not drinking, I was going to work. He told me, "Do you drive to work drunk?" I told him, 'Why did you stop me, because of the color of my skin.'"

Olivas said she does not believe all Gilbert residents have a racist attitude, but that she is upset with recent comments she heard from Berman on Spanish radio regarding undocumented immigrants not being welcome in Gilbert.

Aldo Castaneda, 47, of Mesa, said he hoped his presence at the protest would help stop Gilbert Police Department from enforcing immigration.

"We are hear today to protest against all of the public declarations of the Mayor of Gilbert and the City of Gilbert Police Department who are systematically detaining members of the Hispanic community," he said.

Berman said that Gilbert Police Department is not stopping residents on the basis of race.

"There is no racial profiling in Gilbert," he said. "I have not given instructions to our police department to go to construction sites, day labor sites or any place looking for illegal aliens. What I have said and what I will stand by and repeat is if you are person in our country illegally and they come to Gilbert and break the law, I want to send them home."

Joy Heine said she came with a conference of ministers from the Diaconal Ministers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America to welcome members of the immigrant into community.

"Many of the members felt it was important to live out our call from jesus to love our neighbor as ourselves," she said.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... 0-ON.html#

WOW 40 protester huh, and some came from Michigan and Minnesota, what 37, 38 from these other states. Pretty bad when you have to import all your protesters from another state.

she is upset with recent comments she heard from Berman on Spanish radio regarding undocumented immigrants not being welcome in Gilbert.

Well I'm upset over being driven from my home of 33 years because my town was overrun with low life illegal aliens.

April 21, 2007
Advocates protest deportation of 3 teens
Beth Lucas, Tribune
They chose the day before Gilbert’s Global Village Festival to send a message to Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman: “Open your heart” to immigrants.

About two dozen Hispanic advocates gathered Friday afternoon at Gilbert and Baseline roads to protest the deportation of three teenagers caught drag racing and a proposal by Berman that Gilbert police turn over all illegal immigrants caught breaking the law to federal authorities.

“They have a multicultural festival in the city of Gilbert (today), and we want to say to the people of Mesa and Gilbert, that we are not welcome in Gilbert,” said Magdalena Schwartz of Mesa, who called Berman’s proposal “racist.”

Advocates who annually attend today’s Gilbert festival instead plan to boycott it, she said, partly because they feel Gilbert now has an environment of “fear.”

Berman denied the accusations and said that on Friday, in fact, he signed a proclamation supporting the first Hispanic Ford dealer in Arizona. He has no issue with Hispanics, he said, but with illegal immigrants who violate the law.

“I’ve never said anything against Hispanics, not once,” Berman said. “What I have said and I’ll say again is illegal aliens should not be in our country, and if somebody is in our country illegally, if they come to Gilbert they need to be on their best behavior. I don’t care if they’re illegally here from Mexico, Germany, Switzerland or from Albania.”

Visiting members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America joined the protest as well as some residents who had recently been jailed by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for being in the country illegally.

One sign read, “Mayor Berman, please open your mind and your heart.” Another carried by a 4-year-old boy read, “God is Hispanic, too.”

The issue became heated in Gilbert after Jaime Cisneros, 16, was arrested March 10 after police said he revved his engine and then drove his 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse more than 20 miles over the speed limit on Guadalupe Road.

He revealed to police he carried a Mexican ID, and an officer contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who deported Cisneros and his two passengers, Johany Nafarrate, 17, and Omar Galvez-Alejandro, 16.

Aldo Castaneda, director of the nonprofit Phoenix Immigration Center, said he often gets complaints that Gilbert police officers in particular are likely to contact immigration authorities when illegal residents are arrested.

He said Berman and the town owes Hispanics an apology. “The police officers are playing immigration officers,” he said. “That’s not their job.”

Current Gilbert police policy gives officers discretion on whether to turn over illegal immigrants to federal authorities.

Town Councilman Don Skousen said the policy is not meant to attack illegal immigrants, but to avoid the dangers of an unlicensed and uninsured resident who is violating law and, for instance, driving dangerously, and unlikely to help pay for any damages.

“It’s not racial profiling,” he said. “They stop a vehicle for doing something wrong, if it happens to be a person undocumented and they discover that, they turn it over to immigration (officials).”

Aldo Castaneda, director of the nonprofit Phoenix Immigration Center, said he often gets complaints that Gilbert police officers in particular are likely to contact immigration authorities when illegal residents are arrested.

He said Berman and the town owes Hispanics an apology. “The police officers are playing immigration officers,” he said. “That’s not their job.”

Who died and made Aldo king

Comments being left after the article at the link too.
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April 24, 2007
Immigration protest spurs Gilbert talks
Beth Lucas, Tribune
A Friday protest that labeled Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman as “racist” has led to a planned meeting between Berman and immigration advocates.

Berman on Monday said he approached protesters late Friday as they held one sign that asked him to “open his heart” to immigrants, next to a hot pink sign that said “no to racism.”

“I talked to them,” he said. “I don’t know if anything is any better or worse.”

His arrival was a surprise, protesters said, as they prepared to wrap up a protest at Baseline and Gilbert roads just outside of Gilbert. Vice Mayor Dave Crozier and Human Relations Commission chairwoman Tami Smull also visited with protesters.

“We say, ‘How do you know these people are illegal here?’” said protester Magdalena Schwartz of Mesa. “We have a lot of people here legal but in the process with immigration. People who have houses here in Gilbert or have a business.”

Berman said the protesters misunderstood comments he made to a Spanish radio station.

“I said the reason we had immigration laws is that there are some people we just don’t want in our country: convicted felons, sex offenders, people with AIDS,” Berman said. “People were saying that I said I don’t want Mexicans because they all have tuberculosis. That’s pretty hard core, and it’s untrue.”

He said he stands by statements that he’d like all Gilbert police to turn over all undocumented residents who break the law to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Schwartz said she will try to talk him out of that position during the yet-to-be-scheduled meeting.

“We are not here to protect criminal people. We are here for human rights,” she said.

She said residents who typically follow the law should only face standard criminal charges or fines, rather than deportation.

Berman made the statements on the radio following the deportation of three teenagers who were drag racing and speeding more than 22 miles over the speed limit. After the driver told a Gilbert officer he was an illegal resident, the officer called immigration authorities, who deported the three teenagers.

Gilbert police Sgt. Andrew Duncan said police officers are prohibited from racial profiling, but have the discretion to call immigration authorities when a suspect reveals illegal status in the country.

He said immigration authorities also request to be called to a scene involving illegal immigrants. And a law passed in 2006 requires that the nationality of arrested suspects be verified when they are booked, since some consulates seek notification of an arrest of their citizens. Mexico allows suspects their discretion as to whether a consulate is contacted.

“If someone has a Mexico driver’s license, and they are stopped for a civil traffic offense, that is not a problem, we don’t contact Immigration,” Duncan said.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/ ... =STY-88394