Thread: CA: Questioned and Released

Questioned and Released

Thursday, June 7, 2007
Last modified Thursday, June 7, 2007 8:17 AM PDT

BY MARY-JUSTINE LANYON

What was supposed to be an immigration bust fizzled as ICE agents were unable to make it to Blue Jay in a timely manner.

On Wednesday morning at about 7:45, six San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies and Detective Bryan Wellott swooped down on the day laborers assembled next to the laundromat in the center of town. After telling the men to sit on the ground, two deputies watched over them while the others called the men up, one at a time, to be searched.

The deputies patted the men down, emptying their pockets to check for drugs or other contraband. As the men were questioned, the deputies checked their identification against a list of tenants who live in the nearby trailer park. None of the men’s names appeared on that list.

Deputy Eugene Collins addressed the men in Spanish, asking them if they had papers. One by one the men answered no. According to Deputy Robert Whiteside, the purpose of the investigation was to see if the men are documented and take the appropriate action.

Unfortunately, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who were supposed to participate in the action had to make an unscheduled stop on their way from Riverside.

A sheriff’s spokesperson said Detective Wellott made the call to dismiss the men, a call that was backed up by Lieutenant Tony Nicassio. The two men who had been handcuffed and put in a unit were released, and the 16 men headed back toward the trailer park.

The action was taken after several Blue Jay merchants had complained to the sheriff’s department about people who do not live in the community congregating on their property. Many of these workers, one deputy noted, are dropped off every day. “They come up from San Bernardino and Colton,â€

A woman who hires illegals to clean her yard is breaking the law. Maybe the police should have the thrown her in jail. ICE is doing everything they can not to be in the right place at the right time. Another federal agency not held accountable.