Detainees say employer sealed off escape routes
By EMMA JAMES • August 27, 2008

LAUREL - When federal agents raided the Howard Industries plant early Monday, they sealed off the exits and made it impossible for any of the workers to escape, some of the detainees released said Tuesday.

"When we saw that immigration had us surrounded, it wasn't worth running," one woman, who didn't want her identity published, said through a translator. "All we could think about was what was going to happen to our children. We were worried about them."

The woman and another detainee, who also would not allow her name to be published, said one worker who tried to run was sprayed with Mace.

When the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents scrambled into the plant, they ordered workers to form two lines - one for Hispanics and one for non-Hispanics. They then separated the women from the men.

"They asked us questions like: 'Do you have children or a husband?' 'Where do you leave your children?' 'Have you been arrested before?'" one woman said. "They let us stay, but they put us on house arrest."

One of the many challenges the released detainees face is surviving with no income while waiting for a court date to determine if they will be deported, said the Rev. Roberto Velez, pastor of Peniel Christian Church in Laurel.

"They don't know what they are going to do. They can't work," he said. "Their greatest worry is feeding their children and paying their rent when they don't have an income.

Velez plans to set up a food pantry and financial assistance for families affected by the raid based on donations from the community.

The mood of the Laurel Hispanic community in the aftermath of the raid is fear, said Emmanuel Gonzales, a Howard Industries welder with a work visa. Gonzales was present during the raid but let go after his documents were examined and found valid. Originally from Vera Cruz, Mexico, Gonzales has lived in Laurel for nine years.

"People are scared. They are hiding," he said. "They won't send their children to school. They are worried that someone will come to their house and take them away. They can't get help because they are scared."

The fear is paralyzing, Gonzales said, even for him, a legal worker who has been employed at Howard Industries for six years.

"Right now I am looking for my friends," he said. "Legal or not legal, it doesn't matter to me. The Lord is big, and he takes care of us. Maybe today I'll find them."
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