Thread: ICE Raid in Austin?

ICE Raid in Austin?

Federal immigration agency rumored to be in town for roundup

By Mary Tuma, 3:50PM, Thu. Feb. 2, 2017


Immigrants and allies demonstrate outside of the Capitol Thursday during a Senate State Affairs Committee hearing on SB 4,
a bill that would require local law enforcement to comply with ICE. (Photo by Jana Birchum)

Immigration attorneys and activists around the city expressed concerns today (Feb. 2) about the potential of an “active” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Travis County.

The threat of increased enforcement follows an immigration ban executive order issued last Friday by President Donald Trump and growing tensions over discordant “sanctuary city” policies between Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Hernandez pledged to not comply with noncriminal ICE requests, with some exceptions, a policy that went into effect on Wednesday, Feb. 1. In a vindictive display of political payback, Abbott cut off funding of a $1.5 million criminal justice grant to Travis County.

According to the Immigrant Services Network of Austin, which published a news bulletin on Wednesday about the rumored raid, ICE has reportedly deployed four teams of five to 10 officers in Travis County. The federal agency is allegedly lodging detainers for any foreign-born individual in a county jail, and are detaining and arresting people who have criminal warrants or outstanding orders of removal. (DACA, deferred action, pending U visas, and stays of removal aren’t being targeted at this point, though that could change.) “Be careful,” warned the local network.

Professor Denise Gilman, director of the University of Texas Law School’s Immigration Clinic, said that ICE’s efforts this weekend are likely not a coincidence. Tensions are high after the standoff between Hernandez and Abbott. On Thursday, the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee convened for a well-attended hearing on Senate Bill 4, a bill from Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, that would ban so-called “sanctuary cities” and punish municipalities and universities that do not comply with detainer requests from ICE to hand over immigrants in custody for deportation.

“We are concerned about the likelihood this will spread a lot of fear in our communities,” said Gilman. “It’s unfortunate that it seems to be timed to intimidate members of the community into thinking twice about the smart policy decision that Sheriff Hernandez made to allow strong relations between local law enforcement and the community, instead of having them get involved with ICE orders.”

Pressed to confirm reports of ICE activity, Carl Rusnok, the agency’s central region director of communications, told the Chronicle that he could not “research vague accusations” and asked for “specific examples – dates, times, locations, description of the event” before researching to confirm if enforcement had increased in Travis County. So far, the Chronicle has not received notice of any specific detainments or arrests.



ISN Austin is moving forward with the expectation of ICE’s presence, and has directed those affected to resources and fact sheets from United We Dream and the National Immigration Law Center, as well as a deportation crisis hotline (512-270-1515). The fact sheets remind those concerned about immigration enforcement to not open your doors (ICE cannot enter without a signed warrant from a criminal court judge) or sign anything ICE gives you without talking to an attorney first.

District 4 Council Member Greg Casar said his office is is preparing to issue “Know Your Rights” pamphlets to area schools to help inform students and parents about how to respond to ICE enforcement. “Regardless of whether or not the raids are occurring this week, we believe such assaults on our community are imminent given the anti-immigrant hate of our federal administration,” said Casar in a statement to the Chronicle. “Trump and his allies will do everything they can to divide Americans, invoke fear in vulnerable neighborhoods, and demonize an entire community of people. For this reason, we are sharing know-your-rights materials with our constituents in District 4.”

Sam Robles with Workers Defense Project says her group is similarly focused on ensuring immigrant families and allies have the resources they need to protect themselves. WDP is holding “Know Your Rights” education and training sessions every Sunday from 4-6pm at 5604 Manor Road.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/news/2017-02-02/ice-raid-in-austin/

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Austin would be a target rich environment. I went to school with a women living in Austin, Texas, and she told me they are being overrun with illegals.

You are all here illegally and the American people have had enough with all the crap that follows each of you
and want you out of our country.

The more you try to beg for empathy, sympathy and demand privileges claiming to be American......

the more angry we become and want you to leave either by self deportation or rounded up for deportation.

Makes no difference to us how you leave, all that matters is you get out!

For the life of me, can't understand why you would even want to be in a country where you are hated???

Travis County is Austin, right? That's where that Sanctuary Sheriff is that Abbott is going after. It's a great place to start. This was the first "sanctuary city" in Texas. Nip it in the bud. Good strategy. Button up Texas on the sanctuary crap then head to the west coast.

If there were any I.C.E. raids anyplace in the country every TV station would have a camera crew out there filming the movement of every law enforcement vehicle in the county. It would be on every news program.

Expert: ICE raids in Central Texas highly unlikely

By Leslie Rangel
Published: February 3, 2017, 5:22 pm Updated: February 3, 2017, 5:47 pm

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As uncertainty grows about how local and federal agencies are handling immigration issues, rumors are flying about possible “massive” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids coming to Central Texas, but some in the community are calling those claims wrong and irresponsible.

“I think the noise is getting a little out of control,” said Kevin Lashus, an immigration lawyer and former prosecutor for Homeland Security who specialized in handling deportations. Lashus worked in terror prosecution for six years, now he works to defend those who are in the country illegally.

He’s not discounting fears on immigrants being sent back to their countries, he’s simply saying inciting more fear is not the way to go. “It’s a little too early to be that anxious about that kind of activity. We need to be a little bit more mindful of what kind of impact rumors have on communities.”

When asked about the possibilities of ICE going door to door in Central Texas looking for immigrants, Lashus says it’s possible but highly unlikely.

“What I can tell you, at least from my experience, is that we don’t have the logistical capacity to be able to have widespread, communal, in the simplest terms, raids. Is it out of the realm of possibility? It’s not. [We have] a new administration. We don’t know what those directives are going to be. From my experience, I think rational people will be given priorities and will come up with a rational approach to handling problems.”

Lashus says he thinks fears stem from widespread work site enforcement actions that happened in 2006 and 2007, when ICE cracked down on 1,300 undocumented immigrants working at six meat processing plants across six states.

The chief of the Austin Police Department says laws forcing them to comply with immigration are not reasonable especially when the department is already stretched thin.

“If we are given the additional workload of enforcing immigration laws that again will put a further drain on our resources that are already stretched pretty thin,” said Chief Brian Manley.

Lashus says it is important to stay alert, but not fearful of imminent raids. He says many people on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) should begin planning their next steps, in case the program is cut.

“We don’t know how it’s going to work out; what I do know is that the law makes it illegal for [employers] to continue to employ [DACA] folks beyond the date of the expiration on their current work authorization.

There’s going to be pain associated with letting those folks go, but the reality is, I would prefer they follow the law than not follow the law.”

We checked with the Austin Police Department, they said if there were a raid, their officers would not be present. Travis County Sheriff’s Office has taken a stance against cooperating with ICE unless they are high-level criminals.

http://kxan.com/2017/02/03/expert-ic...ghly-unlikely/

Maybe it isn't true. ICE isn't going to announce where or when they're coming unless some traitor leaks it.