Thread: CA: Immigration sweeps Canal, residents fearful

Immigration sweeps Canal, residents fearful
Mark Prado
Article Launched: 03/06/2007 07:05:42 PM PST

Armed with 30 arrest warrants, federal immigration officers swept into the Canal neighborhood in San Rafael at dawn Tuesday and arrested illegal aliens.
"They went right into buildings and pulled people from their homes," said Edgar Hernandez of the sweep, which began about 5 a.m. and lasted to 8:30 a.m. "These are just working people, not criminals. Everyone in the Canal is now afraid."

Caught up in the sweep was 7-year-old Kevin Reyes, an American citizen, who was with his family in an apartment on Belvedere Street when officers made the arrests, according to his uncle, Rey Reyes.

"They put handcuffs on him, he is only 7," Reyes said through an interpreter.

At Bahia Vista Elementary School, Principal Juan Rodriguez reported two students were separated from their parents because of the raid and that 77 children did not come to school, likely out of fear. On a typical day eight to 10 students are absent.

The sweep was part of a stepped-up Immigration and Custom Enforcement program called Operation Return to Sender, which aims to arrest aliens in the country illegally.

The effort is part of the Department of Homeland Security's plan to secure borders and reduce illegal immigration. Since it was launched in June 2006,

Operation Return to Sender has resulted in more than 18,000 arrests nationwide.
The 30 people targeted in the Canal sweep had been ordered deported, immigration officials said. They did not say exactly how many people were arrested.

"These are people who are here illegally," said Lori Haley, immigration spokeswoman. "Our first priority is to find these people who have ignored their final order of deportation."

But if officers incidentally find other illegal aliens in their sweeps, they are arrested as well. Haley said the program "normally" targets adults, but had no further comment.

The raid in the Canal was one of many that have occurred throughout the country in recent weeks, Haley said.

Haley wouldn't disclose how many officers were involved in the operation, but residents counted as many as 15 green-and-white immigration vans. San Rafael police were not involved.

In the past year, immigration officials have nearly tripled the number of fugitive operations teams from 18 to 52 nationwide, and the number is expected to grow to 75 by the end of the year. There are now two teams in the Bay Area.

"This is an ongoing operation," Haley said.

Word of the sweep spread quickly in the close-knit Canal.

"Everyone is panicked," Hernandez said. "They do not want to be out onto the streets. They do not want to go to their jobs."

Tom Wilson, director of Canal Community Alliance, was disturbed.

"This is horrible and inhumane treatment," he said. "The fact they go in and they take people incidentally is reprehensible at best. They used to pick people from the street and now they go right into people's homes. Some people were taken out in their boxer shorts into the cold without a chance to put clothes on. "

Principal Rodriguez called the raids "an emotional type of terror" that separated families and upset the education process at school.

"How can the kids take tests?" Rodriguez asks. "All they can think right now is 'will my parents be taken?'

"And these children are American citizens."

http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_5370433

The adults who came here illegally have caused this. The responsibility can't be allowed to be shifted to the Immigration officers. I'm sorry children are being caught up in it but the fault lies with the illegal invaders.

If these people did not come here illegally to have their babies to provide a link to this country, with the cost going to the American tax payers, then the children wouldn't be caught up in these raids. The responsibility lies with the illegal aliens.
They all need to know if they break the immigration laws or other laws for that matter, they are going to pay the price. American citizens pay the price if they break the law...Why shouldn't they?

Mexico's President says he wants to keep his people in Mexico. I believe we should help him do that.

SECURE THE BORDERS!

"And these children are American citizens."

These children will never be real Americans, they're nothing but anchors and a heavy weight on Americans. They'll never learn English, our history our culture, they'll never put their hand to their heart and get a lump in their throat when they look at our flag and say the pledge. The only country they will ever have alligence to is their parents country and that's exactly where they should be.

"They put handcuffs on him, he is only 7," Reyes said through an interpreter.

I don't believe this for one minute.
Show us proof of this most probable fabrication.

Empty out the schools and save the American taxpayers millions of dollars which can, in turn, be spent on American taxpayer's children's education.
I think we've EARNED it!

I'm so tired of their whining about how horrible America is for hauling them off. They should have thought of the fate of any children when they purposely created the "anchor". They did it to try to "trick" the system so they could stay, it backfired and didn't work out like they thought. Tough break, but one they brought on themselves.

I feel bad for the kids, but the irresponsible parents brought this down on their own children, just like someone who robs a bank brings misery down on children they may have.

Immigrants In San Rafael Arrested, Ordered Deported
POSTED: 4:51 pm PST March 7, 2007
UPDATED: 5:37 pm PST March 7, 2007


SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- Federal agents from the Immigration Customs and Enforcement agency arrested an estimated 30 undocumented immigrants in the Canal area of San Rafael early Tuesday morning, the agency reported.

San Rafael police did not participate in the serving of the deportation warrants but were notified of them at 5 a.m. The operation lasted about two and a half hours, spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher said.

Lori Haley, a spokeswoman for ICE, said she did not know how many people were arrested or when the operation took place. She said the arrests are part of the agency's Return to Sender program, which targets people who have failed to obey final deportation orders issued by a judge, NBC11's Christien Kafton reported.


There are three teams assigned to Return to Sender in Northern California, two of them in the Bay Area, she said. There are 52 fugitive operations teams nationwide and since the operation began in June 2006, there have been 18,000 arrests nationwide, Haley said.

The three Northern California teams made 157 criminal immigration arrests of fugitives and 343 non-criminal arrests and removed 162 fugitives between October 2006 and Jan. 26, Haley said.

Some of those who were arrested Tuesday were reportedly taken from their homes and Haley said this is a common practice.

On the east coast, a similar raid also targeted undocumented immigrants Tuesday.

Federal agents detained about 350 people who work at a factory in New Bedford, Mass. (map).

The immigrants were making leather goods, including supplies for troops in Iraq.

Angry family members of the detained immigrants spoke out and called for their release, Kafton reported.

Others said the company should lose its government contract for hiring the workers.
http://www.nbc11.com/news/11196574/detail.html

I am still waiting for an illegal alien to say "I was wrong it was my fault"

Always someone elses fault that they do what they do (but only if caught)