Thread: 2000 Gather to Protest Irving, TX Police Program

The headline said 2000 but the local news says 1000. The mayor is Herbert A Gears. If you want to send him a note of support, his e-mail is
mayor@CityofIrving.org


Sept. 26, 2007, 8:44PM
About 2,000 gather to protest Irving police program


By ANABELLE GARAY Associated Press Writer
© 2007 The Associated Press

IRVING, Texas — About 2,000 people demonstrated outside Irving City Hall on Wednesday night to demand an end to a police program that's led to a high number of deportations.

Advocates are collecting information about cases where they say police are racially profiling people in order to stop them and verify their immigration paperwork. They asked the crowd to begin calling City Hall on Thursday to tell the mayor to stop the Criminal Alien Program.

Irving started participating in the nationwide program last year. It allows jailers to identify suspected illegal immigrants and refer them to immigration authorities, but the Mexican Consulate and immigration advocates say police are being overzealous while patrolling and trying to stop Latinos in order to arrest them.

Police Chief Larry Boyd denies that police are trying to enforce immigration laws and says they are not targeting specific groups of people. He says the identification of suspected immigrants is happening at the jail, not on the streets.

The Mexican Consulate in Dallas, which covers half of the state of Texas, said that half of the people they have interviewed in the last few weeks who are being deported were arrested in Irving.

There were about a dozen counter-protesters who placed themselves in the middle of the demonstration Wednesday night. After one of several shouting matches erupted between the two groups, police say two people were arrested on misdemeanor assault charges and taken to jail.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5167960.html

anyone got the mayor's number? I am looking at moving..... looks like Irving will be on my list of places to look for an apt.

The Mexican Consulate in Dallas

We need to send them home they have overstayed any invite... do you hear of other Consulates always messing in US business...it is liken to the house quest that never leaves

This one says nearly 1,000.
~~~
Sep 26, 2007 9:33 pm US/Central

Immigration Debate Reignites At Irving Rally


Jay Gormley
Reporting

(CBS 11 News) IRVING A new chapter is about to begin in the immigration debate.

Nearly 1,000 people gathered in front of Irving City Hall to protest the city's policy on illegal immigrants Wednesday night.

"I have come here to tell you that the day is over in Irving where Hispanics can be disregarded," Anthony Bond, Local NAACP, said to the crowd.

What started out as a peaceful rally, quickly escalated to a war of words.

Victor Acosta, who came to protest the policy, argued with a supporter. Then he says the other man "looked at me in anger and grabbed me by the neck."

Hispanic leaders are upset over a policy being enforced by the City of Irving. The police department is checking to see if inmates being held in the city's jail are illegal immigrants. If they are, police are turning them over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation.

It's a policy several people turned out to support.

"You won't have no fear if you obey the laws of the United States!" screamed a protester.

Opponents claim that police aren't going after serious criminals, but conducting racial profiling and deporting illegal immigrants for minor traffic violations.

"We are not going anywhere," said Hispanic activist Hector Flores. "We are staying here in Irving!"

Two people at the rally were arrested and three people were treated for minor injuries.

"I think that as an American citizen, I have no rights in America!" said a woman who was arrested.

Officials with the City of Irving said no matter who gets stopped by police - if you don't have a driver's license, insurance and can't prove who you are - you're going to jail. Leaders also said it is not the job of the city to deport illegal immigrants - that decision is made by ICE.

Irving police say they do not discriminate. Once someone has been arrested, even for a minor infraction, Congress has given them the right to check their legal status.

Since May, ICE officials confirm that 600 Irving inmates have been identified for deportation. Over the last two years, more than 2,000 inmates have been identified for deportation, city officials say.

http://cbs11tv.com/local/local_story_269200023.html