BP spat upon at forum they agreed to attend for good PR

[mapwife]

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/printDS/123629

Published: 04.07.2006

Border Patrol and police field complaints at forumBy Arthur Rotstein
ASSOCIATED PRESS
U.S. Border Patrol and Tucson police representatives fielded a litany of complaints alleging abusive treatment Thursday and attempted to assure that the agencies take heed and are accountable.
At a community forum sponsored by the Border Action Network, an immigrant rights organization, Border Patrol officials urged those believing that agents had violated the law or their civil rights to call the agency and ask to speak with a supervisor.
Julissa Billa, a legal resident, said that she was stopped at the Tucson airport last month and intimidated by a Border Patrol agent, arrested and detained for two days, with insufficient food, water and filthy toilet facilities. “I felt like I had no rights,” Billa said. “I don’t understand how such a rich country would” allow that.
She said she never was charged with an offense.
Sam Lucio, field operations supervisor for the Border Patrol’s Tucson station, said his agency’s detention centers hold individuals on average less than 12 hours, with water, hamburgers or burritos, soup, snacks, juice and crackers provided every six hours.
He acknowledged that the toilet facilities in the current temporary holding facility can become stressed with 400 to 600 people using them daily, but said a contracted crew cleans the facilities three times daily. A new detention center is scheduled to open in June, Lucio said.
Juana Medina, who has held a green card for 23 years, said that a little more than a year ago, a Border Patrol agent came to her home, asked for her papers and arrested her when she showed him her driver’s license — even though she was watching her grandchildren.
“He told me to be quiet, said I could be taken away — and told my daughter she could be taken too” when she arrived at the house, Medina said.
Medina said she was detained all night, was not allowed to talk to a lawyer and was not told why he had come to her house. She said she did not give the agent permission to enter the house and that at the detention center she was denied water and had “no toilet paper.”
“Why did they not tell me my rights?” Medina asked. “Why would they do that — simply threaten me?”
She said she had never had a record but now fears that the incident could make it hard for her to become a citizen.
Lucio said it’s not common practice for a Border Patrol agent to go to someone’s home “unless we have an active investigation.” And he said it is the agent’s responsibility to say why someone is being investigated. Lucio and the station’s chief official, Mark Rios, offered to discuss the woman’s case in depth afterward.
Andrew Silverman, a University of Arizona law professor who was on the panel, said: “Obviously, there’s some disconnect here. You have a right to be treated humanely.”
The meeting was part of a continuing dialogue aimed at reaching accountability for human and civil rights in border communities nationwide, Border Action Network director Jennifer Allen said.

[Judy]

Americans, listen to me.

Solving this problem is going to be one of the most difficult things we've ever had to do.

Just remember. It's not our fault. We didn't cause it. Illegal aliens caused it. Yes, Legal Immigrants are going to be caught up in some of the confusion and there is no way to avoid that. Yes, the facilities are not going to be nice and the conditions will be harsh and there is no way to avoid that. The United States is broke. We have not enough money in our treasury to take care of our own people and our own nation without borrowing billions every single week.

This is not a game. It is not a joy ride. And the best thing an illegal alien can do is start packing and get out now with your belongings and money and your family...together....and go home.

How dare them blame Border Patrol?

How dare them try to blame American Citizens?

People, listen to me. This deportation has to occur just about any way that we can get it done with the limited resources we now have available because illegal immigration has sucked our nation dry as a bone will not make it a pretty lovely picnic every single time.

Entering the United States was a crime. It is a crime to be here illegally. Every single illegal alien knows that very simple fact.

Just pack and depart before we deport.

That is your best solution and best course of action.

You might also grab a roll of toilet paper and stick it in your purse on the way to the detention facility. When we were little kids and would go to public facilities, that's what our mother did...always had a roll, because invariably whether it was a park, a movie, a baseball game....they were always out of toilet paper.

What a bunch of whiney people!

Geeeezzzz.

[Mamie]

“I don’t understand how such a rich country would” allow that.

that's the problem, everybody thinks we are "such a rich country" -- WE ARE BROKE!

and according to the Constitution, aliens DO NOT have civil rights

[TheWatchdog]

Any forum created by the "Border Action Network" is a shakedown. These pro-illegal groups use every phony trick in the book. They are constantly on the Spanish TV stations lying their asses off about all kinds of border violence committed against them. The BP should not have sent anyone to speak to them at all. Ignore them. Let them complain to Vicente Fox.

[Judy]

That's right WatchDog, they SHOULD NOT HAVE RESPONDED. They are not citizens; do not have a citizen's agenda and BP works for American Citizens and no one else.