Immigration Raids Target Sioux Falls

KSFY - ABC affiliate ^ | Feb 28, 2008 at 6:14 PM CST | Robert Wilson

[Safari]

I.C.E., as the office is known, will only say that an effort is underway. Thursday afternoon Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead told KSFY he expects that I.C.E. officials will release more information tomorrow. Right now, he says fewer than 40 individuals are in the Minnehaha County Jail on immigration holds. But for those affected, it's devastating.

At Caminando Juntos, a Catholic ministry in Sioux Falls that focuses on the hispanic community, Sister Janet Horstman says the first call came in Tuesday morning of individuals being taken into custody. She's upset with the way the enforcement effort has been handled. "I guess what's so frustrating in these types of operations is the lack of communications with community based organizations or with the family members themselves."

Isac Orellena is here because his wife was taken into custody. He says she knew she needed to attend an immigration hearing, but was never notified about a time or place. "I don't understand why, because she has a work permit to work legally in this country."

Now he says he will do what he must to support her kids, but he's being told his wife will be deported. "She's devestated because we are a whole family, and she has 3 kids. One 11, 8 and 6 years old."

KSFY talked to another man this afternoon who said members of the hispanic community in Sioux Falls are very scared right now. He said many were staying home from work Thursday, afraid they might be picked up if they went to work.

Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead told said this afternoon he's hearing from I.C.E. officials that more information about this effort, who was targeted, and how many people were taken into custody, will be released Friday.

[Safari]

Raids are continuing and ICE will not comment on the raids at this time.

Is this backlash because of the bus accident? Or where these planned before the accident happened. I personally think it's because of the raids at the Worthington facility a year ago and people didn't show up for hearings after being released from custody. It seems that recently there has been a lot of this type of pursuit of the illegal aliens.

[kittymyrib]

“I don’t understand why, because she has a work permit to work legally in this country.”

Would that be one of those phony work permits handed out by the temporary employment agency favored by meat packers to take the heat off them for employing illegals? And the temp agency will say they had no idea that his wife’s documents were phony. Until we start jailing whoever is issuing the paychecks to illegals, we’ll have this shell game going on.

[raybbr]

She's upset with the way the enforcement effort has been handled. "I guess what's so frustrating in these types of operations is the lack of communications with community based organizations or with the family members themselves."

Yeah, that's right. Call you guys so you can warn the invaders that the troops are coming. More subversive language couched in "caring".

[YellowRoseofTx]

My husband is in the hospital right now from surgery two days ago. He told me yesterday that his night nurses, the night before, spoke very little English and he couldn't communicate with them. He was not a happy camper.

It really made me wonder, since these women spoke almost no English, how and where did they get their nursing degrees and if they are forged documents as well. People lives are literally at stake in the hospital. If he had been in distress and the nurses couldn't communicate with him enough to understand the problem??? This is really scary.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

‘zackly. Hormel should be held partially responsible for the four deaths last week in Minnesota.

[The Great RJ]

I live in Sioux Falls and while there are many hard working LEGAL Hispanic immigrants in our area, we also have many who are not here legally. Sister Janet Horstman does a great disservice to to the legal immigrants who waited years to get here by lamenting that those who are not here legally are now being deported.

Some of the victims of a recent multi-fatality school bus crash in Cottonwood, MN caused by an ILLEGAL immigrant were treated in Sioux Falls hospitals. Perhaps the good Sister could also spend some time comforting the families of these victims.

[Justeggsactly]

We need harsh corporate fines and jail time for those doing the hiring, and those approving the hiring of illegals.

[Safari]

I also live in the Sioux Falls area and I have seen the increase in numbers of illegal aliens. There are many things that do a disservice to the local LEGAL immigrants. I think classifying illegals as immigrants is the the first issue when it comes to addressing the issue.

Too many times Amnesty and amendment measures have been taken to legalize these people. After the 2000 measures, illegals have doubled (or maybe even tripled) in the U.S. AND they don’t all come from Mexico but my opinion is that the majority of them are from Mexico. Calderon, last fall, said the at least 90% of Mexican Nationals living outside of Mexico were in the US. That’s a lot of people!!

I don’t care where you’ve come from around the world, if you are in the U.S. illegally THEN YOU NEED TO TAKE YOURSELF BACK HOME!