Thread: U.S. Border Patrol launches sweep in Twin Falls

Nov. 13, 2007, 7:15PM
Dozens arrested in Twin Falls illegal immigration sting

TWIN FALLS, Idaho — U.S. Border Patrol agents have arrested about 100 people in the Magic Valley as part of a sting to round up illegal immigrants, officials said Tuesday.

The city was targeted after commercial bus employees told law-enforcement officials that they suspected illegal immigrants were buying large numbers of bus tickets, U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Alex Harrington said.

The region appeared to be a hub for human smuggling, Harrington said, with legal residents buying as many as 10 bus tickets at a time to be used by illegal immigrants.

"About 20 percent of the people we apprehended actually were from two vans — both with Oregon plates — buying tickets en route to Orlando, Florida," Harrington said. "Another 10 percent were en route to Laredo, Texas, and another 10 or 15 percent were en route to Salt Lake City."

Other destination points included Boise, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta and South Carolina, he said.

"Most of these folks were not from Twin Falls. I don't know the main reason why they selected Twin Falls," as a hub, Harrington said. "But with the increase of agents on the southern border (of the United States) there have been concerns that some of the smuggling traffic is moving up north."

Most of the tickets were purchased during late hours, when the local Border Patrol office was closed and when there were fewer police officers on duty, he said. At least 15 commercial bus lines were being used for the smuggling operation, Harrington said.

The raid has prompted complaints of racial profiling from community groups.

"I know there is racial profiling going on out there," said Ben Reed with the Rupert-based Spanish-language Radio La Fantastica. "If they are going after documents, why aren't they asking everyone? Why are they only asking people with brown skin?"

That's not the case, Harrington said.

"Our job is to ask questions. They can approach anybody without a warrant, and if they don't have that proper immigration paperwork, that proper identification, they will be processed," he said.

Out of roughly 100 arrests, all but three were believed to Mexican citizens, he said. About one-quarter of those arrested during the sting had criminal histories, he said.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5299391.html

You go ICE....We love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

The city was targeted after commercial bus employees told law-enforcement officials that they suspected illegal immigrants were buying large numbers of bus tickets, U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Alex Harrington said.

Now i know just one of those people is willing to talk
and lets on to just who was in charge

Out of roughly 100 arrests, all but three were believed to Mexican citizens, he said. About one-quarter of those arrested during the sting had criminal histories, he said.

And now they all do

Border agents confirm raids in Magic Valley
Hispanic leaders to rally against action at 7 p.m.
By Cass Friedman
Times-News writer

Nov 14, 2007
A U.S. Border Patrol official confirmed Tuesday that agents investigating human smuggling on commercial bus lines arrested more than 100 illegal immigrants in the Twin falls area over the past week.

That figure does not include unconfirmed reports that agents detained a number of immigrants at other locations in the Magic Valley, such as a supermarket and a bank.

The operation stemmed from a tip from Greyhound bus officials who said local bus stations were being used by illegal immigrants to roam the country while circumventing local law enforcement, the agency said in a written statement.

"We did receive information of individuals possibly involved in human smuggling," said Alex Harrington, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"Most of these folks were not from Twin Falls. I don't know the main reason why they selected Twin Falls," as a hub, Harrington said. "But with the increase of agents on the southern border (of the United States) there have been concerns that some of the smuggling traffic is moving up north."

Greyhound officials had complained to local Border Patrol agents that sometimes a single person would purchase more than 10 tickets at once. That led Border Patrol agents to suspect human smugglers were using the local station as a hub to move illegal immigrants across the U.S.

In one instance, about 20 illegals were dropped at a local Greyhound station by two vans with Oregon plates. All were headed to Orlando, Fla. Other illegal immigrants had tickets to Denver, Chicago, Laredo, Tex., Portland, Ore., Seattle and Salt Lake City. An estimated 25 percent have criminal records, Harrington said.

Local Hispanic activists have branded the sweep as racial profiling, and have organized a meeting on the subject at St. Edward's The Confessor in Twin Falls at 7 p.m. today.

It remains unclear how agents approached passengers on the busses, but Harrington said, "We don't do profiling."

Harrington said the ongoing operation is not coordinated with repeated strikes over the past week by immigration agents at other locations, including malls and a bank. He said he was unaware of other operations in the area.

A WinCo Foods spokesman said Monday that on "several occasions" over the past week immigration agents have detained "a number" of illegal immigrants at the store on Blue Lakes Boulevard North, though the store management was not involved of the action. The supermarket's clientele includes many Hispanics.

But Ben Reed, a personality on the Rupert-based La Fantastica Spanish language radio station, said many Hispanics feel "frustrated" with the store's response.

"It's reflecting the frustration of a lot of people within the Hispanic community that certain businesses have granted - we feel - undue access to (immigration) agents," Reed said.

Reed said one of the raids at WinCo drove fleeing illegal immigrants into the stockroom. Agents later hauled them out. The most recent raid at WinCo, he said, happened Monday night.

Lorie Dankers, spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the northwestern area of responsibility, which oversees the interior U.S., said she did not know if ICE agents have launched an operation at WinCo.

"We do very targeted investigations and we might have an investigation there," Dankers said. "I can categorically deny that we would randomly arrest or apprehend individuals at this grocery store or any location. This runs contrary to the way we would do business."

http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/200 ... 124642.txt

Way to go ICE!
You are so right ex oc, a duck is a duck!
Now if they can just head over my way a little west to the treasure valley and round up all the lanscapers who are hiring illegals...I called one the other day and asked him if the persons hanging up Christmas lights at this shopping center were illegals,( because when I was leaving the store, I had to ask them to move their ladder. Based on the looks on their faces, they obviously didn't speak a word of English). There was just a long pause after which I replied that he was costing legal Idahoans jobs by hiring people for less wages and how unamerican that was if they were illegals. I also told him that I would gladly call the owner of the shopping center and tell him or her that he was hiring illegals and that I would not be spending money there at any of the businesses anymore. He hung up on me.

I have been pushing Butch Otter to make E Verify mandatory in Idaho via email and phone calls. I hope situations like this helps with his decision.

Originally Posted by spudmom

Way to go ICE!
You are so right ex oc, a duck is a duck!
Now if they can just head over my way a little west to the treasure valley and round up all the lanscapers who are hiring illegals...I called one the other day and asked him if the persons hanging up Christmas lights at this shopping center were illegals,( because when I was leaving the store, I had to ask them to move their ladder. Based on the looks on their faces, they obviously didn't speak a word of English). There was just a long pause after which I replied that he was costing legal Idahoans jobs by hiring people for less wages and how unamerican that was if they were illegals. I also told him that I would gladly call the owner of the shopping center and tell him or her that he was hiring illegals and that I would not be spending money there at any of the businesses anymore. He hung up on me.

I have been pushing Butch Otter to make E Verify mandatory in Idaho via email and phone calls. I hope situations like this helps with his decision.

You are so awesome, spudmom! I called Rep. Sali's office today (again!) to tell him to co-sponsor the SAVE Act. The staffer had no clue what the SAVE Act was, so I had to give him a mini-lesson. I wrote about this in our other thread here about the Save Act. http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-89639.html

Sosad and tinybobidaho, please see the thread too about the SAVE Act too. I have a special message for Idahoans there. Thanks!

[quote]“Profiling is definitely happening,â€