Posted on 04/17/2009 9:57:40 AM PDT by Is2C
BELLINGHAM, Washington-
After 11 years of living illegally in the United States, it was not until Gerardo Arreola Gonzalez was nearly deported that he finally received permission to work here.
Arreola was one of 28 illegal immigrant workers arrested in February after agents from U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement raided a car engine repair business.
According to the immigrants, a small army of federal agents surrounded Yamato Engine Specialists in Bellingham Washington, and began searching for workers who could not show they had authorization to work in the United States.
"My blood ran cold," Arreola said in Spanish. "We went to the back door, but they were waiting for us. There was a bus already there, and they put us on it."
As he was being taken to an immigration detention center, Arreola said he thought of his wife and the five children they have had while living here and who are U.S. citizens by birth. He expected to be deported back to Mexico, Arreola said, and he was doubtful about when he would see his family again.
"I would have been there and they would have been here," he said. "I would have had to come back. I couldn't take them there. My children don't know anything about Mexico. They go to school here."
Typically, cases like Arreola's end in deportation. According to ICE, some 5,173 people were arrested last year in similar worksite raids.
However, the Bellingham raid was the first of its kind to take place during the Obama administration. During the presidential campaign, then-candidate Obama's criticism of government immigration policies that split up families had given some people in immigrant communities hope that the raids would end if he were elected.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
"Homeland Security drove them to the place where they had to go to fill out the paperwork for the work permits," she said "That is totally unheard of."
I searched for this article but didn't see it - unbelievable.
The Rico Suave guy?
He could of took his beloved family with him to beautiful Mexico, it is gorgeous in places, and besides zero was just there blaming USA for every thing..he should bail out while he can
Too, too many priceless quotes... raids, jail, handcuffs, immigrants, splitting up families, blood running cold and an army of federal agents. But the best one is “This is a really heavy Obama-supporting county,” she said. “So a lot of folks here had been in involved in the election.” Yeah, and just how many of those voters were illegal?
The plan is working. Forcefully signing them up for work is one step closer to making them legal voters.
I have a friend who a cop in a large CT city. He arrested a black man last week. While in handcuffs the perp said "you can't arrest me, Obama is president!" My buddy said "well, if Obama personally calls me & says to let you go, I will drive you home."
In case you're wondering....the guy's still in jail.
The NAFBO sent out an article on this the other day. It’s even worse. The aliens were not detained, but put on ‘house arrest’ with monitoring bracelets. All but one of them had cut the thing off.....and still they were given permits to work. This is defacto amnesty.
After all this time he cannot even speak ENGLISH!!!
What a sick country we live in.
Boycott!!!
Workplace enforcements require lengthy investigations and warrants. This business undercuts their competition by using the cheap labor of illegals. ICE built a case that was strong enough to support a search warrant and the Administration cut their feet out from under them.
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