Thread: LAKE ELSINORE: Immigrant rights protesters, council face off

LAKE ELSINORE: Immigrant rights protesters, council face off
Self-described activists ask city leaders to explain alleged uptick in Border Patrol activity
By Aaron Claverie - Staff Writer | Tuesday, August 26, 2008 11:07 PM PDT ∞

15 comment(s)LAKE ELSINORE ---- Lake Elsinore residents and self-described immigrant rights activists staged a protest on the front steps of the city's Cultural Center during Tuesday night's City Council meeting.

The protest followed marches and other types of demonstrations targeting City Hall and the city's police station that attempt to call attention to what the protesters contend is a crackdown on undocumented immigrants that is breaking up families.

Supporters of the recent actions by the U.S. Border Patrol say the immigrants targeted by the agency are here in the country illegally, undercutting the protester's claims of rights violations.

The protesters, addressing the council at the start of the meeting, asked the council or city administrators to explain what they called, an "extremely high" level of Border Patrol activity in the city recently.

"I don't think you're fully aware of the level of fear within the community," said Debbie McClain, one of the activists.

Some residents and the activists contend Border Patrol agents have staged raids within the city and deported more than 200 undocumented immigrants, mostly men from Mexico or Guatemala.

A Border Patrol spokesman in the agency's San Diego office has said there have been no large-scale raids conducted in Lake Elsinore recently. He said any noticeable increase in agency presence can be attributed to increased hiring and regular patrols of the area out of the agency's Murrieta station.

The spokesman also said the agency does not respond to requests by city officials for more agents. He said that request only would be heeded if it came from Washington, D.C.

McClain told the council that members of the city's Latino community are saying city officials called for a beefed up Border Patrol presence and she asked the council to make it clear if that was true or not.

At the end of the meeting, Mayor Daryl Hickman addressed the issue from his seat on the council dais and told the protesters that he asked the office of U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, for support because day laborers were congregating on street corners on Main Street, the main thoroughfare into the city.

Hickman said the city has long allowed day laborers to seek work along Spring Street to the north, a street that has bathrooms and other facilities specifically placed there for day laborers.

When the laborers couldn't be convinced by members of the city's business community to move to Spring, Hickman said he called Issa's office. He said the issue needed to be addressed because some members of the community were afraid to drive down Main Street, "especially women."

"That's where we're at ---- that's what happened," he said.

Hickman said residents of the city support his action.

"I've received some 100 e-mails from people in support and zero against," he said.

City Councilman Bob Magee said the Border Patrol is enforcing federal law and the people opposed to the action of the agents should lobby the federal government to change the law.

"They need to go to the Democratic and Republican conventions," he said.

Talking about the issue of people living with fear, Magee said no one in the city who is obeying federal law should have anything to fear.

A resident in favor of the mayor's action, James Brady, told the council that the protesters should be required to pull a permit if they want to stage an event in the city. And he questioned why there wasn't more of a police presence during a protest on Aug. 17.

"My wife and I and guests from out of town were going to go to Guadalajara's (a Main Street Mexican food restaurant) and we saw 50 to 100 people shaking signs in some sort of demonstration. We turned around and went to Temecula," he said.

Following the meeting, Hickman addressed the protesters on the front steps of the cultural center. He stressed that the people targeted by U.S. Border Patrol were here illegally in violation of federal laws.


http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/08 ... 142e12.txt

"I don't think you're fully aware of the level of fear within the community," said Debbie McClain, one of the activists.

No Debbie, I don't think YOU get it. The community wants all illegal aliens to be GONE, along with their families. Their so called "fear" is laughable, since the fear they have is about losing the freebies they've been stealing from us, not about their families! They had no problem leaving their families behind in the home country, now did they?

BUILD THE WALL! DEPORT THEM ALL! ENFORCE THE LAWS! MORE RAIDS!

Talking about the issue of people living with fear, Magee said no one in the city who is obeying federal law should have anything to fear.

So true!

Lake Elsinore City Council

dhickman@lake-elsinore.org; gkelley@lake-elsinore.org;
tbuckley@lake-elsinore.org; rschiffner@lake-elsinore.org;
rmagee@lake-elsinore.org; pweber@lake-elsinore.org

Mayor Daryl Hickman
Mayor Pro Tem Genie Kelley
Councilman Thomas Buckley
Councilman Robert Schiffner
Councilman Robert 'Bob' Magee
City Treasurer Peter G. Weber

http://www.lake-elsinore.org/citycouncil.asp

From: buzzm1
To: dhickman@lake-elsinore.org; gkelley@lake-elsinore.org;
tbuckley@lake-elsinore.org; rschiffner@lake-elsinore.org;
rmagee@lake-elsinore.org; pweber@lake-elsinore.org
Subject: Immigrant rights protesters
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2008 3:25 pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mayor Daryl Hickman
Mayor Pro Tem Genie Kelley
Councilman Thomas Buckley
Councilman Robert Schiffner
Councilman Robert 'Bob' Magee
City Treasurer Peter G. Weber

Dear Mayor, and Council Members,

Thank you for your statement:

Hickman addressed the protesters on the front steps of the cultural center. He stressed that "the people targeted by U.S. Border Patrol were here illegally in violation of federal laws."

That's the simple fact that many people, either, fail to understand, or fail to accept.

Illegals, are just that, illegal. They have absolutely no right to be in our United States; it's against our laws..

It is also against our laws for an illegal to be employed, by anyone, anywhere, within our United States.

There are over 8.8 unemployed American workers, and California ranks 47th worst with an unemployment rate of 7.3%

Unemployment Rates for States Monthly Rankings
Seasonally Adjusted
July 2008p

41 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 6.7
41 KENTUCKY 6.7
43 ALASKA 6.9
43 TENNESSEE 6.9
45 SOUTH CAROLINA 7.0
46 OHIO 7.2
47 CALIFORNIA 7.3
47 ILLINOIS 7.3
49 RHODE ISLAND 7.7
50 MISSISSIPPI 7.9%
51 MICHIGAN 8.5

http://www.bls.gov/web/laumstrk.htm

Illegals, using forged, falsified, or stolen documents, have illegally obtained jobs that rightfully belong to American workers.

American workers need those jobs, and they need them now!

Thanks again for standing up for all Americans.

Sincerely,
name removed (Buzzm1)
A very concerned citizen

The illegals have had a "free ride" for many years now. But now the American people have been awakened to the reality of the illegals invasion and they are really fighting back much to the illegals chagrin. So the illegals are going to do all kinds of stupid things to regain there position. I'm very proud of all the good Americans fighting to get our country back! Illegals need to leave.....

Good for this city council and mayor. Good for ICE. Maybe if they are watching the news in MISS, they might just self-deport, because its not going to get any better.

From: Thomas Buckley <tbuckley@Lake-Elsinore.org>
To: buzzm1
Subject: RE: Immigrant rights protesters
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:43 pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

thanks for the input and the support!

buckley



Mayor Daryl Hickman
Mayor Pro Tem Genie Kelley
Councilman Thomas Buckley
Councilman Robert Schiffner
Councilman Robert 'Bob' Magee
City Treasurer Peter G. Weber

Dear Mayor, and Council Members,

Thank you for your statement:

Hickman addressed the protesters on the front steps of the cultural center. He
stressed that "the people targeted by U.S. Border Patrol were here illegally in
violation of federal laws."

That's the simple fact that many people, either, fail to understand, or fail to
accept.

Illegals, are just that, illegal. They have absolutely no right to be in our
United States; it's against our laws..

It is also against our laws for an illegal to be employed, by anyone, anywhere,
within our United States.

There are over 8.8 unemployed American workers, and California ranks 47th worst
with an unemployment rate of 7.3%

Unemployment Rates for States Monthly Rankings
Seasonally Adjusted
July 2008p

41 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 6.7
41 KENTUCKY 6.7
43 ALASKA 6.9
43 TENNESSEE 6.9
45 SOUTH CAROLINA 7.0
46 OHIO 7.2
47 CALIFORNIA 7.3
47 ILLINOIS 7.3
49 RHODE ISLAND 7.7
50 MISSISSIPPI 7.9%
51 MICHIGAN 8.5

http://www.bls.gov/web/laumstrk.htm

Illegals, using forged, falsified, or stolen documents, have illegally obtained
jobs that rightfully belong to American workers.

American workers need those jobs, and they need them now!

Thanks again for standing up for all Americans.

Sincerely,
name removed (Buzzm1)
A very concerned citizen