“Even the town police saw him as a community leader, and regularly reached out to Tacuri for help educating Ecuadorans about the town’s rules. But in May, after increasing concerns about his business, police officer Joseph Sherus reported Tacuri’s operation to immigration officials.
Chief Thomas O’Loughlin said police do not enforce immigration laws, but they reported Tacuri to federal authorities on numerous occasions on concerns that they were exploiting low-wage workers. Also, he said, town officials had cited him two months earlier for using his home as an illegal boarding house.”
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I’m betting that there’s a good deal the Boston Glob is not sharing with us. So this Tacuri gent was a community pillar, yet the local police decided to drop dime on him, for all that they respected him?
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“Wilson Valdez, owner of Unienvios, a variety store on Main Street, said the arrest of someone as prominent as Tacuri is unnerving for immigrants. Some are getting ready to leave, which he said could hurt the town.”
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I’m flummoxed. Someone in ICE is actually using his head. Take down the jefe who thought himself untouchable and the message is sent to all others who also happen to be illegal. No matter how many years you spend here, own property, have kids, etc. you will never be too “big” to be arrested and deported.
That's probably when the dream started turning into a nightmare.
Even the town police saw him as a community leader, and regularly reached out to Tacuri for help educating Ecuadorans about the town’s rules.
Oh, yeah! I can imagine how that went about. I can imagine the police "regularly" visiting him to request that he provide this education to his boarders and employees about the town's rules. How much trouble did the people put up with before they got fed up and started calling the police? How many times did the police regularly visit him before it came to this?
I am in awe of the Boston Globe's ability to look this problem square in the face and see a fairy tale.