Thread: Dissent on worker sweeps in Valley rises

Dissent on worker sweeps in Valley rises
Seven rural ag towns may join Mendota in condemning federal immigration raids.
By Vanessa Colón / The Fresno Bee
03/30/07 04:40:09


Mendota's stand against federal immigration sweeps has sparked a movement among Fresno County's small farming towns.

City councils in seven Fresno County cities plan to take up the issue in weeks to come. Most of them are agricultural towns, where undocumented and legal farm laborers work, live and shop. City leaders worry the raids will upend their economies and separate or disrupt families.

Parlier Mayor Armando Lopez, whose council will consider a resolution in April opposing the raids, said farmers already complain about labor shortages. He worries that the raids will further deplete the labor pool and undermine the economy.

"Obviously, without the farm workers, the farmers will be shorthanded," Lopez said.

Many of the cities considering resolutions like Mendota's acknowledge the effort is symbolic and unlikely to change federal policy or stop immigration sweeps.

In fact, federal officials say they will continue to enforce immigration laws, regardless of opposition from Valley cities.

Besides Parlier, cities considering a stand against immigration raids include Orange Cove, Huron, Kerman, Firebaugh, Sanger and San Joaquin.

Fresno Mayor Alan Autry introduced a similar resolution before City Council members on March 20. Although council members spoke out against immigration raids two decades earlier, the council this time deadlocked 3-3 and the resolution died.

Officials in other Valley cities say they are steering clear of the issue.

"It's not a city of Clovis issue," said Clovis Mayor Bob Whalen. "We try to stay pretty focused on potholes, sewers, water and land use -- the traditional city issues."

Officials in Coalinga, Corcoran, Kingsburg, Porterville and Woodlake also don't plan to oppose the raids or haven't discussed it.

"Federal laws are in place and until those immigration laws are changed at the federal level, we would not encourage anyone to disobey those laws," Coalinga Mayor Trish Hill said.

It's uncommon, but not unheard of, for cities in California to take stands in the latest debate over federal immigration policy, said Hans Johnson, a Public Policy Institute of California demographer in San Francisco.

"Maybe 10 or 20 years ago, there were cities that declared themselves sanctuaries for immigrants who might have been deported," Johnson said.

Johnson said the seven Fresno County cities considering resolutions have large Hispanic populations compared to the towns that are not bringing up the issue.

"Latinos tend to be more positive or favorable toward immigrants than whites," Johnson said. "It's not surprising you'd see these resolutions passed in primarily Latino towns or large liberal cities."

Mendota's City Council unanimously approved a resolution March 22 condemning an immigration raid in early February that city leaders say netted about 200 people in and around the town and separated some families. The town was the first city in the Valley to recently pass a measure against such sweeps.

Mendota's action contrasts with efforts in Hazelton, Pa., and Riverside, N.J., to fine landlords for renting to undocumented immigrants and penalize employers for hiring them. Those towns blame illegal immigrants for increased crime, financial stress on local health clinics, and crowded schools.

The Valley immigration raids are part of "Operation Return to Sender," a nationwide effort to reduce illegal immigration. The operation targets people with deportation orders issued by a judge, but agents can pick up other undocumented immigrants they come in contact with, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some of the people arrested are criminals.

Mendota's City Council resolution helped some immigrants living in Mendota feel more at ease.

"It was great. They gave us the opportunity to tell immigration [officials] how we feel," said 42-year-old Lito Torres, a legal resident who immigrated from El Salvador two decades ago.

"They will feel more protected," Torres said of undocumented immigrants. "They know they are being supported by the city."

Some cities say they want to follow Mendota's lead in sending a message to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"It's symbolic," Sanger Mayor Michael Montelongo said. The agency "will continue to do that, so we just have to respect that because they are not going to stop."

But some cities think the resolutions do help put a stop to the separation of families.

Selma Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Lujan said the city passed a similar resolution in 1984, when immigration sweeps took place in the Valley. Fresno's City Council spoke out in 1985 against immigration raids, prompted by a 1984 raid in Sanger in which 250 people were arrested.

Many others were detained, although they had not violated federal immigration or state criminal laws. Selma's 1984 resolution said the immigration laws in place at the time were "inadequate, hard to enforce and force many undocumented works to live in a subculture subject to exploitation." The resolution added that the City Council "discourages blanket raids by INS."

"It was beautiful. After we did the resolution, the blanket raids stopped," Lujan said.

Lujan said the recent Mendota sweep was "déjà vu." "They did it in 1984 and they did it again," he said. "We didn't like it then and we don't like it now."
The reporter can be reached at vcolon@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6313.

http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/38659.html


Please hit the Fresno FOCUS campaign below! I've been working on Fresno and Mendota. I'll be working on the rest too!

http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=F ... ic&t=57984

Lujan said the recent Mendota sweep was "déjà vu." "They did it in 1984 and they did it again," he said. "We didn't like it then and we don't like it now."

right before the last IMMIGRATION DEBACLE.

LOL, and they think they're going to get the American people schmoozed again?

This is just show to help back up the need for a guest worker program. That's my 2 cents.

Originally Posted by 2ndamendsis

LOL, and they think they're going to get the American people schmoozed again?

The last time the entire nation wasn't as affected OR watching as closely. I think they have a much bigger fight this time around!