Published on Saturday, March 24, 2007
30 arrests, but no immigration raids
By ELOÍSA RUANO GONZÁLEZ
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC


With rumors of immigration raids sending ripples of fear throughout the Yakima Valley this week, immigration officers announced late Friday afternoon they have arrested 30 people since Wednesday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said the suspects were detained as part of a three-day initiative to gather "immigration fugitives" in Yakima and Benton counties.

Seattle-based ICE spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said "Operation Return to Sender" captured 16 people from Yakima County and 14 from Benton. Of the 30 undocumented people (from Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and South Korea) she said 14 were fugitives -- those who'd been ordered by an immigration judge to leave the country but had failed to comply with the court's order. The other 16 people -- all suspected of immigration violations -- were arrested after immigration officials came upon them while searching for a list of fugitives.

Twenty-eight of the detainees were sent to a federal detention center in Tacoma, while two women were released to their families. One was the primary caregiver for her children, the other was caring for an ailing spouse. Both still face legal hearings.

Dankers said authorities found the suspects through a of variety of means -- some admitted they were undocumented, some were turned in.

According to Friday's news release, seven of the detainees had criminal records. Four of those were in Yakima County.

Although officials arrested some at their homes or known hangouts, Dankers said there were no raids, despite rumors to the contrary.

"We're not there to disrupt and spook people," she said. "I don't want there to be fear in a community."

To ease public fears, Dankers said, she spoke to reporters with Granger's Radio KDNA, a Spanish-language station, to let listeners know there weren't any roundups.

In the meantime, the radio station was broadcasting messages at least every hour to clear up the rumors. KDNA also released information on constitutional rights and offered suggestions on how people could protect themselves from unfair seizures. DJs said the messages were responses to several phone calls they've received this week.

However, Dankers said ICE officers -- who are stationed in Seattle and Portland -- don't plan to go away if Yakima County comes back on their radar. And she added that operations like the one this week might arise again if judges order officers to pull out fugitives from communities such as Yakima.

"They (immigration officers) go where the leads take them," she said, adding, "If there's a lead back in Yakima, they'll be back."

http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/288491433977461