ICE raid in LA foiled by protest(According to their side)

SocialistWorker ^ | 12 SEPT 2007 | David Rapkin

[radar101]

THE TYPICALLY arrogant agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) found themselves on the defensive in Los Angeles in the face of a small number of confident and determined community members who stood up to them early on September 6.

After watching ICE stake out and begin to intimidate a close-knit South Central LA neighborhood at 6:30 a.m. with six vehicles and numerous agents, Cristina Hernandez, her family and friends succeeded in driving the agents away and saving the family that agents tried to apprehend and deport.

As agents entered a private apartment in an attempt to arrest an undocumented family, Hernandez confronted other agents in the street. Already, she and her brother had moved around the block, photographing ICE vehicles. The agents demanded she and others show ID, and that she surrender her camera. Hernandez produced an ID, but refused to give up her camera.

Her confidence split the agents, with one contradicting the other and admitting that it was indeed legal for people to take photographs. When the agents told Hernandez to stay inside and not take any more pictures, she responded defiantly, telling them, “I plan to go right in my house, make a poster and walk right back out with it, because what you are doing is wrong.”

Taken aback, they grudgingly conceded that she had a “constitutional right” to protest.

Meanwhile, ICE agents had entered a nearby apartment and were preparing to arrest the occupants, who were unable to produce documents. But the commotion on the street, created by an increasingly confident Hernandez and her family, apparently caused the agents in the apartment to stop what they were doing and leave the premises. As soon as they left, the family escaped.

“I don’t think this was a simple mistake,” Hernandez, a member of the International Socialist Organization, said later. “I think they realized they were actively being watched and decided to abort the arrest.

“I think this proves the importance of our work. What they are doing is illegal, and they benefit from the fear they create in people to continue. I saw them break down when they realized that I would not back down.”

Unfortunately, a car from the LA County Sheriff’s Department soon arrived in an obvious and illegal coordinated sweep. With ICE assistance, the sheriff’s deputies arrested an African American man from the neighborhood.

As soon as ICE drove away, Hernandez got on the phone and called her comrades and allies in the local Emergency Response Network (ERN), formed several months ago to allow activists to respond at a moment’s notice to ICE raids and other anti-immigrant attacks.

ERN activists quickly organized an afternoon protest and press conference, which drew five Spanish-language media outlets and about 25 activists and concerned neighbors.

“The entire climate in the neighborhood changed from early in the morning to the afternoon,” said Hernandez. “We need to continue building the ERN and other networks so that ICE trembles every time they go into one of our neighborhoods.”

The small but spirited afternoon protest was especially effective at drawing in African American neighbors, some of whom were ready to stand with their Latino neighbors at the protest. Many others expressed sympathy and outrage that a family had been attacked in their apartment for the “crime” of working and raising children.

Sadly, the family was terrorized by the assault to the point that they are moving away from the community, even though they told Hernandez they have nowhere to go. They told Hernandez that when ICE was coming into their apartment, they called a brother, crying, and told him to “please take care of the baby because we’re going to be deported.”

Yet the family was also “very, very thankful,” according to Hernandez. “Although they are very terrified by the whole situation, they gained at least a little confidence by the media attention and our protest. They felt our presence created a safety net for them.”

All participants agreed that the difference made by Hernandez’s quick action and the ERN protest later is the most important lesson from the day.

“I learned that it is important to stand up against ICE,” said Hernandez. “In this case it saved a family from deportation, but it was also important because it set a precedent. Communities can respond to ICE raids with courage instead of fear. So what we need are more of these types of responses in every neighborhood so that ICE can stay away from our families. People are tired of being victims.”

[edcoil]

“People are tired of being victims.”

Tired of paying taxes for all the services given to people that are not suppose to be here while our children go without.

[rocksblues]

AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!

[Moose4]

Senorita Hernandez did, indeed, have a right to protest. Nothing wrong there. But it should not, in any way, have affected the ICE agents rounding up and deporting that illegal alien family. That mistake is on them for being “intimidated.” And if Senorita Hernandez had actually attempted to interfere with the arrest, then she herself should’ve immediately been hauled in for interfering with Federal agents.

Six vehicles? I’d love to see ICE sweep that neighborhood with sixty vehicles instead and watch Hernandez and her socialist buddies pee themselves.

}:-)4

[Eagles Talon IV]

I just don’t believe this, not one bit of it. Perhaps if I see it in the lib media, but certainly not from this rag. IMO this is an attempt to pump up the illegals so thy’ll defy the authorities..

Time for a bit of ass kicking.

[steel_resolve]

“We need to continue building the ERN and other networks so that ICE trembles every time they go into one of our neighborhoods.”

Believe me honey, ICE is not scared of you or your smelly posse of unwashed illegals.

[sheana]

Sadly, the family was terrorized by the assault to the point that they are moving away from the community, even though they told Hernandez they have nowhere to go.

hmmmm they can always go back where they came from, in fact, please do!

[TheKidster]

I hope they get pumped up, I hope they start defying authorities, I hope they get bolder and braver and when they become violent we’ll see them for who they are. An invading force, hostile to the citizens of America.

Instead of getting so worked up about OUR government, why don’t they go home and change thier governments? It’s thier fault that they are poor. It’s thier fault that thier countries are littered with garbage, it’s thier fault that all of the cities are encircled by filthy shanty towns, it’s thier fault that the officials are corrupt, it’s thier fault not ours. They can do what we did, revolt, change the government, get strong.

[floozy22]

“I don’t think this was a simple mistake,” Hernandez, a member of the International Socialist Organization, said later. “I think they realized they were actively being watched and decided to abort the arrest. “I think this proves the importance of our work. What they are doing is illegal, and they benefit from the fear they create in people to continue. I saw them break down when they realized that I would not back down.”

Leave it to a socialist to say that it's illegal for law enforcement to deport ILLEGAL aliens. Sheesh.

[org.whodat]

Ice is totally incompetent, unless it’s a little cuban boy. Hell put Janet Reno in charge of ice, she would have burned the whole city block down.

[YHAOS]

"We need to continue building the ERN and other networks so that ICE trembles every time they go into one of our neighborhoods."

The shape of things to come. Make your neighborhood a sanctuary and closed not just to ICE, but to Law Enforcement, generally. The community enforces its own rules without outside influence. That's the first major step in establishing autonomy. The Islamic Community is watching this intently, I would think. In fact they may very well have been in consultation with the Hspanic Community. They have an interest in common; the destruction of America.

[rednesss]

"ERN activists quickly organized an afternoon protest and press conference, which drew five Spanish-language media outlets and about 25 activists and concerned neighbors."

25 whole people, wow what a crowd. I can get more people than that lined up for a Barbecue. Pathetic.

[stinkerpot65]

Our current border control management is gutless and traiterous.

[Oldexpat]

When does civil disobedience become civil war? If we had a 100 ICE teams out tomorrow and they were resisted..would that be a civil war?

[Eagles Talon IV]

Right. They like a large part of the world are jealous of all we have and hate us because of what we have. Remember the words of Clinton when he opined to the do nothing welfare bound left, that the people that have more are just lucky and have hit life's lottery.

[TheKidster]

Yeah, it was classic marxist class warfare crap. Of the rich people I’ve met I’d have to say that luck may have had something to do with a couple of thier accomplishments but the main influence in thier wealth was consistently making the right choices, intelligence, common sense and hard work in school and early careers.

Lottery winners usually don’t stay rich because they never had the skills to maintain wealth or deal with money in a responsible way.

[greyfoxx39]

Ping

[CCGuy]

This is the kind of thing that can quickly lead to the mob rule mentality like they have in Central America. We better stomp this and fast.

It is not a legal or a civil right to be allowed to harass law enforcement or prevent them from doing their job.

BTW, the way this is written I believe it is mostly likely made up.

[bcsco]

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[gubamyster]

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