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High profile raids leave immigrants in fear nationwide

Last Update: Feb 18, 2007 11:20 AM

RICHMOND, Calif. (AP) - Fear has gripped immigrant families across the country as federal agents raid neighborhoods, work sites and jails in a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration.

In the San Francisco Bay Area and other cities, federal officials have launched a full-scale offensive to find and deport illegal immigrants. More than 44-hundred undocumented workers have been rounded up over the past several months at their jobs, and 55-hundred more were swept into official custody because they committed crimes.

Officials at the U-S Immigration and Customs Enforcement say the initiative both secures the nation's borders and steps up enforcement within the country. It may also act as a deterrent for those considering coming into the country without proper paperwork.

But many immigrants say it is splitting families and hurting the legal relatives of immigrants who crossed the border illegally, as well as their co-workers, employers and the businesses that serve them.