Thread: CA:Numerous Arrests by B.P. at Riverside Day Laborer Site

Numerous arrests by Border Patrol at Riverside day-laborer site

10:00 PM PST on Thursday, January 29, 2009
By DAVID OLSON
The Press-Enterprise

U.S. Border Patrol agents Thursday swept into Riverside's Casa Blanca neighborhood and arrested at least 11 people on immigration charges, authorities said.

Riverside police Lt. Bruce Loftus said the arrests were made after numerous complaints of trespassing and loitering on and around Madison Street south of Highway 91, near a Home Depot.

Many day laborers typically gather in the area seeking work.

Loftus said Riverside police called the Border Patrol after they could not identify suspects.

Twelve people were arrested, and 11 were taken away by federal agents, he said.

The Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, a group representing day laborers, said as many as 30 people were apprehended.

Border Patrol spokesman Agent Richard Velez said he could not confirm the exact number of arrests but said it probably was not as many as 30.

Suzanne Foster, executive director of the day-laborer group, said members of her organization and the Los Angeles-based National Day Laborer Organizing Network witnessed and filmed the arrests, which occurred between 5 a.m. and 1 p.m.

"The Border Patrol is going out of its bounds," Foster said. "We don't think the Border Patrol should aggressively raid people walking down the street or riding their bikes and not committing any crimes."

She accused the Border Patrol of racial profiling, by stopping random Latinos on the street.

Velez defended the arrests and denied targeting any ethnic group.

"We have a mandate from Congress to enforce our immigration laws, and that's what we're doing," he said.

The raid came a month after at least six people were arrested at a San Bernardino day-laborer site.

Foster said people have also been arrested at the San Bernardino Greyhound station.

Velez said Thursday night he could not immediately confirm arrests at the Greyhound station, although he previously said the Border Patrol keeps tabs on the station.

Staff writer Gene Ghiotto contributed to this report.

Reach David Olson at 951-368-9462 or dolson@PE.com

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stor ... c0577.html

"We don't think the Border Patrol should aggressively raid people walking down the street or riding their bikes and not committing any crimes."

Being here illegally is a crime. Used to always get questioned as a citizen loitering around businesses. They have looked the other way for a host of crimes to where they think none apply to them. Just wait till they really crack down and enforce the all the laws on them they enforce for everyone else.

The police can ask for an ID of a citizen or anyone anywhere. And no ID they can put you in jail. I have had this explained in detail to me. So have a valid ID.

The Border Patrol is going out of its bounds," Foster said. "We don't think the Border Patrol should aggressively raid people walking down the street or riding their bikes and not committing any crimes."

Who gives a &^%$ what you think! You advocate on behalf of illegal invaders who are destroying this country!

On to the next Home Depot! You will find the exact same situation at EVERY HD across this state, if not country! It's absolutely disgusting how illegals loiter about,( a violation of law) illegally soliciting work ( yet another crime) while local police agencies often ignore their behavior!

Enough already!

Police will not do their job. Why? Being bought by someone somewhere?

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Racial profiling claimed in immigration arrests

05:58 PM PST on Friday, January 30, 2009

David Olson The Press-Enterprise

Day-laborer and neighborhood activists Friday accused the U.S. Border Patrol and Riverside police of racial profiling in the immigration arrests of at least 25 people in Riverside's Casa Blanca neighborhoods and said it could strain the Latino community's relationship with the police.

Police and the Border Patrol deny allegations of racial profiling.

As about 40 immigrant advocates held a protest Friday morning at the Magnolia Avenue police station in Riverside, the Border Patrol was processing at least 10 Mexican citizens arrested early Friday morning on immigration charges at a day-labor site in Moreno Valley, according to the Mexican consulate in San Bernardino.

The raids, and several previous immigration sweeps at day-labor sites in San Bernardino in the past month in which at least eight people have been arrested, appear to signal a more aggressive enforcement drive by the Border Patrol in the Inland area.

Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the Los Angeles-based National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said he is unaware of other Border Patrol raids on day-labor sites in the past few years anywhere in the country outside Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Agent Gerardo Gonzalez, a spokesman for the Border Patrol, could not confirm whether the agency has conducted similar sweeps elsewhere, because the Border Patrol does not keep track of arrests by type of location.

Authorities Thursday swept through an area in and around Madison Street off Highway 91 in Riverside that is a longtime gathering spot for day laborers.

Border Patrol agents arrived before dawn Thursday to apprehend suspected undocumented immigrants. Riverside police arrived a few hours later to conduct their own sweep.

The police commander for the area, Lt. Bruce Loftus, said the local and federal sweeps were not coordinated and it was coincidence they were on the same day. Police were responding to continuing community complaints of day laborers urinating, riding bicycles on sidewalks and trespassing on private property and committing other infractions, he said.

Police called the Border Patrol because 12 people did not have identification cards, Loftus said. One man was a legal U.S. resident and released, Loftus said. The other 11 were taken into Border Patrol custody.

Gonzalez said he did not know how many people the Border Patrol arrested Thursday and what had happened to them. He also could not confirm whether arrests were made Friday in Moreno Valley.

Pablo César GarcÃ*a Sáenz, the Guatemalan consul general in Los Angeles, said at least 21 of those arrested Thursday were Guatemalan nationals. Four were Mexican, said Federico Bass, press consul for the Mexican consulate.

Bass said all four Mexicans had been deported by Friday afternoon. GarcÃ*a was not able to confirm the fate of the 21 Guatemalans.

Jennie Rivera, secretary of the Casa Blanca Community Action Group, said the raids were a setback to what had been improving relations between Casa Blanca residents and police during the year that Loftus has been commander. The arrests would increase distrust of police and cause some undocumented immigrants to not report crimes for fear of being deported, she said. Many people who were not undocumented immigrants or day laborers were also stopped, she said.

"Is anyone with a brown face going to be taken in?" Rivera asked.

Rivera said some day laborers have committed minor crimes in the area such as urinating in public, but she blamed that on the city's years-long refusal to establish a day-labor worker center.

Loftus, who said he plans to meet with community leaders to discuss their concerns, denied allegations of racial profiling. Only people spotted committing trespassing and other offenses were stopped, and those with identification - including at least three Anglos and six Hispanics - were given warnings and released, he said. One black man was arrested for misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

Loftus said the Border Patrol was called to assist in identification only because so many people had been detained without ID and police did not have time to do lengthy checks. Usually police do not call Border Patrol for those without IDs, he said.

At a San Bernardino rally Friday of the anti-illegal-immigration Minuteman Project, Raymond Herrera, a Victorville resident and a spokesman for the group, praised the raids.

"The enforcement of those laws is not racist," he said. "It is anything but racist. What they are is the rule of law being enforced."

Only about 25 of the typical 200 to 250 day laborers were on Madison Street Friday, several workers said. The laborers are afraid of further raids, but two undocumented workers said they were so desperate for work that they were willing to risk arrest.

Worker Antonio Jesús Rumaldo, who said he is a legal resident, said Thursday's raids were unfair.

"It's discrimination," he said. "People are just trying to work."

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Originally Posted by vmonkey56

Police will not do their job. Why? Being bought by someone somewhere?

More like being told not to, vmonkey56. Payouts aren't necessary, just issued orders at that level. Payoffs are for the upper ranks such as Senators and Congresscritters.

"The Border Patrol is going out of its bounds," Foster said. "We don't think the Border Patrol should aggressively raid people walking down the street or riding their bikes and not committing any crimes."

Some of us here do. I suppose that is one of the differences between the different nations of the world. The question is why are you here, period?

vmonkey wrote:

Police will not do their job. Why? Being bought by someone somewhere?

This is possible. The recent Sheriff of Chattanooga,TN is now in prison and several City of Cleveland,TN (next door to Chattanooga) Police are currently alleged to be involved in drug crimes. Corruption abounds and there are big financial benefits to officials who cooperate and look the other way. Isn't that what many in law enforcement are doing when it comes to illegal immigration - not doing their job?

Psalm 91

GeorgiaPeach: Conflict of interest in the government and position or job which many have taken pledges to protect the general public - have and are being used to abuse us, Americans. More officials should be in jail, if it is even shown that they had conflict of interest and there was gains or for future gains. Political funds may be the reason someone will by pass the public. Investigating is the only resource the public has, but reporting to the correct department is hard to find.