Fresno City Council Blocks Mayor's Request to Challenge Immi
Mayor (Carlos) Alan Autry went ballistic on the news, swearing to spend his last 22 months in office working for immigration reform because the Fresno city counsel refused to sue the federal government for doing their job, arresting illegal aliens.
Welcome to the central valley (Mexico central that is)
Also on the Ksee24 station site there is a poll. Currently:
) Would you agree with a resolution to condemn federal immigration raids?
Yes (25.00%)
No (75.00%)
Undecided (0.00%)
http://ksee24.com/
Fresno City Council Blocks Mayor's Request to Challenge Immigration Raids
By Sontaya Rose
03/20/2007 - Fresno Mayor Alan Autry's attempt to challeng the Federal Government's immigration sweeps was not approved by the City Council. The council deadlocked 3 to 3 with council member Brian Calhoun absent.
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Autry questioned whether the so called raids were selective and inhumane. Several weeks ago immigration and customs agents rounded up an estimated 200 undocumented workers in Mendota; many they say were wanted fugitives.
However, Autry and Mendota's mayor questioned the sweep.
"At the end of the day, if you are getting people that 99 out of 100 are going to work everyday under a system that basically invited them here and they are being singled out in an unequal fashion, and you get one bad guy. I don't like that ratio, " says Autry.
Councilmembers had mixed feelings about the federal sweeps. Some said federal agents were just doing their job and others felt they were out to round up any undocumented workers, even those who were not wanted fugitives.
The mayor who wants to secure the US-Mexico border stood before the Fresno City Council fighting for the rights of illegal residents, hoping to change the way federal immigration agents are rounding up illegal immigrants and deporting them.
Mayor Autry asked, "Why not a raid on hotel workers in LA, why not a raid on a construction site in the bay area, or the business owner who employed the worker? Why Mendota and why the farming industry?"
Several other small town mayors came to support Autry. They too questioned whether the sweeps were intended to pick up wanted fugitives or just undocumented workers in general.
Orange Cove City Mayor Victor Lopez said, "I'm not in favor of rapists, and child molesters and drug pushers and all these crazy fools out here, no matter who they are. Out of this country. We don't need that. But people that are giving and giving, there's millions like my father that come to this country to give."
City council members had mixed opinions and perceptions about whether the federal raids in Mendota were selective and inhumane. Councilmember Henry T. Perea says, "Were there any felons they picked up, yeah maybe. Were there any good working people that were picked up that have done nothing but provided for their family, probably. But we will never know, we will never know because the federal government will never tell us."
"I do not believe that immigration and customs enforcement agency is quote unquote violating the law, they're doing their job. And if we need to change that- go to Washington, " says council member Jerry Duncan.
Some council members said taking up the matter was not a local jurisdictional issue and needed to be taken up with lawmakers who can make a difference, instead of a symbolic stand. Councilmember Larry Westerlund says, "I don't feel with any comfort level that it's the duty of the City of Fresno to tell the federal government how they should enforce the law as it is currently written."
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?secti ... id=5135080