Thread: WILLMAR, MINNESOTA : THE IMMIGRANT CONNECTION

Multicultural Market of Willmar




http://www.willmar.com/

In your opinion, what makes the Willmar Lakes Area such a great place to live, work, play, learn and do business?

Willmar is where my husband and I chose to live because we wanted to provide our family with an excellent quality of life. The economy in Willmar provides us with great jobs and a beautiful outdoor environment helps us make healthy lifestyle choices.

What does community leadership mean to you?

Community leadership is the skill of identifying the assets of every individual for the benefit of our community and most importantly, my family. All aspects of diversity and economic development is the reason people are able to find a niche and become successful entrepreneurs in Willmar. We feel a sense of ownership in our community when we open the doors to our new business and close on our new home.

Where do you see the Willmar Lakes Area in the next ten years?

As leaders we view our challenges as opportunities to continue to make it the ideal place to live, work and play for all families. As we continue to address our opportunities Willmar will continue to grow by attracting good, hard working people thus making us and an All America City.

http://www.willmar.com/lourdez-schwab

Welcome to the website for the City of Willmar, Minnesota. Thank you for visiting. We hope that as time permits you can visit our fine city and enjoy the many area lakes and events the city has to offer. This website has area links to the lakes, bike trails, and beautiful parks that our citizens truly appreciate. We hope to see you in Willmar. You can play golf at any of the challenging golf courses in the area. Or you can hike or bike along our fifteen miles of scenic trails, rent a fishing boat and try your luck on any of the nineteen lakes in the county, or simply enjoy an evening meal at a local restaurant where the service is more courteous, and the people are more friendly. We hope you find this website useful and we welcome comments to aid in the effort to build a website that provides you with the information desired.

http://www.ci.willmar.mn.us/

POSTED

Grandma
Las Vegas, NV Reply »
|Report Abuse |#34 33 min ago
Everyone needs to get active,,,,call your State reps...Congressmen....tell them you have had enough of these illegals getting better treatment than Americans...get on line with grassroots sites...the best one is www.Alipac.us ...get the info you need...don't trust the biased newspapers.
and don't vote for anyone who does NOT want the border CLOSED!!!!!!!!!! Hillary and Obama are doing nothing but treating the illegals better than Citizens...Pay attention people!!!!!!!!!!

Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:29 pm
Post subject: MN: Willmar Residents Sue ICE Over Immigration Arrests

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Apr 19, 2007 5:58 pm US/Central

Willmar Residents Sue ICE Over Immigration Arrests

(AP) Minneapolis About two dozen Willmar residents and 40 John and Jane Does filed a lawsuit Thursday alleging last week's immigration raid in the central Minnesota town was an illegal campaign of "terror and intimidation."

The lawsuit alleges that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made searches without warrants and used racial profiling during the raid, which ended with 49 arrests.

ICE attorneys were reviewing the lawsuit Thursday, said spokesman Tim Counts. He said in a statement that, "All ICE enforcement actions conducted in Willmar last week were fully within the law. These are widely accepted law enforcement procedures that have been affirmed repeatedly by the courts." He has previously denied rumors of agents stopping Hispanics at a local Wal-Mart and has criticized claims that searches were done without warrants.

The lawsuit alleges ICE agents sought out housing where Hispanics live, entered homes without warrants, and conducted unconstitutional stops based on race. The lawsuit claims those arrested were not told of their rights and were denied access to attorneys.

The plaintiffs are asking for compensatory damages, and they want a judge to keep the government from conducting more immigration enforcement or deportation proceedings against the plaintiffs until the lawsuit is resolved. They also ask the judge to declare the agents' actions unconstitutional. The Consul of Honduras supports the lawsuit.

Of those arrested, 18 had criminal convictions, six were fugitives and 25 were in violation of immigration law, ICE has said. More than half of those arrested had claimed to be U.S. citizens from Puerto Rico. In addition, three suspected illegal immigrants currently in jail will be turned over to ICE when they are released.

http://wcco.com/politics/local_story_109190334.html

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-60793-will ... +minnesota

About Us
The Guatemalan Society of Minnesota (GSM) is a focal point for the Guatemalan community in Minnesota. It preserves and promotes Guatemalan culture through a cultural exhibit and bazaar during the annual Festival of Nations in St. Paul. It also provides a forum for the community to meet and socialize, and acts as a clearinghouse for community resources such as, education, legal, chemical abuse or church referrals.

Through the Annual Benefit Dance, the Guatemalan Society of Minnesota raises funds to equip a hospital or a library in San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, and to contribute to Twin Cities Hispanic/Latino community development, and organizations that are social justice focused. It also coordinates a variety of cultural events and activities in cooperation with other cultural and social organizations. GSM volunteers make presentations in churches, schools, colleges and universities.

GSM is a non-profit organization managed by a volunteer board of directors based in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area, Minnesota, USA. We are a certified non-profit with 501(c)(3) status.

We welcome financial contributions and volunteers to help in various capacities. For more information about making a financial contribution or volunteering, call Emiliano at 651-645-5840 or email Emiliano and Gale. Contributions are tax-deductible. Thank you!


http://www.guatemalansociety.org/Content/AboutUs.htm

Immigration officials identify van driver in fatal Minnesota crash
Associated Press
Published Monday, February 25, 2008

MINNEAPOLIS -- The van driver who authorities said gave them a fake name following a fatal bus crash has been identified as a 24-year-old woman from Guatemala, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Monday.

Olga Marina Franco was the woman who allegedly ran a stop sign, hitting a bus in a crash that killed four children near the southwestern Minnesota town of Cottonwood, authorities said. Franco had told authorities she was 23-year-old Alianiss Nunez Morales and that she was from Mexico.

Lyon County Attorney Richard Maes on Friday charged the woman with four counts of criminal vehicular homicide, driving without a license and a stop sign violation.

ICE has filed paperwork to keep Franco in custody after the criminal case is resolved, saying it has developed probable cause that she is an illegal immigrant. Franco's fingerprints didn't show up in its database, indicating she had no prior contact with U.S. immigration authorities, the agency said in a written statement.

ICE officials said they planned to assist the Minnesota State Patrol and other law enforcement agencies in investigating the circumstances of the crash.

Attorney Manuel Guerrero, who represented the woman Friday in court, did not immediately return a call Monday. The woman had told authorities through an interpreter she stopped at the stop sign on County Road 24 and that when she took off, the bus hit her.

Also Monday, the two brothers killed in the crash were remembered at their joint funeral service. The funeral for Jesse Javens, 13, and Hunter Javens, 9, was held at Lakeview School in Cottonwood, where classes had been canceled.

More than 1,000 people attended the funeral Sunday for Emilee Olson, 9. The funeral for Reed Stevens, 12, of Marshall, has been scheduled for Thursday at the school.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/article ... m?id=68529

Attorney Manuel Guerrero, who represented the woman Friday in court, did not immediately return a call Monday. The woman had told authorities through an interpreter she stopped at the stop sign on County Road 24 and that when she took off, the bus hit her.

Wow! Is she really and truly THAT dumb? From looking at the pictures of the impact, the bus had to have been speeding BACKWARDS to hit her.

Of course, her attorney won't be returning phone calls, he's probably looking at how to shut her up.

Follow-up: The illegal alien Cottonwood driver’s history

By Michelle Malkin •

February 27, 2008 07:21 AM

The illegal alien Cottonwood. MN van driver charged with killing four young children in a horrible schoolbus crash had a bit of a history with the law. Blind law that apparently ignored her immigration status–and that of her “boyfriendâ€

No updates on the child transferred to Rochester, MN hospital but there remains 2 children at the Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD as the driver of the pickup and one of the other children were released yesterday.