Thread: Parents characterize immigration officials' actions as raid

Parents characterize immigration officials' actions as raid

By Angelica Martinez Union-Tribune Staff Writer
4:19 p.m. May 22, 2009

Parents of three high school students who say their children were deported to Mexico by immigration officials after they were detained at the Old Town Transit Station spoke out against authorities' tactics Friday.

The parents spoke at a news conference at the American Friends Service Committee office in the Stockton neighborhood. Along with Pedro Rios, director of the group's border program, they questioned whether authorities had followed proper procedure when they made the detentions Wednesday morning.

Rios said agents with the Transportation Security Administration and the Border Patrol questioned a 16-year-old girl and two boys, ages 15 and 17, about their residency status at the trolley station before taking them into custody and sending them to Mexico later that day.

Authorities said that they followed correct procedure and that the detentions are part of what their agencies are supposed to do.

Border Patrol Agent Jose Morales said the youths were taken to a station in San Ysidro after they admitted to being in the country illegally during questioning by federal agents at the trolley station.

Morales said the teens were allowed to speak with their parents and Mexican Consulate officials while being detained.

The Consulate arranged for the youths to be received by relatives or guardians in Tijuana. Alberto Diaz, a consulate spokesman, confirmed the removal of the youths and said none of them reported mistreatment by U.S. authorities.

The families of the teenagers and Rios, however, characterized the incident at the trolley station as a raid.

Rios said their concern is the speed and manner in which authorities removed the teens from the country.

“It is an issue of accountability and oversight in the way the deportations took place,â€

I see the parents of these illegal alien minors were more concerned with saving their own hides from deportation, how come they didn't come forwrd BEFORE their kids were deported?

BP & TSA did the right thing, now deport their parents too!

THAT'S how it's suppose to be done!
Hunt down the illegal parents and ship their *sses out too!
They have balls to complain after they leeched off of us and think we don't mind.
Give those TSA people a reward!

the parents of the youths said such tactics can be characterized as racial profiling.

This proves profiling works and should be policy.
[quote]David J. Valladolid, president and chief executive officer of Parent Institute for Quality Education, sat next to the parents at the news conference and said such action by authorities is questionable because the people deported included minors who “are not required to carry documentation.â€

If they are deporting the kids, the parents shouldn't be far behind! If this works in getting rid of them keep it up!

I wish they would show up at my trolly stop and check papers

I get so tired of the insistant babbling.

And it never changes.......always full up till we get to the hospital and then they all get off with their lil jackpots in tow......

[quote="JohnDoe2"]Rios said their concern is the speed and manner in which authorities removed the teens from the country


Rios and the parents of the youths said such tactics can be characterized as racial profiling. Rios said agents directed themselves at “people who looked Latino and asked them for papers.â€

Rios said their concern is the speed and manner in which authorities removed the teens from the country.

Yes, Mr. Rios, I agree with you, I'm also concerned about the speed and manner in which authorities removed the teens from the country - officials aren't deporting fast enough, and they should deport these kids' parents along with the kids.

YES IT WAS A RAID, LET'S PLEASE HAVE MORE OF THEM!!!