Thread: Return to sender: Illegal immigration crackdown expands

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archiv ... 3local.htm

March 30, 2007

Return to sender: Illegal immigration crackdown expands
By Tom Ragan
Sentinel staff writer

WATSONVILLE — Federal immigration authorities are expanding into Northern California and the Central Valley, creating a pair of teams to track down illegal immigrants in Sacramento and Fresno under "Return to Sender," a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday.

The operation has netted 18,000 undocumented residents nationwide in the past nine months — including more than 100 people on the Central Coast and 900 people in the San Francisco area, said Virginia Kice, ICE's spokeswoman in Laguna Niguel.

Nearly half of those arrested have been deported to their home countries, mostly Mexico, she said.

"These are fugitive immigrants who have been ordered deported by an immigration judge and have exhausted all legal means," said Kice. "We believe there are more than 600,000 of them in the United States, and we're in the process of creating new teams to identify, arrest and remove the people who have already been through the legal proceedings and immigration court"

Kice said the crackdown, which began in 2003, started out with 17 teams nationwide, but is expected to have 75 teams in place across the country by the end of the year.

The federal government's "Return to Sender" operation has caught the attention of the locally formed Migra Watch Network, an immigrant rights group organized nearly a year ago in the aftermath of arrests in Watsonville and Santa Cruz on Sept. 9.

Today, an educational forum will be held at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Watsonville to educate Pajaro Valley residents in case they become the targets of ICE raids, said Ramiro Medrano, a member of Migra Watch Network and a Watsonville Brown Beret.

"I don't believe in the concept of 'illegal,' " said Medrano, 27, a Watsonville resident whose parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico three decades ago. "It's important that people are informed of their rights. We've got to be ready next time ICE comes to town"

One of their rights, Medrano said, is that they don't need to open the door unless an immigration agent has a search warrant or an arrest warrant with the name and address of the person on it.

"They obviously have the right to remain silent, and they have the right to an attorney," he said.

ICE officials said when they conduct raids at houses they show administrative warrants, which are not criminal warrants but do allow officers to make immigration arrests.

"We don't go into a house unless a door is opened for us, but it's advisable that they comply," said Lori Haley, an ICE spokeswoman. "If they don't, we'll find other ways"

Medrano said during last year's raids in the Pajaro Valley ICE officers misleadingly called themselves "police" and "tricked" residents into opening their doors.

But Haley said "police" is a "global term" that everybody is going to understand, in light of the fact that many of the fugitives are limited in their English-speaking abilities.

The debate over what to do with the estimated 12 million undocumented workers in the United States hit a high point last spring when the House of Representatives passed a bill that sought to deport illegal immigrants.

The proposed bill, HR 4437, sparked protests across the country, including in Watsonville, where thousands of students walked out of classes and marched through the streets, many of them the children of illegal immigrants.

Robert Allgeyer, an Aptos resident, said something must be done to stop the tide of illegal immigration, and he believes the workplace is the best option.

"I believe that rigid workplace enforcement with 'real ID' is necessary," he said. "I expect that with rigid enforcement, illegals will gradually return home of their own volition. When the number of illegals is reduced to a small number, then maybe we can look at alternatives. I do not support amnesty, 'leave and return,' or other measures .."

Contact Tom Ragan at tragan@santacruzsentinel.com.

If You go

WHAT: Migra Watch Network education forum.

WHEN: 7-10 p.m. today.

WHERE: St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 721 Main St., Watsonville.

DETAILS: 331-1119.

Originally Posted by had_enuf

WATSONVILLE — Federal immigration authorities are expanding into Northern California and the Central Valley, creating a pair of teams to track down illegal immigrants in Sacramento and Fresno under "Return to Sender," a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday.

Expanding to Northern California and the Central Valley?? WOO HOO!!!

Maybe ICE should make an appearance at St. Patrick's in Watsonville and any other church who sees fit to aid and abet illegal aliens.

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Watsonville! Oh man! That's where all the strawberries are grown. Tons of illegals there.

Go Go Go!!!!

...enforcing the law. Who woulda thunk it?

The pressure to enforce the law is finally gaining some steam!

Keep it going!!

Today, an educational forum will be held at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Watsonville to educate Pajaro Valley residents in case they become the targets of ICE raids, said Ramiro Medrano, a member of Migra Watch Network and a Watsonville Brown Beret.

Have I missed something? What the heck is a "brown beret". Sounds racist to me!