Thread: TN: Immigration Agents Raid The Clairmont Apartments

Something doesn't read right here.
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Immigration Agents Raid The Clairmont Apartments

Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 5:20 PM


On the sidewalk in front of The Clairmont Apartments, representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition denounced an Oct. 20 raid of the southwest Nashville complex by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that is said to have resulted in the detention of more than 20 residents who were allegedly undocumented.

Immigrant representatives and witnesses say agents broke into the apartments and arrested men and women at gunpoint, forcing them to leave their children behind.

"They came and took my friends and their family members — people who take care of me after school and look out for me every day," said a 13-year-old boy whose name is being withheld.

Immigrant representatives know of no criminal charges filed against the people who agents rounded up, and they claim that warrants were not presented before agents entered the apartments by force. One source says they were taken to a detention facility in Ft. Payne, Ala., despite the fact that Davidson County has a facility that participates in 287 (g), a federal program that allows local law enforcement to screen and detain undocumented immigrants.

Leading up to the raid, advocates say conditions at the department had deteriorated, and that absentee management failed to address issues such as insect infestation, a lack of hot water, unusable bathrooms and broken windows.

Since taking office, the president has signaled an intent to move away from home and workplace raids, placing the onus on employers to ensure workers are documented. Both candidates for Tennessee governor have expressed similar sentiments about employer accountability.

This isn't the first time Hispanics have had trouble at the Clairmont Apartments. In 1999, a Scene investigation discovered a private security company was beating, harassing and often extorting Hispanic residents of the Clairmont, then known as Ivy Wood.

www.nashvillescene.com

Immigrant advocates dispute cause of police raid in South Nashville
By Brian Haas • THE TENNESSEAN • October 29, 2010


Comments (63)

A Immigrant rights groups on Thursday accused federal officials of violating the rights of dozens of people in a massive South Nashville immigration raid last week.
Except police say it wasn't an immigration raid.
Members of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition and the American Civil Liberties Union accused Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of violating people's civil rights on Oct. 20 during a raid at the Clairmont apartment complex.
Remziya Suleyman, policy coordinator for the immigration coalition, said the raid may have been retribution for complaints from residents about deplorable living conditions that included insects, vermin, mold, leaks and broken doors and windows.
"ICE came in — from the allegations that we heard — without consent, breaking into people's homes, breaking through windows and doors, dragging people out by gunpoint and in front of children," said Tricia Herzfeld, an attorney with the ACLU.
"This is not fair. We're a country of laws. Everyone has to follow them, including law enforcement."
But Metro police say the raid was not related to immigration issues.
Police say they were investigating suspected members of the MS-13 and SUR-13 gangs who were preying on undocumented workers.
Gang unit detectives and ICE agents watched four apartments for two weeks after requests from apartment managers.
They found two men who were wanted in connection with several robberies in the area, police spokesman Don Aaron said.
The Oct. 20 raid involved "knock and talks," Aaron said, meaning police knock on doors and try to spot fugitives as they talk to residents.
Aaron said police spotted at least three people they had identified as wanted gang members during the sweep.
In all, Aaron said, ICE made several arrests of wanted fugitives.
ICE officials Thursday said they were merely supporting the Metro Gang Unit but didn't address questions about the arrests.
"In this case, ICE's Fugitive Operations Team was assisting local law enforcement with field interviews of suspected street gang members and targeted ICE fugitives," said ICE spokesman Temple Black from the New Orleans field office.
The apartment's managers declined to comment, and their management company could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.
Several people detained
The ACLU and immigrant advocates had said that ICE detained a few dozen people in the raid, some of whom were denied access to attorneys.
"We are not aware of a single criminal charge that has resulted from this raid that terrorized all of these people," Herzfeld said. "There are between 20 and 40 people who are currently being held in immigration detention. Many of them have not been provided access to legal counsel."
Herzfeld said the ACLU was looking into possible litigation but that the groups were still investigating exactly what happened in the raid.

www.tennessean.com

Well now all the detainies get 3 hots, a cot, bingo, mariachi, etc, etc

LOL

"This is not fair. We're a country of laws. Everyone has to follow them, including law enforcement."

Yeah...except the illegal invaders they're arresting! They don't seem to have to follow the laws and are protected by racist, pro-illegal organizations....

Something doesn't read right here.

You're right Jean...why did they only arrest 20 illegal invaders when you know that apartment complex was crawling with illegal invaders....