Thread: Immigration Raids in Worthington, MN AGAIN!!!!

ICE in Worthington

By Ellen Serr

Story Created: Feb 27, 2008 at 4:34 PM CST

Story Updated: Feb 27, 2008 at 5:52 PM CST

KSFY has learned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are in the Worthington, Minnesota area today.

An ICE spokesperson confirmed that ICE is conducting an enforcement aimed at specific individuals - not a general sweep of a certain businesses. KSFY spoke with an ICE official, who said they are in the midst of an ongoing investigation and that it could take the remainder of the week.

ICE will not say how many individuals have or will be arrested. They did say this is not a large scale raids. Instead, they said this is a small targeted operation throughout Worthington. Much of the operation is concentrated at residences.

One resident told KSFY that she saw four people taken from a home close to where she lives and into a van.

KSFY will have continuing coverage on this story on KSFY Live At 10:00.

Kent Erdahl and Drew Sandholm contributed to this report.

http://www.ksfy.com/news/16050027.html

Thanks safari.

Enforcement is a good thing

I'll help monitor this as well too.

They also said on the newscast ICE is making raids in several locations around MN, including the Cottonwood area, so once I see something in writing, I will share that information TOO!!!

Sad it took such a tragic incident to bring this about but we can all that somehow justice will be served.

Wow, thanks safari! Please keep us updated.

Sometimes those phone calls/email/faxes really do make a difference

I hope that in some way this was prompted by the outrage over the tragedy of the Cottonwood, MN accident.....hopefully this means that similar tragedies and the senseless loss of lives have been prevented by deporting lawless, irresponsible, criminal illegal aliens who, by their purposeful actions have shown that they have little respect for human life.....at any level.

Hooray for the ICE cops!

ICE should not have to explain or make excuses about enforcing the law-it does bother me that they would go out of the way to say they are not making 'sweeps' -which the laws say they should enforce all laws-any place-any time

KSFY report says they were knocking at doors of residences. One of the men interviewed is on a legal worker permit. Has one 14 month old daughter with the woman and she is 6 months pregnant. Does not sound like they are married.



Said he doesn't have any family here and no one to take care of their 14 month old child so doesn't know when he'll return to work at the meat-packing plant.

Other businesses that cater to Hispanics/Latinos are also complaining because there has been little or no business all day as the word spread quickly because of the raids.

ICE will not release any more information according to the reporter because of stepped up operations in MN this week.

and another source:

02/27/2008
ICE Targeting Immigrants In Worthington

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents caused a stir again Wenesday when they returned to Worthington, Minnesota. They say they're doing targeted enforcement operations in Worthington, Minnesota, and it comes more than a year after agents raided the Swift meat packing plant in town looking for illegal immigrants.

Immigration officials aren't saying too much about Wednesday's work other than that it's different from what happened at the Swift plant. This time around, ICE agents are targeting specific homes and individuals. And while authorities won't say much more than that, people in the community have a lot to say about the growing Hispanic population in Worthington.

Bob Emary has lived in Worthington, Minnesota for more than forty years. But in the past several years he's watched his community change.

Worthington resident Bob Emary says, "We certainly have changed our population and diversity."

And that diversity is what brought immigration agents to the Swift meat-packing plant more than a year ago and back to town again Wednesday.

Emary says, "They're here to make a living that's why they're here."

Worthington resident Joel Chamonica says, "It doesn't matter if you are a citizen or not, as long as you're not white they will treat you different."

Joel Chamonica has lived in Worthington for ten years and says it doesn't matter whether you're living in the U.S. legally or not. He notices the Hispanic discrimination in town.

Chamonica says, "Because they come from other countries you going to say they're bad, you have to know people are persons."

Back in Emary's neighborhood, he says the Hispanic family that lives next door to him are the best neighbors he's had, and hopes others don't judge the entire Hispanic population in Worthington based on this latest round of raids.

Emary says, "I think we're pretty much all the same. Some of us are bad and it doesn't make much difference where we originate from."

Because Emary knows the diversity in Worthington is now a part of this Southwest Minnesota town.

ICE says it is also targeting people in the Sioux Falls area. Tuesday, the agency announced it arrested 225 aliens in six other Midwestern states, including Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois, during a four day operation. It was part of an effort to arrest "fugitive aliens" who did not follow a federal immigration judge's order to leave the country.

However, officials say that operation and the one in Worthington Wednesday are not connected. ICE says they will have more information on the operation in Worthington when agents are done with their enforcement.

Ben Dunsmoor
http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=0,66896

be careful, Rep sam farr from california on Tuesday called ICe "gestapo" the other day in house hearings with ICE's juice myers