Posted on 05/03/2008 9:00:07 AM PDT by SmithL
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Friday stormed 11 El Balazo restaurants around the Bay Area, arresting 63 illegal immigrants - and drawing the outrage of immigration advocates who had marched the previous day to call for the legalization of undocumented workers.
The raids began at 10:30 Friday morning in San Francisco, San Ramon, Lafayette, Concord, Pleasanton and Danville and involved 62 people from Mexico and one from Guatemala.
Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for the immigration agency, called the arrests "a targeted enforcement action" that is part of a continuing criminal investigation she couldn't discuss further.
Immigration officials photographed, fingerprinted and interviewed all of those arrested. Ten women and one man were quickly released on humanitarian grounds, including pregnancy and medical concerns, pending future immigration proceedings, Kice said.
The rest were being processed, and the majority of them were expected to be released under supervision. Some of the illegal immigrants had prior criminal convictions or deportation orders and will be detained.
Evelyn Sanchez, advocacy coordinator for the Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, was trying to connect with the workers as they were released to ensure they knew their rights and were treated fairly.
She said the immigration agents got search warrants for the El Balazo restaurants, ordered the doors be shut and interrogated the employees inside.
"It was a gross violation of civil rights, and it's just unfortunate that this happened the day after May Day when literally thousands of immigrants throughout the Bay Area marched to have this type of activity stopped," she said. "It just goes to show we need new immigration laws."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
"It just goes to show we need new immigration laws."It goes to show we should enforce our immigration laws.
Why release anyone? They are law-breakers and deserve to be deported asap.
They should arrest this Evelyn Sanchez advocacy coordinator, for conspiracy to violate federal immigration law while they’re at it.
“”It was a gross violation of civil rights, and it’s just unfortunate that this happened the day after May Day when literally thousands of immigrants throughout the Bay Area marched to have this type of activity stopped,””
The irony is just too delicious!
There are actually 11 restaurants in the U.S. named The Gunshot?
And citizens aren't allowed to have vanity plates that are deemed politically incorrect?
WTF?
Oh, The Humanity!
That's the part we Americans love best.
BTW, Sanchez, let's see your papers.
“Why release anyone? They are law-breakers and deserve to be deported asap.”
Especially the pregnant ones! Get them out of here.
Oh snap.
We should rent barges to use as prisons to house illegals.
THIS JUST IN -— A US crackdown is causing the longest and most significant drop in illegal migration from Mexico since the Sept. 11 attacks.
Officials say the U.S. economic downturn, tighter security and a more perilous and expensive journey are persuading many who try to sneak into the US to give up sooner.
Border Patrol arrests are down 17 percent so far this year along the US-Mexico border after falling 20 percent all of last fiscal year and 8 percent the year before that.
While it’s impossible to know how many people are crossing illegally, the Patrol uses apprehensions to estimate the ebb and flow of traffic.
Migrant smugglers have to hunt for business at border-town shelters. Many deported migrants give up after one try, taking their government up on free bus rides home.
I gotta admit...El Balazo has some great food!
Ten women were released.. medical reasons and pregnancy, please....more anchor babies are needed for San Fran..and the tax payers needs to pay for the birthing of these anchor babies, plus support them till they are 18
It is best to toss them out before November. We all know how the illegals will vote
Organized coyote ping.
That is the plan. The dems can't wait until the anchor babies are old enough to vote.
“We all know how the illegals will vote.”
For Juan McCain?
No question.
Claims she's an "immigrant advocate."
Means she's probably colluding with foreign governments to bilk the US government for fraudulent benefits, and is providing forged documents and stolen IS'd and SS nos to invaders.
Her "organization" is probably funded by foreign governments who are profiting off the $50 Billion the invaders wire back home (proceeds from drug sales and bilklng the US govt).
Kick her out.
You just posed an interesting question...Since most right-to-lifers believe life begins at conception, should we then say citizenship begins at conception? Could one argue that she was impregnated inside the USA and therefore her child is a citizen? Hmmm...
Effective enforcement of any law is cheaper than passing a new law! Good response by INS on this one. Keep it up.
Life begins at conception. Citizenship, according to the Constitution, begins at birth.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.