Thread: NJ: Sen. Menendez wants ICE raids stopped

Menendez accuses immigration agents of 'witch hunt'
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Last updated: Thursday June 12, 2008, EDT 10:24 AM
BY HERB JACKSON
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
Audio: Listen to Sen. Menendez deliver his speech
Read the text of the speech

Sen. Bob Menendez accused immigration enforcement agents Wednesday of ignoring the rights of some citizens and legal immigrants because they speak Spanish or have dark skin.

"We need to face a blunt reality: Our legitimate desire to control our borders has too often turned into a witch hunt against Hispanic Americans and other people of color," Menendez, D-N.J., said in an impassioned 18-minute speech on the Senate floor. "Common sense repeatedly loses out to hysteria."

The son of Cuban immigrants who is a natural-born citizen, Menendez said all Americans should be worried about government agents entering people's homes without warrants and detaining people without charge, and he will introduce legislation shortly to prevent the unlawful detention of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.

"Before we accuse someone of being undocumented, there's one other document we should inspect first: It's called the Constitution of the United States," Menendez said. "It's time for immigration and law enforcement on all levels to rededicate themselves to respecting the rights the Constitution guarantees."

Menendez specifically cited two North Jersey residents' experiences, saying agents entered the Clifton home of Arturo Flores, a citizen, without showing a warrant, and held Maria Argueta of North Bergen, a legal immigrant, for 36 hours without cause.

Both are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials filed by the Center for Social Justice at Seton Hall Law School in Newark.

"Those loud knocks on the door quickly woke these law-abiding individuals up from their American dreams," Menendez said. "These aren't undocumented immigrants getting pulled from their homes in the dead of night. They are United States citizens who are targeted because of their race, targeted because of their color."

In May, immigration agents arrested 491 people in New Jersey and New York, the largest number taken in a single month since an operation targeting immigration violators began in 2003.

Harold Ort, a spokesman for ICE's Newark office, said he could not comment on any cases that are involved in litigation, but he defended the way the agency decides on and carries out raids.

"We have targeted law enforcement operations based on investigations and intelligence processes that are ongoing," he said. "All of our agents have had sensitivity training and act professionally."

He said ICE agents are required to act as law enforcement officers and "as we would want to be acted upon if we were on the other end."

E-mail: jackson@northjersey.com

The son of Cuban immigrants who is a natural-born citizen, Menendez said all Americans should be worried about government agents entering people's homes without warrants and detaining people without charge, and he will introduce legislation shortly to prevent the unlawful detention of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.

LOL. What? I didn't realize we were having an epidemic of American citizens who were being "unlawfully detained" as a result of immigration laws being enforced.

Listen, if you cannot provide sufficient documentation (upon being asked to do so) to prove your in this country legally, then immigration officials have every right to detain you until your immigration status can be determined. This includes those who are legal permanent residents. Your supposed to carry your Green Card with you at all times! It's pretty simple.

This hysteria - based legislation is a back-door attempt by Menedez to thwart immigration officials in their efforts to enforce the law, under the cloak that countless American citizens are being subjected to "unlawful detainment." What a joke!

This is how certain morons spend their time in Washington...

He's a moron but there are more morons in NJ who keep voting for this moron.

Yeah, well, we'll keep an eye on this jerk, and if he tries to introduce legislation that will thwart ICE's efforts, we'll hammer the Senate big time. Maybe somebody should tell him that if we didn't have this influx of illegals in the first place, we wouldn't have this problem.

Sen. Bob Menendez accused immigration enforcement agents Wednesday of ignoring the rights of some citizens and legal immigrants because they speak Spanish or have dark skin.

He IS a moron, not ALL people that speak Spanish are dark, get over that hump Bobby!

Any time police go looking for criminals, sometimes innocent bystanders are caught. Their show ID and are on their way. If they don't have proper ID, they are taken to the station. Should there be different laws for dark colored hispanics or people who speak Spanish?

Menendez specifically cited two North Jersey residents' experiences, saying agents entered the Clifton home of Arturo Flores, a citizen, without showing a warrant, and held Maria Argueta of North Bergen, a legal immigrant, for 36 hours without cause.

Of course, we never hear the whole story. Menendez would like us to believe ICE is only going after hispanics, which even he knows is total BS. But it does seem like the only ones who are suing at the drop of a hat are, in fact, hispanics.

my email to the Senator:

Senator,

I just read your Senate speech regarding the recent ICE raids in and around New Jersey.

Calling an attempt to adhere to U.S. law and an effort to curb the massive infiltration of illegal aliens into our nation a “witch huntâ€

Since when do elected officials publicly denounce the enforcement of federal law? They're crazy.

And I want Senator Menendez stopped but that's not likely to happen either.

I wonder if this dumb cluck knows the term "hispanic" merely means Spanish speaker. I also wonder if this 2-digit twit knows most Blacks and whites often cannot distinguish between Mexicans and other olive skinned ethnicities. And finally, I wonder if the Jersey jerk knows many Latinos have lighter skins than those often referred to as "whitey." He commingles illegal aliens with legal immigrants and Latinos in order to legitimize the wave. His motive? He wants the huge vote counts to boost his political career. Obviously, he doesn't give a opossum fart about America.

Take a hike "Menendez" right out of congress if you please, it certainly would be best for law abiding Americans who believe in the rule of law!