Thread: Federal agents raid Maine home of immigrant advocate

http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/ ... _advocate/

Federal agents raid Maine home of immigrant advocate
December 14, 2006

PORTLAND, Maine --Federal authorities Thursday raided the South Portland home of a longtime advocate for migrant workers and immigration rights.

More than a dozen agents from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, surrounded Ben Guiliani's home, where they could be seen carting out numerous boxes of evidence and computer equipment, according to the Maine Public Broadcasting Network.

Margot Fitzgerald, one of the agents, declined to comment and referred questions to the office of U.S. District Attorney Paula Silsby, who also declined comment.

Guiliani said he was out of state when the agents showed up at his house, but that family members were home. Nobody has been charged or arrested, he said.

"I do not know the government's intentions," he said. "I don't know the government's reasoning. I don't want to say they have a vendetta against me because of my outspokenness but that may be the case."

Guiliani, who once headed the Maine Migrant Workers Advocacy Group, was an outspoken critic of immigration sweeps in Maine a few years ago. A U.S. citizen of Mexican descent, Guiliani has been involved in workplace lawsuits against Wal-Mart and the former DeCoster egg farm alleging bias and discrimination against Latino workers.

Now Guiliani heads up a firm called Azteca Consulting Associates Inc., which is involved in a variety of government and business interests including import and export, Hispanic relations, labor search management and safety consulting, according to incorporation records.

He declined to say if he's involved in linking migrant workers to Maine employers.

"But at this time I am not going to go into, because I don't know what they're doing, I really don't," he said. "I only know that they must have gone before a judge with some kind of affidavit that allowed the judge to issue a warrant."

Another immigrant advocate, John Connor of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said federal raids like the one at Guiliani's house are unsettling to the immigrant community.

"It's very scary because we know nothing about it," he said. "We don't know if we are next. We don't know why or anything else. It's a terrifying way to live."

"I do not know the government's intentions," he said. "I don't know the government's reasoning. I don't want to say they have a vendetta against me because of my outspokenness but that may be the case."

My bet is the motivation is to get people used to seeing this type of police state action. "Thought police" in basic training operation. It won't matter what side of the issue you are on.

Jean Wrote:

He declined to say if he's involved in linking migrant workers to Maine employers.

My guess is they have some proof that he is involved in linking migrant workers to Maine emplyers.

labor search management

Translation: Illegal Alien Employment Agency