Thread: Federal raid triggers Chicago protest

Heavily armed federal officers in bullet-proof vests, locked down a strip mall Tuesday in a Southwest Side neighborhood known as Little Village, Enriquez said. The raid triggered a protest of 250 to 300 people that lasted into the evening, the newspaper said.

The way that the illegals are in contempt for the law has to compel ICE to dress up to defend themselves. It won't surprise me that one day, ICE will be performing a raid like they do and then there's possibly gonna be a riot. People may be hurt, but BUSH or GONZO will be forced to either side with ICE or the illegals rioting.

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Feds announce arrests in false ID documents case
By MICHAEL TARM, Associated Press Writer

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

(04-25) 12:49 PDT Chicago (AP) --


Federal authorities said Wednesday that 22 people have been charged with participating in a conspiracy to make false identification documents.


The bogus documents include driver's licenses from various states; immigration papers such as Resident Alien Cards, commonly referred to as Green Cards; and other government-issued documents, authorities said at a news conference.


The ring produces as many as 15,000 fake identification papers annually and generates millions of dollars in illegal proceeds, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said.


Officials said 12 of the defendants were arrested Tuesday in Chicago. Ten others are fugitives, including four believed to be in Mexico, officials said.


According to the complaint affidavit, the fraudulent document organization originated in Mexico and also is thought to be active in Los Angeles and Denver.


Elissa A. Brown, special agent in charge of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Investigations in Chicago, said fraudulent documents help criminals and terrorists blend into society.


"These ICE arrests represent a significant setback to one of the largest and most sophisticated illegal document fraud rings in the United States," she said in a statement.


The investigation culminated Tuesday with search warrants at four Chicago locations: a basement apartment where fake documents were allegedly produced, two homes, and a photo shop inside a discount mall in the Little Village neighborhood, officials said.


The Little Village neighborhood has one of the largest Mexican communities in the Midwest.


Neighborhood activists and local residents protested the closing of the mall while investigators conducted searches and made arrests, and claimed the timing was an attempt to intimidate immigrants. A march calling for immigration reform is scheduled for May 1 as part of a week of activities planned nationwide.


But Fitzgerald said the raids, which stemmed from a lengthy investigation, were related to illegal documents.


"There is a great debate about our immigration situation ... This case is not about that debate," he said.

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