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Roller Rink Raid Nets 4 Illegal Immigrants, Unnerves Skaters

POSTED: 9:28 am CDT July 26, 2005
UPDATED: 4:07 pm CDT July 26, 2005

NEW ORLEANS -- Dozens of adults were recently pulled from the crowd at a roller skating rink in Jefferson Parish and forced to undergo background checks by police.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee said the Thursday raid at Skate Country on Terry Parkway was part of a national crackdown called Operation Community Shield, the purpose of which is to search for people living in the country illegally.

# Video: Skater Angered By Roundup
"We had information that illegal aliens hung out at that location," Lee said. "They did arrest four people who were illegal aliens that were there."

One skater said she objects to the way deputies handled the situation.

"First, they told us to get off the floor and everybody was off the floor," said Gwen Palmer. "And then they herded us and picked us out like, 'You, you, you.' You don't pick people like that, and you didn't have to disturb the whole skating rink to get four people."

Palmer said Thursday nights at Skate Country are for the adult R&B crowd, and she thinks the roundup amounted to racial profiling.

A statement from the rink said management had no prior knowledge of the raid and had no control over the situation.