Thread: Federal agents arrest 63 immigrants in Bay Area raids

Federal agents arrest 63 immigrants in Bay Area raids
The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO

Immigrant rights groups say they're outraged that federal agents arrested more than 60 people in raids on 11 Bay Area restaurants.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says its agents arrested 63 illegal immigrants Friday at El Balazo restaurants in San Francisco, San Ramon, Lafayette, Concord, Pleasanton and Danville.

Sixty-two of the people arrested were from Mexico and one was from Guatemala. All of them were photographed, fingerprinted and interviewed before ten women and one man were quickly released for various reasons.

The raids came a day after immigrant advocates marched on May Day to call for the legalization of undocumented workers.

___

Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle

Published: Saturday, May 3, 2008 09:52 PDT

http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California/CA ... 807C.shtml

There was also raids gong on in Walnut Creek CA yesterday, I got a call from extremely reliable source, they saw them putting on their vests. They shook hands and they said keep up the good work

God Bless America and happy Law Day ALL YEAR LONG!

We have laws in America, get used to it!

Immigration raids at 11 El Balazo restaurants - 63 seized
Heather Knight, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, May 3, 2008

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Friday stormed 11 El Balazo restaurants around the Bay Area, arresting 63 illegal immigrants - and drawing the outrage of immigration advocates who had marched the previous day to call for the legalization of undocumented workers.

The raids began at 10:30 Friday morning in San Francisco, San Ramon, Lafayette, Concord, Pleasanton and Danville and involved 62 people from Mexico and one from Guatemala.

Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for the immigration agency, called the arrests "a targeted enforcement action" that is part of a continuing criminal investigation she couldn't discuss further.

Immigration officials photographed, fingerprinted and interviewed all of those arrested. Ten women and one man were quickly released on humanitarian grounds, including pregnancy and medical concerns, pending future immigration proceedings, Kice said.

The rest were being processed, and the majority of them were expected to be released under supervision. Some of the illegal immigrants had prior criminal convictions or deportation orders and will be detained.

Evelyn Sanchez, advocacy coordinator for the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, was trying to connect with the workers as they were released to ensure they knew their rights and were treated fairly.

She said the immigration agents got search warrants for the El Balazo restaurants, ordered the doors be shut and interrogated the employees inside.

"It was a gross violation of civil rights, and it's just unfortunate that this happened the day after May Day when literally thousands of immigrants throughout the Bay Area marched to have this type of activity stopped," she said. "It just goes to show we need new immigration laws."

In an e-mail blast, Sanchez's group wrote, "The raids and deportations divide our families, traumatize our communities and are a disaster for our economy."

Since its creation in 2003, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency has stepped up efforts to stop the employment of illegal immigrants. Last year, the agency made more than 4,900 arrests related to undocumented workers, a 45-fold increase compared with 2001.

"We have a duty to enforce our nation's laws, and we will do that," Kice said. "We will do it professionally and appropriately, but we will do our job."

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency has set up a phone number - (415) 844-5345 - for the detainees' family members to get information about their detention status and the process for their removal from the country.

www.sfgate.com