CA- Immigrants' rights protesters march on City Hall
LAKE ELSINORE: Immigrants' rights protesters march on City Hall
Protesters claim U.S. Border Patrol is breaking up families
By AARON CLAVERIE - Staff Writer | Saturday, August 16, 2008 5:57 PM PDT ∞
47 comment(s) Increase Font Decrease Font email this story print this story A vocal yet peaceful group of 50 to 60 Latino residents protested Friday a crackdown by the U.S. Border Patrol on day laborers in the Lake Elsinore area. The protesters marched early Friday morning from Elsinore Elementary School to Lake Elsinore City Hall and then to the Lake Elsinore Sheriff's Station. (Photo by Steve Thornton - Staff Photographer) Carmen Topete of Wildomar holds up a sign near Elsinore Elementary School during Friday's protest of the U. S. Border Patrol's policy concerning day laborers. (Photo by Steve Thornton - Staff Photographer) Friday's protest of the U. S. Border Patrol's policy ended peacefully at the Lake Elsinore Station of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. LAKE ELSINORE ---- Protesters marched down Main Street earlier this week to decry an alleged crackdown on undocumented day laborers that, they said, is breaking up families and stoking fear within the city's Latino community.
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The protesters carried signs that read, "All men created equal," "We are humans not animals" and "No mas redadas" (No more raids).
"People are so afraid right now," said Alex Lopez, one of the protesters. "Parents are not taking their children to school because they are afraid they're going to be taken away."
Lopez said the alleged crackdown on day laborers, men in blue jeans and T-shirts or work shirts who gather on the city's street corners in the morning, was spurred by city officials who "don't want to see any Hispanics."
Mayor Daryl Hickman, contacted at home after the protest, said the issue has nothing to do with race.
"I think the U.S. Border Patrol is doing their job," he said.
Hickman said the city has traditionally allowed day laborers to gather on Spring Street, which runs parallel to Main Street.
Other cities in the region ---- and cities throughout the U.S. ---- have similar spots where day laborers are allowed to gather. When there are problems or complaints, as there were recently in Temecula and Vista, cities have passed measures or ordinances to curtail or regulate the activity.
In recent months, Hickman said, the day laborers in Lake Elsinore have been standing on the Main Street corners, the gateways that lead to the area's historical downtown.
Hickman said he worked with some of the city's downtown merchants and tried to get the men to move back to Spring Street, but nothing changed.
So Hickman said he contacted Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Temecula, and asked for some support.
"People were not coming downtown. We had to do something. Now we're seeing the results," he said.
The protest ---- organized by a group of area families, Lopez said ---- started in front of Elsinore Elementary School. From there, the group of about 60 people marched to City Hall, where they chanted, "We are immigrants, not terrorists" and "You need to stop it." The group then made its way to the city's police station at Graham Avenue and Poe Street.
Lopez said 250 undocumented immigrants have been deported in recent months from the Lake Elsinore area. A U.S. Border Patrol spokesman said there is no way to confirm the number Lopez provided because the agency does not break down arrests or deportations by area.
Nora Arviso, a Lake Elsinore resident, was a member of the group that gathered in front of City Hall. She said the city needs to support its people. "We pay all the taxes," she said.
City Manager Bob Brady briefly addressed the crowd, saying the city had nothing to do with U.S. Border Patrol activity.
"That's a lie," said David Lopez, one of the protesters. "I'm saying it's a lie because everyone knows it's a lie."
Lopez, who has lived in Lake Elsinore for four years, said it's plain to see that the city is working with the Border Patrol.
Contacted after the protest, Brady stressed the point he tried to get across earlier in the day.
"The Border Patrol is doing it as part of their job. They didn't notify the city of any additional activity. They didn't notify the Police Department of any additional activity," he said. "But if federal laws are being broken, the city is supportive of those laws being enforced."
As Hickman noted, Brady said the city has permitted day laborers to gather on Spring Street. He said the city has even placed trash cans near popular gathering spots on Spring to help keep the area cleaner.
"The city has not done anything to prohibit that from occurring. That hasn't changed, that has been that way for a number of years," he said. "The city is not trying to take work away from anyone."
U.S. Border Patrol Agent Alex Renteria, an agency spokesman in San Diego, said his office has been receiving calls from people claiming that the Border Patrol is staging raids in Lake Elsinore.
However, Renteria said there haven't been any raids.
"What we're doing is normal operations through our Murrieta station. Agents are working their routine patrols along the Interstate 15 corridor and the Highway 74 corridor," he said.
Addressing some of the other claims made by the protesters, Renteria said a complaint from a city official wouldn't trigger a response from the U.S. Border Patrol.
"We're a federal agency. If we do step up efforts, it's because Washington, D.C., tasked us to do that," he said.
As for the claims that there have been more agents in Lake Elsinore lately, Renteria said, "Nothing in that area has been beefed up. We've just gone through a huge hiring phase. There are a lot more staff, more agents at each station. That's what we're seeing. And we have more coming. We (the agency) (The agency) should be 18,000 strong by the end of this year."
About a half-hour before the protest started, a group of day laborers who had gathered at Main Street and Sumner Avenue talked about the situation in Lake Elsinore.
A man who identified himself as Melvin Perez, who said he was an undocumented worker from Guatemala, said the Border Patrol is a constant presence now.
"They come in the morning, they come at night," he said.
Perez was standing on the corner with six other men, guys dressed for eight hours of work that can net them about $80.
As they waited for work, a gray unmarked law enforcement vehicle pulled up to a stop sign at the other side of the intersection. One of the men asked, "La migra (Border Patrol)?" Another man answered, saying that it was only a "narco" (a narcotics officer).
When asked, all of the men said they were undocumented immigrants. One man, wearing a John Deere mesh baseball cap, said he was from Mexico. Another man, who said his name was Edgar Benjamin, said he was from Guatemala.
Some people who pick them up for landscaping work pay $7 or $8 an hour.
"For me, $10 (an hour) is good," Perez said.
While Perez waited for someone to stop, a white truck pulled up and two members of the group climbed inside.
Contact staff writer Aaron Claverie at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2624, or aclaverie@californian.com.
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Illegals go back to Mexico and be human!
They can prove to us that they are "human" and deserve respect by leaving our country!
