Thread: CA: Harassment and arrests of immigrants at schools

I don't recall ICE being outside schools?
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http://blogher.org/node/15310

Harassment and arrests of immigrants at schools
By Liz Henry, 7:38 pm, Tue 6 Feb 2007
YA BASTA CON LA MIGRA
Imagine that you are dropping your kids off at school and someone approaches you and demands to know if you are a citizen, and wants your name and ID, and proof. Do you expect this to happen to you? What if you saw it happen? I'm sorry to report, here from my own hometown in Redwood City, California, that the ICE, or Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has done this, and standing on the sidewalk outside an elementary school in my local public school district, has been accosting people apparently based on racial profiling, and has made some arrests, and I know that two moms in particular are in jail and are going to owe huge fines. Imagine that you are dragged into a car, crying, screaming for help in Spanish, not knowing what's going to happen to your kids. And imagine the damage to the people around you who are on the sidewalk not sure what to do, angry, scared, and wanting to help.

I can't stop thinking about it and am horrified. Yes, this kind of thing is happening all over the country, and yes worse things happen to people all over the world. But here's something right in my town and in my community. Over half of the children in our schools in Redwood City are Latino. Yes, some of them have family members whose immigration status is not completely straightforward. This is also true of Anglo immigrants I know... and of people here on HB-1 visas... but it is the Latinos in poorer neighborhoods who are being targeted. If you are blond and white you are not going to get stopped on the sidewalk and asked if you're a citizen... It's just not right.

It seems particularly disgusting of ICE to target schools. It might have (or might have already had) the effect of making people afraid to bring their children to school. This will hurt our community directly in so many ways. It destroys trust. It hurts these children and their future, whether they are citizens or not (and many of them are, even if their parents are not.). It therefore also affects all of us in the community. It destabilizes everything in our immediate society (as so much of racism does.)

I would like to see another Day Without Immigrants and I certainly think about that as a possible response locally to this outrage.

I feel sure that the school district is doing everything it can to fight this and to protect the children who are in the district. I am also hoping that the City Council and local government will make a strong statement to ICE, to other politicians, to the general public, and to whoever it can.

You can watch a video about the incidents here at cbs5.com.

This sort of state violence is never okay with me. These incidents, though, outrage me beyond belief.

I want to donate to the families affected, I want to spread information from BAIRC, the Bay Area Coalition for Immigrant Rights, in fact my immediate impulse is to wheatpaste their "Know Your Rights" flyers all over the neighborhood....at least that's what I would have done when I was younger and a lot more punk rock of an activist. I'll call around, and blog about it, and call my Congressperson. What else to do?

And if we are going to arrest anyone in this country, it should be Bush and Rumsfeld and all the rest of them, for their war crimes and for lying to the people of this country about their reasons for the war in Iraq. Not demonizing people who are the least able to fight back individually. (Collectively, of course, it's another story.)

I would like to see another Day Without Immigrants

You mean illegal aliens don't you??

...just one day? awwww come on give us longer than that!!!

and I know that two moms in particular are in jail and are going to owe huge fines. Imagine that you are dragged into a car, crying, screaming for help in Spanish, not knowing what's going to happen to your kids. And imagine the damage to the people around you who are on the sidewalk not sure what to do, angry, scared, and wanting to help.

I can't stop thinking about it and am horrified. Yes, this kind of thing is happening all over the country, and yes worse things happen to people all over the world. But here's something right in my town and in my community. Over half of the children in our schools in Redwood City are Latino. Yes, some of them have family members whose immigration status is not completely straightforward. This is also true of Anglo immigrants I know... and of people here on HB-1 visas... but it is the Latinos in poorer neighborhoods who are being targeted. If you are blond and white you are not going to get stopped on the sidewalk and asked if you're a citizen... It's just not right.

Owe Huge fines? What the heck?
Why are they FINED rather than DEPORTED?

And what is this crap? WHOSE IMMIGRATION STATUS IS NOT COMPLETELY STRAGHTFORWARD.
What the hell does that mean? ILLEGAL?

This is the kind of tripe that disgusts me by the OBL gangs.
Not the U.S. Constitution and our Rule of Law.............just what THEY want and how THEY want it to be.

I don't believe a word of this dribble. We all know ICE does not target the parents of school kids.
How many times has ICE declared that they are looking for criminals and those with deportation orders. I guess it is possible they were looking for a fugitive, but I doubt ICE was even at the school.
ICE does not fine illegals, it deports them.

The news media would be ALL OVER this with video and nationwide broadcasts.

2ndamendsis wrote:

Owe Huge fines? What the heck?
Why are they FINED rather than DEPORTED?

Truth be known, the lady the author of this article witnessed getting arrested was probably being arrested for something more serious than illegal immigration (if in fact anyone was actually arrested). The writer didn't interview the individual arrested or ICE, which more than likely means she doesn't have a clue as to the real facts of what she observed.

In all honesty, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the arrested lady was a fictional character dreamed up by another pro-illegal immigrant advocate in an attempt to gain supporters. As we all know, bloggers aren't required to use actual facts when spreading their manure.

Texan123 wrote:

The news media would be ALL OVER this with video and nationwide broadcasts.

Agree! I share your thoughts on this. Actually, I was typing my response (see above) to this thread before you posted.

If you are blond and white you are not going to get stopped on the sidewalk and asked if you're a citizen... It's just not right.

I take offense to this and it's racist. I've been effected by racism in my life and I'm white and I have family members who are fighting a police brutality case. I'm sick and tired of illegals saying white people get away with everything. I BEG TO DIFFER!!! LOOK at all the illegal activity, and in some case horrible offenses, ILLEGAL ALIENS ARE DOING TO OUR COUNTRY AND OUR CITIZENS.

SHE'S S RACIST AND THEY ARE ILLEGAL PERIOD!!!

[

quote="Texan123"]I don't believe a word of this dribble. We all know ICE does not target the parents of school kids.
How many times has ICE declared that they are looking for criminals and those with deportation orders. I guess it is possible they were looking for a fugitive, but I doubt ICE was even at the school.
ICE does not fine illegals, it deports them.

The news media would be ALL OVER this with video and nationwide

broadcasts.[/quote]

I have to agree with you, this sounds like propaganda for sympathy!!

Imagine that you are dropping your kids off at school and someone approaches you and demands to know if you are a citizen, and wants your name and ID, and proof. Do you expect this to happen to you? What if you saw it happen? I'm sorry to report, here from my own hometown in Redwood City, California, that the ICE, or Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has done this..

Wouldn't bother me a bit. It would be very comforting to know ICE was doing their job!

I think it's a lot more than 50% hispanic now in RWC. Used to live there about 8 years ago and even then there were a lot.