Thread: OR: Ready for raid, advocates leap into action

Ready for raid, advocates leap into action
Activism - Months of planning help an Oregon team quickly reach out to families Wednesday, July 11, 2007ANGIE CHUANG
While immigration agents staged a Portland workplace roundup as a unannounced sting operation, an immigrants support network had begun planning for it -- or something like it -- months ago.

A loosely knit group of Latino, church and immigrant rights activists heard that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement planned to step up raids in the Portland area. It was only a matter of time, they thought, until a large-scale action such as Tuesday's at Fresh Del Monte Produce in North Portland happened.

By the time more specific rumors flew this past weekend, the group, calling itself the Immigrant Rights Coalition, was ready.

The coalition sent teams with video cameras to the Del Monte plant to monitor potential abuses. It readied legal volunteers. It used a telephone tree to share information, particularly about children who might come home from school to find their parents detained. Churches promised to provide sanctuary to affected families or those in fear of deportation.

"This is what we call post-raid community repair," said Stephen Manning, chairman of the Oregon Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, who coordinated legal teams for the coalition.

Though many Oregonians disagree with the coalition's goals to help illegal immigrants, Tuesday's coordinated effort reflects how tactics surrounding the debate have become more sophisticated. As the national controversy escalates, activists are going beyond pickets and marches.

While legalization opponents snap license-plate photos of employers picking up day laborers, the Immigrant Rights Coalition established a RaidWatch team. When raid rumors surface, the team monitors the Federal Building's outbound immigration agents.

Tuesday night, the coalition and affected families met at St. Andrew Catholic Church to share information and "triage," as activists called it, those who need legal, child care and other help. The church is among a handful in Portland that have agreed to shelter undocumented immigrants and their families as part of the national New Sanctuary Movement.

"There are so many people trying to do different things," said Romeo Sosa, director of Portland-based VOZ Workers' Rights Education Project. "We are going to continue discussing how the church and other groups can be supportive of people."

Dagoberto Flores, a coalition member, said many coalition efforts would focus on individual cases, such as a Gresham family.

Flores heard the family's two underage girls were alone because both parents worked at Del Monte. The older sister, a teenager, was expected to pick up the younger girl from school. Flores said he was working to get the girls to the meeting, where they might be get help or shelter from one of the churches.

"My concern is, if they're alone, what's going to happen?"

Angie Chuang: 503-221-8219; angiechuang@news.oregonian.com

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oreg ... xml&coll=7

Here's yet another religious organization that needs to lose it's tax-exempt status (unilaterally, vowing to shelter illegal aliens - kinda sounds like 'aiding and abetting' to me...):

Community of Saint Andrew (Portland, Oregon)
St. Andrew Catholic Church
806 NE Alberta Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97211 (503) 281-4429
www.standrewchurch.com/

Edit Update: Oooh, oooh - look at the URL above, a '.com' and not a '.org'?
Hmmmmmmm....

Though many Oregonians disagree with the coalition's goals to help illegal immigrants, Tuesday's coordinated effort reflects how tactics surrounding the debate have become more sophisticated

Actually, based upon the Oregonians I know and have spoken to on the subject, I'd have to say that most Oregonians disagree...

Here's where they need to be arrested along with the illegals it is against the law to aid and abett illegal aliens or encourage them to remain in the U.S., we need to enforce all the laws not just part of them.

WE need to get serious about this or it is not going to work!!