Raids sharpen divisions over immigration
In Miss. town, some residents cheer crackdown


Suspected illegal immigrants from Howard Industries were escorted outside the federal court in Hattiesburg, Miss., last week. (Matt Bush/ The Hattiesburg American via AP)
By Miguel Bustillo and Richard Fausset

Los Angeles Times / September 1, 2008

LAUREL, Miss. - Fabiola Pena considered running away from her factory job when she realized that she was being targeted in a federal immigration raid. She was deterred when she noticed the helicopters hovering overhead.

But helicopters were not what shocked Pena the most on her last, fateful day at Howard Industries, the largest employer in this small Southern city. It was the black co-workers who clapped and cheered as Pena and hundreds of other Hispanic immigrant laborers were arrested.

"They said we took their jobs, but I was working from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.," said Pena, 21, a day after the raid last week that resulted in the arrest of 595 illegal immigration suspects. "I didn't see them working like us."

The raid at Howard Industries, an electronic transformer manufacturer, was the largest of its kind in many years, and it exposed some of the rawest emotions that fuel the illegal immigration debate.

It was also carried out during an odd period of political limbo: Polls suggest that for voters, the immigration issue has been eclipsed by the sputtering economy, and neither of the two major presidential candidates has made much of the topic during the election season.

As the Bush administration winds down its tenure in Washington, it has made efforts to step up immigration enforcement, especially after Congress failed last year to pass a sweeping overhaul of the nation's immigration laws.

Since then, thousands of people have been arrested in raids at dozens of facilities, generating considerable controversy: Immigrant advocates have howled over the coarse treatment of suspects and the breakup of families, while anti-immigrant groups say the raids allow for the long-overdue enforcement of existing laws.

But the raids might not have much of a future after the swearing in of Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama, both of whom have staked out moderate-to-liberal stances on immigration reform.

The raid at the Howard plant was welcomed by a number of native-born residents in this manufacturing hub of about 25,000 people that has been transformed in recent years by the influx of Hispanic workers, many of whom are likely undocumented.

"They need to go and do this in every little town," Tonya Jackson said. Jackson, 30, who is black, said that over the years she had applied numerous times for a job at the company, which employs about 4,000 people. Jackson never received a callback. The raid, she said, was a welcome purge of illegal Hispanic laborers who had taken jobs they didn't deserve.

That puts her at odds with Obama. The Democratic nominee's website describes the raids as "ineffective" measures that have "placed all the burdens of a broken system onto immigrant families."

It is unclear whether the raids would increase or decrease under a Republican administration headed by McCain. Of late, McCcain has emphasized that real border security must be in place before a path to citizenship is provided for illegal immigrants.

Laurel's population in 2000 was about 18,000, according to census figures, but the Hispanic newcomers have helped raise that number by thousands. Their arrival created some tension in town, with blacks and whites suspecting that undocumented workers were taking the few available jobs and depressing wages.

Eight of the 595 workers arrested in last week's raid face criminal identity theft charges, but most were charged with noncriminal immigration violations and face possible deportation.

Howard Industries said it performs "every check allowed" to ascertain applicants' immigration status. After the raid, it erected a notice on a billboard: "Howard Industries is now hiring!"

The raid, along with rumors of further enforcement actions, has sent a wave of fear through the Hispanic community. A number of workers have skipped their shifts at the poultry plants. Mexican restaurants refused to open their doors, with one citing an unexplained "plumbing problem" in a sign to customers.

At Peniel Christian Church, one night last week, some Hispanic immigrants held hands in a circle and prayed. A few were waiting for lawyers; others were unaffected by the raid, but too scared to go home.

"These people are not terrorists, communist or criminals," said Pastor Roberto Valez, 58, a native of Puerto Rico. "They are here because they are hungry and in search of a better life, and they were caught working."
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