By Brady McCombs
Arizona Daily Star
October 27, 2011
Four Latin American countries accounted for 91 percent of the record number of people deported in the recently-completed fiscal year.
Nearly 363,000 of the 396,900 people deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in fiscal year 2011 were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, government figures show. Here’s the breakdown:
• Mexico - 286,893 (72 percent)
• Guatemala - 33,324 (8 percent)
• Honduras - 23,822 (6 percent)
• El Salvador - 18,870 (5 percent)
There was a big dropoff to the next country, Brazil, which accounted for 3,364 deportations. Only seven other countries accounted for more than 1,000 deportations: Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Jamaica, China and Peru.
The combined deportations of citizens from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have accounted for 87-91 percent of the yearly deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement every year since 2001, government figures show.
Mexico has been the leading country of origin for deportees every year in this span, accounting for 57-73 percent of the yearly deportations.
Criminal illegal immigrants
The breakdown of the felony and misdemeanor crimes committed by the nearly 217,000 deportees defined as "criminal" illegal immigrants is not yet available for the completed fiscal year 2011.
But, the figures through the first 10 1/2 months of fiscal 2011 show that five crimes account for 62 percent of the people in this category:
• Dangerous drugs - 37,083 (22 percent)
• Driving under the influence, liquor - 28,214 (17 percent)
• Immigration offenses - 28,110 (17 percent)
• Miscellaneous traffic offense - 14,331 (8 percent)
• Assault - 11,386 (7 percent).
Four of these crimes — drugs, DUI, immigration and assault — have been among the top five every year since 2001.
But the miscellaneous traffic offenses category has not always been among the leaders. The percentage of criminal illegal immigrants who have committed some kind of traffic offense has been on the rise each of the past five years.
This category includes hit and run; transporting dangerous material; driving under the influence of drugs; driving under the influence of liquor; and other traffic offenses. Here is a look at how this category has increased as a percentage of the total deportations of “criminal” illegal immigrants:
Fiscal 2011* — 44,136 (26 percent)
Fiscal 2010 — 42,339 (22 percent)
Fiscal 2009 — 27,354 (20 percent)
Fiscal 2008 — 16,249 (14 percent)
Fiscal 2007 — 10,787 (10 percent)
Fiscal 2006 — 6,154 (7 percent)
The Obama administration has taken criticism from both sides of the immigration debate for rising deportation levels.
Republican border hawks and critics of the administration's immigration enforcement strategy call the deportation numbers inflated because they include people who voluntarily leave with no penalties and may be able to cross back into the country illegally.
Immigrant rights groups contend the government is unfairly targeting illegal immigrants who are not a menace to society, separating families and creating fear in immigrant communities.
Contact reporter Brady McCombs at 573-4213 or bmccombs@azstarnet.com
http://azstarnet.com/most-deported-illegal-immigrants-from-latin-american-countries/article_2943c31c-00d0-11e1-aca9-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1cxSmWity
Showing posts with label Mexican Expulsions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexican Expulsions. Show all posts
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Programa de repatriación es un éxito
El Mundo Austin
Publicado el 01-13-2010
El Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) de México informó que hasta noviembre pasado, 167 mil mexicanos se beneficiaron del Programa de Repatriación Humana, de un total de 359 mil 455 que fueron regresados por autoridades migratorias de la Unión Americana. El órgano dependiente de la Secretaría de Gobernación (SEGOB) precisó que los ciudadanos mexicanos retornaron a su lugar de origen y recibieron apoyos para su reinserción económica, tras ser atendidos en los cinco módulos ubicados en Tijuana (Baja California); Ciudad Juárez (Chihuahua); Nogales (Sonora); Ciudad Acuña y Piedras Negras (Coahuila).
Dichos módulos operan con el apoyo de organizaciones de la sociedad civil que les proporcionan alimento y cobijo a los inmigrantes repatriados. También participan en la coordinación autoridades de los tres niveles de gobierno y empresas transportistas privadas que ofrecen descuentos para este proyecto, a fin de que los coterráneos sean trasladados a su lugar de procedencia.
http://elmundonewspaper.com/news.php?nid=10307
Publicado el 01-13-2010
El Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) de México informó que hasta noviembre pasado, 167 mil mexicanos se beneficiaron del Programa de Repatriación Humana, de un total de 359 mil 455 que fueron regresados por autoridades migratorias de la Unión Americana. El órgano dependiente de la Secretaría de Gobernación (SEGOB) precisó que los ciudadanos mexicanos retornaron a su lugar de origen y recibieron apoyos para su reinserción económica, tras ser atendidos en los cinco módulos ubicados en Tijuana (Baja California); Ciudad Juárez (Chihuahua); Nogales (Sonora); Ciudad Acuña y Piedras Negras (Coahuila).
Dichos módulos operan con el apoyo de organizaciones de la sociedad civil que les proporcionan alimento y cobijo a los inmigrantes repatriados. También participan en la coordinación autoridades de los tres niveles de gobierno y empresas transportistas privadas que ofrecen descuentos para este proyecto, a fin de que los coterráneos sean trasladados a su lugar de procedencia.
http://elmundonewspaper.com/news.php?nid=10307
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Niños solitarios... Aumentan niños inmigrantes
El Mundo Austin
Publicado el 01-27-2010
Redacción EL MUNDO
De acuerdo con un informe de la Cámara de Diputados, el número de niños inmigrantes que han salido de México rumbo a los Estados Unidos ha aumentado durante los últimos años. Pero lo peor es que el gobierno estadounidense ha repatriado también a un número cada año superior. De hecho, entre enero y septiembre del 2009, 21 mil 220 inmigrantes menores de 17 años fueron deportados a México.
El problema aumenta dado que de la cifra, más de 13 mil regresaron solos, mientras el resto lo hicieron con algún familiar. Esta división de familias ha preocupado al gobierno mexicano, quienes también han detectado que una vez en el país azteca pueden enfrentar maltratos hasta antes de llegar a su destino final.
Es por ello que el informe busca soluciones a este problema que bien podrían resultar en programas especiales para auspiciar que los niños no salgan del país y se queden en las escuelas.
http://elmundonewspaper.com/news.php?nid=10354
Publicado el 01-27-2010
Redacción EL MUNDO
De acuerdo con un informe de la Cámara de Diputados, el número de niños inmigrantes que han salido de México rumbo a los Estados Unidos ha aumentado durante los últimos años. Pero lo peor es que el gobierno estadounidense ha repatriado también a un número cada año superior. De hecho, entre enero y septiembre del 2009, 21 mil 220 inmigrantes menores de 17 años fueron deportados a México.
El problema aumenta dado que de la cifra, más de 13 mil regresaron solos, mientras el resto lo hicieron con algún familiar. Esta división de familias ha preocupado al gobierno mexicano, quienes también han detectado que una vez en el país azteca pueden enfrentar maltratos hasta antes de llegar a su destino final.
Es por ello que el informe busca soluciones a este problema que bien podrían resultar en programas especiales para auspiciar que los niños no salgan del país y se queden en las escuelas.
http://elmundonewspaper.com/news.php?nid=10354
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Mexican officials worry about California's plan to free thousands of inmates in budget crunch
Associated Press
August 21, 2009
MEXICALI, Mexico - Mexican authorities have been sending more alleged criminals north to the U.S. for trial since President Felipe Calderon took office. Now a Mexican official is worried about a flow in the other direction.
Rommel Moreno, attorney general of Baja California state, expressed concern Friday about a plan in California to release thousands of inmates from that U.S. state's overcrowded prisons as a way to help relieve a budget crunch.
Although details of the proposal are still being debated in the California legislature, Moreno noted many inmates in the California prison system are undocumented migrants, and some could be deported once released.
"We have to take care of this issue. We know that there are plans to carry out these procedures in the United States, and one of the most affected states would be Baja California," he said.
A statement issued by his office said that "the repatriation of ex-convicts should be orderly and in full agreement with the Mexican government, in order to avoid a rise in crime, mainly in the border states."
"Border cities like Tijuana and Mexicali have enough problems as it with migration, so they can't suffer unilateral repatriations of people who have served a sentence in the United States," the statement said.
Guillermo Diaz Orozco, the leader of the business association of downtown Tijuana, voiced similar worries.
"The three levels of government have to plan what we are going to do with all these criminals they are going to 'export,'" Diaz Orozco said. "Many of them are going to be deported to Mexico, just because they declare themselves to be Mexicans."
Tijuana has suffered a wave of violent crime, and state prosecutors reported Friday that two men were shot to death at a pool hall late Thursday.
Elsewhere in Mexico, police arrested a man wanted in the United States for methamphetamine dealing, the federal attorney general's office said. It said Luis Carlos Sanchez Luna was grabbed as he left his home in a suburb of the northern city of Monterrey.
Sanchez Luna is on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's wanted list for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Houston. Authorities said Sanchez will face extradition, and noted he is the last of a band of three fugitives caught in Mexico.
http://www.startribune.com/world/54038782.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ
August 21, 2009
MEXICALI, Mexico - Mexican authorities have been sending more alleged criminals north to the U.S. for trial since President Felipe Calderon took office. Now a Mexican official is worried about a flow in the other direction.
Rommel Moreno, attorney general of Baja California state, expressed concern Friday about a plan in California to release thousands of inmates from that U.S. state's overcrowded prisons as a way to help relieve a budget crunch.
Although details of the proposal are still being debated in the California legislature, Moreno noted many inmates in the California prison system are undocumented migrants, and some could be deported once released.
"We have to take care of this issue. We know that there are plans to carry out these procedures in the United States, and one of the most affected states would be Baja California," he said.
A statement issued by his office said that "the repatriation of ex-convicts should be orderly and in full agreement with the Mexican government, in order to avoid a rise in crime, mainly in the border states."
"Border cities like Tijuana and Mexicali have enough problems as it with migration, so they can't suffer unilateral repatriations of people who have served a sentence in the United States," the statement said.
Guillermo Diaz Orozco, the leader of the business association of downtown Tijuana, voiced similar worries.
"The three levels of government have to plan what we are going to do with all these criminals they are going to 'export,'" Diaz Orozco said. "Many of them are going to be deported to Mexico, just because they declare themselves to be Mexicans."
Tijuana has suffered a wave of violent crime, and state prosecutors reported Friday that two men were shot to death at a pool hall late Thursday.
Elsewhere in Mexico, police arrested a man wanted in the United States for methamphetamine dealing, the federal attorney general's office said. It said Luis Carlos Sanchez Luna was grabbed as he left his home in a suburb of the northern city of Monterrey.
Sanchez Luna is on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's wanted list for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Houston. Authorities said Sanchez will face extradition, and noted he is the last of a band of three fugitives caught in Mexico.
http://www.startribune.com/world/54038782.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUsZ
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Hundreds of Workers Held in Immigration Raid in Mississippi
August 26, 2008
Hundreds of Workers Held in Immigration Raid
By ADAM NOSSITER
NY Times
LAUREL, Miss. — In another large-scale workplace immigration crackdown, federal officials raided a factory here on Monday, detaining at least 350 workers they said were in the country illegally.
Numerous agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement descended on a factory belonging to Howard Industries Inc., which manufactures electrical transformers, among other products.
As of late Monday afternoon, no criminal charges had been filed, said Barbara Gonzalez, an agency spokeswoman, but she said that dozens of workers had been “identified, fingerprinted, interviewed, photographed and processed for removal from the U.S.”
The raid follows a similar large-scale immigration operation at a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, in May when nearly 400 workers were detained. That raid was a significant escalation of the Bush administration’s enforcement practices because those detained were not simply deported, as in previous raids, but were imprisoned for months on criminal charges of using false documents.
The mass rapid-fire hearings after the Postville raid took place in a temporary court facility on the grounds of the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo, Iowa. An interpreter was later sharply critical of the proceedings, saying the immigrants did not understand the charges against them.
An immigrant rights group in Jackson, Miss., the state capital, was critical of Monday’s raid, saying families with children were involved.
“It’s horrific what ICE is doing to these families and these communities,” said Shuya Ohno, a spokesman for the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance. “It’s just hard to imagine that this is the United States of America.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/us/26raid.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Hundreds of Workers Held in Immigration Raid
By ADAM NOSSITER
NY Times
LAUREL, Miss. — In another large-scale workplace immigration crackdown, federal officials raided a factory here on Monday, detaining at least 350 workers they said were in the country illegally.
Numerous agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement descended on a factory belonging to Howard Industries Inc., which manufactures electrical transformers, among other products.
As of late Monday afternoon, no criminal charges had been filed, said Barbara Gonzalez, an agency spokeswoman, but she said that dozens of workers had been “identified, fingerprinted, interviewed, photographed and processed for removal from the U.S.”
The raid follows a similar large-scale immigration operation at a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, in May when nearly 400 workers were detained. That raid was a significant escalation of the Bush administration’s enforcement practices because those detained were not simply deported, as in previous raids, but were imprisoned for months on criminal charges of using false documents.
The mass rapid-fire hearings after the Postville raid took place in a temporary court facility on the grounds of the National Cattle Congress in Waterloo, Iowa. An interpreter was later sharply critical of the proceedings, saying the immigrants did not understand the charges against them.
An immigrant rights group in Jackson, Miss., the state capital, was critical of Monday’s raid, saying families with children were involved.
“It’s horrific what ICE is doing to these families and these communities,” said Shuya Ohno, a spokesman for the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance. “It’s just hard to imagine that this is the United States of America.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/us/26raid.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Guest column: Governor — Agriprocessors must operate responsibly
Guest column: Governor — Agriprocessors must operate responsibly
CHET CULVER is governor of Iowa.
August 24, 2008
The Des Moines Register
As governor, I have worked to attract and to grow businesses large and small throughout Iowa. By taking what might be called the "high road" to economic development, we are showing that investment in Iowa's work force is a good value to Iowa taxpayers, and we are creating good-paying jobs as a result.
So, I'm proud to say Iowa's business climate is strong, and it's getting stronger. Make no mistake, as long as I have the honor of serving as governor, I will continue to work every day to bring good jobs to Iowa.
Lt. Gov. Patty Judge and I are committed to supporting businesses that play by the rules. They are an essential part of our future economic growth. Which is why I am very concerned about the events at the Postville Agriprocessors facility, before and after the May 12 federal raid.
The sad events surrounding the federal Postville raid, resulting in multiple federal criminal-law convictions of line workers and low-level supervisors - and, notably, not yet of the company's owners - are strong evidence of a company that has chosen to take advantage of a failed federal immigration system.
In doing so, this company has fallen far short of meeting the high business standards that Iowans expect. Our laws reflect these standards. They protect consumers, Iowa workers and the state's environment.
Before the federal raid, Agriprocessors already had a history of sanctions by Iowa's state regulatory agencies for water pollution, as well as health and safety law violations. Alarming information about working conditions at the Postville plant - including allegations ranging from the use of child labor in prohibited jobs to sexual and physical abuse by supervisors; from the nonpayment of regular and overtime wages to the denial of immediate medical attention for workplace injuries - brought to national attention by the raid forces me to believe that, in contrast to our state's overall economic-development strategy, this company's owners have deliberately chosen to take the low road in its business practices.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080824/OPINION01/808240322/-1/NEWS04
CHET CULVER is governor of Iowa.
August 24, 2008
The Des Moines Register
As governor, I have worked to attract and to grow businesses large and small throughout Iowa. By taking what might be called the "high road" to economic development, we are showing that investment in Iowa's work force is a good value to Iowa taxpayers, and we are creating good-paying jobs as a result.
So, I'm proud to say Iowa's business climate is strong, and it's getting stronger. Make no mistake, as long as I have the honor of serving as governor, I will continue to work every day to bring good jobs to Iowa.
Lt. Gov. Patty Judge and I are committed to supporting businesses that play by the rules. They are an essential part of our future economic growth. Which is why I am very concerned about the events at the Postville Agriprocessors facility, before and after the May 12 federal raid.
The sad events surrounding the federal Postville raid, resulting in multiple federal criminal-law convictions of line workers and low-level supervisors - and, notably, not yet of the company's owners - are strong evidence of a company that has chosen to take advantage of a failed federal immigration system.
In doing so, this company has fallen far short of meeting the high business standards that Iowans expect. Our laws reflect these standards. They protect consumers, Iowa workers and the state's environment.
Before the federal raid, Agriprocessors already had a history of sanctions by Iowa's state regulatory agencies for water pollution, as well as health and safety law violations. Alarming information about working conditions at the Postville plant - including allegations ranging from the use of child labor in prohibited jobs to sexual and physical abuse by supervisors; from the nonpayment of regular and overtime wages to the denial of immediate medical attention for workplace injuries - brought to national attention by the raid forces me to believe that, in contrast to our state's overall economic-development strategy, this company's owners have deliberately chosen to take the low road in its business practices.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080824/OPINION01/808240322/-1/NEWS04
Friday, August 22, 2008
RI bishop wants US to halt mass immigration raids
RI bishop wants US to halt mass immigration raids
By RAY HENRY
August 22, 2008
The Associate Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island's Roman Catholic bishop is calling on U.S. authorities to halt mass immigration raids and says agents who refuse to participate in such raids on moral grounds deserve to be treated as conscientious objectors.
Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin asked for a blanket moratorium on immigration raids in Rhode Island until the nation adopts comprehensive immigration reform. Tobin made the requests in a letter sent Tuesday to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Boston.
The letter was sent Tuesday and publicly released Thursday.
"We often ask, 'What would Jesus do?'" Tobin said in an interview Thursday. "I know for sure what Jesus would not do, would be to sweep into a community, gather up large numbers of people, separate them from one another and deport them to another country. In my own mind, in my own conscience, that's crystal clear: Jesus would not do that."
Tobin's action comes during a heated debate over illegal immigration in heavily Catholic Rhode Island. Authorities recently raided six courthouses looking for illegal immigrant maintenance workers and Gov. Don Carcieri, himself a Catholic, signed an order requiring state police and prison officials to identify illegal immigrants for possible deportation.
"We believe that raids on the immigrant community are unjust, unnecessary, and counterproductive," the bishop's letter says. It urges individual federal agents to consider the morality of their actions and refuse to participate if their conscience dictates.
In such cases, he said, "we urge the Federal Government to fully respect the well-founded principles of conscientious objection."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gEs6RUeap5i0N9b8MOWoBo6EQS7AD92MT5KG0
By RAY HENRY
August 22, 2008
The Associate Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island's Roman Catholic bishop is calling on U.S. authorities to halt mass immigration raids and says agents who refuse to participate in such raids on moral grounds deserve to be treated as conscientious objectors.
Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin asked for a blanket moratorium on immigration raids in Rhode Island until the nation adopts comprehensive immigration reform. Tobin made the requests in a letter sent Tuesday to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Boston.
The letter was sent Tuesday and publicly released Thursday.
"We often ask, 'What would Jesus do?'" Tobin said in an interview Thursday. "I know for sure what Jesus would not do, would be to sweep into a community, gather up large numbers of people, separate them from one another and deport them to another country. In my own mind, in my own conscience, that's crystal clear: Jesus would not do that."
Tobin's action comes during a heated debate over illegal immigration in heavily Catholic Rhode Island. Authorities recently raided six courthouses looking for illegal immigrant maintenance workers and Gov. Don Carcieri, himself a Catholic, signed an order requiring state police and prison officials to identify illegal immigrants for possible deportation.
"We believe that raids on the immigrant community are unjust, unnecessary, and counterproductive," the bishop's letter says. It urges individual federal agents to consider the morality of their actions and refuse to participate if their conscience dictates.
In such cases, he said, "we urge the Federal Government to fully respect the well-founded principles of conscientious objection."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gEs6RUeap5i0N9b8MOWoBo6EQS7AD92MT5KG0
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Immigration Agents Raid Maui Construction Site
Immigration Agents Raid Maui Construction Site
Contractor For Project Targeted Before
August 20, 2008
KITV.com
HONOLULU -- Federal immigrations agents raided another construction site Wednesday on Maui and arrested 22 people suspected of being illegal immigrants.
The raid happened at the Honua Kai Resort at Kaanapali, Maui.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agent In Charge Wayne Wills said the 22 workers put into custody for potential deportation came from several Latin American countries.
http://www.kitv.com/mostpopular/17248888/detail.html
Contractor For Project Targeted Before
August 20, 2008
KITV.com
HONOLULU -- Federal immigrations agents raided another construction site Wednesday on Maui and arrested 22 people suspected of being illegal immigrants.
The raid happened at the Honua Kai Resort at Kaanapali, Maui.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agent In Charge Wayne Wills said the 22 workers put into custody for potential deportation came from several Latin American countries.
http://www.kitv.com/mostpopular/17248888/detail.html
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Undocumented immigrant in coma set to be returned to Mexico
Undocumented immigrant in coma set to be returned to Mexico
Triage blog: Sending sick undocumented immigrants back home
By Judith Graham and Deanese Williams-Harris
Chicago Tribune reporter
August 20, 2008
A 30-year-old Mexican man in a coma at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago has ignited a dispute over a little-known practice at hospitals—sending medically needy undocumented immigrants back to their countries of origin.
The disagreement revolves around Francisco Pantaleon, who arrived in the U.S. 11 years ago and suffered a severe brain hemorrhage in mid-July, according to his sister Socorro. A father of two, Pantaleon worked at a carwash and has no health insurance, she said.
The medical center believes there is "little hope for recovery," according to a statement released Tuesday, and officials arranged for Pantaleon to be transferred to a hospital in Acapulco at UIC's expense. An official said his immediate family consented to the move.
But Pantaleon's sister and cousin are protesting that arrangement and have retained lawyers in hopes of preventing it. "This is an injustice," said his sister, who worries that Pantaleon won't survive the trip or find adequate care in Mexico.
The dispute touches on two hot-button issues, Immigration and health care. With the exception of pregnant women some children and people in medical emergencies, illegal immigrants generally have no right to health care in the U.S. But access to long-term care—the kind of services Pantaleon appears to need—is not guaranteed even if the patients are U.S. citizens, with the exception of the very poor.
www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-patient-deportaug20,0,1937823.story
Triage blog: Sending sick undocumented immigrants back home
By Judith Graham and Deanese Williams-Harris
Chicago Tribune reporter
August 20, 2008
A 30-year-old Mexican man in a coma at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago has ignited a dispute over a little-known practice at hospitals—sending medically needy undocumented immigrants back to their countries of origin.
The disagreement revolves around Francisco Pantaleon, who arrived in the U.S. 11 years ago and suffered a severe brain hemorrhage in mid-July, according to his sister Socorro. A father of two, Pantaleon worked at a carwash and has no health insurance, she said.
The medical center believes there is "little hope for recovery," according to a statement released Tuesday, and officials arranged for Pantaleon to be transferred to a hospital in Acapulco at UIC's expense. An official said his immediate family consented to the move.
But Pantaleon's sister and cousin are protesting that arrangement and have retained lawyers in hopes of preventing it. "This is an injustice," said his sister, who worries that Pantaleon won't survive the trip or find adequate care in Mexico.
The dispute touches on two hot-button issues, Immigration and health care. With the exception of pregnant women some children and people in medical emergencies, illegal immigrants generally have no right to health care in the U.S. But access to long-term care—the kind of services Pantaleon appears to need—is not guaranteed even if the patients are U.S. citizens, with the exception of the very poor.
www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-patient-deportaug20,0,1937823.story
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Teens face trial in beating death
Teens face trial in beating death
Three Schuylkill County teenagers are headed to trial in connection with thebeating death of an illegal immigrant from Mexico.
BY DUSTIN PANGONISSTAFF WRITER
Published: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 4:26 AM EDT
Three Schuylkill County teenagers are headed to trial in connection with thebeating death of an illegal immigrant from Mexico.
Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker dismissed first- and second-degreemurder charges against two accused assailants in the beating death of Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala in a preliminary hearing Monday, but all other chargeswill go to trial.
After a six-hour hearing in a packed Courtroom 5 in the Schuylkill CountyCourthouse, Kilker ruled at 3:30 p.m. there was sufficient evidence on theremaining charges against all defendants.
Brandon J. Piekarsky, 16, and Colin J. Walsh, 17, both of Shenandoah Heights,and Derrick M. Donchak, 18, of Shenandoah, face charges in connection with theJuly 14 death of Ramirez, 25, of 15 N. Main St., Shenandoah, who died frominjuries suffered in a beating two days earlier.
http://www.standardspeaker.com/articles/2008/08/19/news/hz_standspeak.20080819.a.pg1.hz19_prhearing_s1.1887780_top2.txt
Three Schuylkill County teenagers are headed to trial in connection with thebeating death of an illegal immigrant from Mexico.
BY DUSTIN PANGONISSTAFF WRITER
Published: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 4:26 AM EDT
Three Schuylkill County teenagers are headed to trial in connection with thebeating death of an illegal immigrant from Mexico.
Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker dismissed first- and second-degreemurder charges against two accused assailants in the beating death of Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala in a preliminary hearing Monday, but all other chargeswill go to trial.
After a six-hour hearing in a packed Courtroom 5 in the Schuylkill CountyCourthouse, Kilker ruled at 3:30 p.m. there was sufficient evidence on theremaining charges against all defendants.
Brandon J. Piekarsky, 16, and Colin J. Walsh, 17, both of Shenandoah Heights,and Derrick M. Donchak, 18, of Shenandoah, face charges in connection with theJuly 14 death of Ramirez, 25, of 15 N. Main St., Shenandoah, who died frominjuries suffered in a beating two days earlier.
http://www.standardspeaker.com/articles/2008/08/19/news/hz_standspeak.20080819.a.pg1.hz19_prhearing_s1.1887780_top2.txt
Community Colleges in North Carolina Close Doors to Illegal Immigrants
Community Colleges in North Carolina Close Doors to Illegal Immigrants
By KATHERINE MANGAN
Monday, August 18, 2008
Chronicle of Higher Education
North Carolina's State Board of Community Colleges voted on Friday to barillegal immigrants from enrolling in the state's 58 community colleges while itcommissions a study on the politically charged issue. The decision surprisedand angered some Hispanic-rights advocates and disregarded the boardpresident's recommendation that a more lenient policy be restored.
The vote ratified a motion by Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, a former schoolteacherand current Democratic candidate for governor, who sits on the community-colleges board. She drew sharp fire from critics of the decision.
"I was shocked that a person who is running for office stating that she will bethe education governor would propose denying education to these kids," saidTony Asion, executive director of
El Pueblo Inc., a public-policy group, basedin Raleigh, N.C., that advocates for Latinos. "And I was shocked that they aregoing forward with this policy even though there is no federal or state lawprohibiting the colleges from admitting these students."
North Carolina is one of only a few states that deny illegal immigrants accessto community colleges.
http://chronicle.com/daily/2008/08/4262n.htm
By KATHERINE MANGAN
Monday, August 18, 2008
Chronicle of Higher Education
North Carolina's State Board of Community Colleges voted on Friday to barillegal immigrants from enrolling in the state's 58 community colleges while itcommissions a study on the politically charged issue. The decision surprisedand angered some Hispanic-rights advocates and disregarded the boardpresident's recommendation that a more lenient policy be restored.
The vote ratified a motion by Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, a former schoolteacherand current Democratic candidate for governor, who sits on the community-colleges board. She drew sharp fire from critics of the decision.
"I was shocked that a person who is running for office stating that she will bethe education governor would propose denying education to these kids," saidTony Asion, executive director of
El Pueblo Inc., a public-policy group, basedin Raleigh, N.C., that advocates for Latinos. "And I was shocked that they aregoing forward with this policy even though there is no federal or state lawprohibiting the colleges from admitting these students."
North Carolina is one of only a few states that deny illegal immigrants accessto community colleges.
http://chronicle.com/daily/2008/08/4262n.htm
Monday, August 18, 2008
Communities of faith rally behind arrested workers
August 18, 2008
Communities of faith rally behind arrested workers
Carol Motsinger
Citizen Times, Asheville, NC
ASHEVILLE - Inocencia Chacon sang hymns with a strong, proud voice in the sanctuary of First Congregational United Church of Christ on Sunday afternoon.
But her voice cracked and wavered when she shared the plight of a good friend from Honduras who faces deportation after being arrested during an illegal immigrant raid Tuesday at Mills Manufacturing Corp.
"They were not criminals," she said during a vigil for those affected by the raid. "They deserve a chance to have a better life."
An estimated 300 people packed the pews of the church to show support and express concern for the 57 workers arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"The faith community felt we needed a voice of comfort and healing for the people who were affected by the raid," said Tyrone Greenlee, who read a poem during the vigil. Several congregations with ties to the area's Hispanic community participated in the service held in the church on Oak Street.
Some wiped away tears during the hymns of hope and prayers asking for strength. Chacon cried as she spoke about her friend, whom she said has two small children and a husband in Honduras who threatened to kill her if she returned.
"The question is now, what is she going to do?" Chacon said.
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008808180301
Communities of faith rally behind arrested workers
Carol Motsinger
Citizen Times, Asheville, NC
ASHEVILLE - Inocencia Chacon sang hymns with a strong, proud voice in the sanctuary of First Congregational United Church of Christ on Sunday afternoon.
But her voice cracked and wavered when she shared the plight of a good friend from Honduras who faces deportation after being arrested during an illegal immigrant raid Tuesday at Mills Manufacturing Corp.
"They were not criminals," she said during a vigil for those affected by the raid. "They deserve a chance to have a better life."
An estimated 300 people packed the pews of the church to show support and express concern for the 57 workers arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"The faith community felt we needed a voice of comfort and healing for the people who were affected by the raid," said Tyrone Greenlee, who read a poem during the vigil. Several congregations with ties to the area's Hispanic community participated in the service held in the church on Oak Street.
Some wiped away tears during the hymns of hope and prayers asking for strength. Chacon cried as she spoke about her friend, whom she said has two small children and a husband in Honduras who threatened to kill her if she returned.
"The question is now, what is she going to do?" Chacon said.
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008808180301
Immigration Is Snaring U.S. Citizens In Its Raids
Immigration Is Snaring U.S. Citizens In Its Raids
By Darryl Fears
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 16, 2008; A03
Marie Justeen Mancha was at home alone when she heard strange voices inside the house. As she crept down a hallway to make sure she wasn't hearing things, the voices erupted into shouts.
" 'Police! Illegals!' "
Testifying in a House subcommittee hearing, Mancha recalled the words she said the immigration agents shouted during the September 2006 raid on her home. She was 15 at the time, a Mexican American, born in Texas but living in Reidsville, Ga.
"I walked around the corner from the hallway and saw a tall man reach toward his gun and look straight at me," Mancha, now 17, said in a thick Southern accent. "My heart just dropped."
As the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement compiles a record number of arrests through household and work-site raids seeking illegal immigrants, a growing number of U.S. citizens such as Mancha say they have gotten caught in the net.
The agency, known as ICE, a division of the Homeland Security Department, recently reported that its arrests in the current fiscal year have surpassed last year's record total of about 4,900. The number of arrests has soared since 2005, when a Government Accountability Office report concluded that work-site enforcement was not a priority for ICE.
An ICE spokesman did not respond directly to a question about complaints that U.S. citizens and legal residents are getting swept up in the raids. "We target egregious employers, those who have built their business model on hiring an illegal workforce," spokesman Brandon Alvarez-Montgomery said in a statement this week. "This practice undercuts legal, law-abiding companies and can create an environment where employee welfare and labor standards are not enforced."
But there have been significant missteps. More than 100 citizens and legal residents were snared along with nearly 140 illegal immigrants in a raid on a software company in Van Nuys, Calif., early this year. Five citizens in Texas joined a lawsuit against the department, asserting that they were subjected to unreasonable search and seizure when agents raided a meatpacking plant where they worked last year. An African American worker said in a hearing that he was handcuffed and detained for hours without food and water during a raid on an Iowa meatpacking plant in 2006.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/15/AR2008081503208.html
By Darryl Fears
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 16, 2008; A03
Marie Justeen Mancha was at home alone when she heard strange voices inside the house. As she crept down a hallway to make sure she wasn't hearing things, the voices erupted into shouts.
" 'Police! Illegals!' "
Testifying in a House subcommittee hearing, Mancha recalled the words she said the immigration agents shouted during the September 2006 raid on her home. She was 15 at the time, a Mexican American, born in Texas but living in Reidsville, Ga.
"I walked around the corner from the hallway and saw a tall man reach toward his gun and look straight at me," Mancha, now 17, said in a thick Southern accent. "My heart just dropped."
As the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement compiles a record number of arrests through household and work-site raids seeking illegal immigrants, a growing number of U.S. citizens such as Mancha say they have gotten caught in the net.
The agency, known as ICE, a division of the Homeland Security Department, recently reported that its arrests in the current fiscal year have surpassed last year's record total of about 4,900. The number of arrests has soared since 2005, when a Government Accountability Office report concluded that work-site enforcement was not a priority for ICE.
An ICE spokesman did not respond directly to a question about complaints that U.S. citizens and legal residents are getting swept up in the raids. "We target egregious employers, those who have built their business model on hiring an illegal workforce," spokesman Brandon Alvarez-Montgomery said in a statement this week. "This practice undercuts legal, law-abiding companies and can create an environment where employee welfare and labor standards are not enforced."
But there have been significant missteps. More than 100 citizens and legal residents were snared along with nearly 140 illegal immigrants in a raid on a software company in Van Nuys, Calif., early this year. Five citizens in Texas joined a lawsuit against the department, asserting that they were subjected to unreasonable search and seizure when agents raided a meatpacking plant where they worked last year. An African American worker said in a hearing that he was handcuffed and detained for hours without food and water during a raid on an Iowa meatpacking plant in 2006.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/15/AR2008081503208.html
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Work site arrests and deportations continue to rise
Work site arrests and deportations continue to rise
Sunday, August 17, 2008
By: Perla Trevizo
Chattanooga Free Times Press
In 2002, 510 people were arrested at work sites nationwide for violating U.S. immigration laws.
In the past 11 months, almost 5,000 have been arrested for the same thing, a tenfold increase. Included in that number are the 311 Pilgrim’s Pride workers arrested April 16 in five states, 100 in Chattanooga.
Over the last several years, immigration officials have redoubled their efforts to detain and deport illegal immigrants, Assistant Field Office Director Scott Sutterfield, from the Office of Detention and Removal in New Orleans, has said.
He credited “fugitive operations teams” and a program that cross-designates state and local officers to enforce immigration laws for the increased number of deportations.
Critics of illegal immigration want to see more raids and tougher penalties. “I felt the Pilgrim’s Pride arrests were justified and there should be even more enforcement of illegal workers in the U.S., along with stiffer penalties and quicker deportation,” said Brenda Poe, a resident of Dunlap, Tenn., who opposes illegal immigration.
Illegal immigrants are “criminals,” she said, and organizations that helped arrested Hispanics and their families should focus on others.
“I was concerned and somewhat surprised that there were so many agencies and organizations rushing in to try to support the families of these criminals,” she said. “Maybe these organizations need to be concerned with the law-abiding citizens and the families that are trying to work according to the laws of our land and still just barely making ends meet.”
Dr. Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda, a professor at the University of California in Los Angeles, said the current increase in deportations is closely tied to politics.
“It’s very clear that there’s an unprecedented increase in deportations,” he said. “I think what we’re seeing now is much more a political response than anything else to the fact that the
Republican Congress and the president wanted stepped-up enforcement because that was campaign promises they made.”
So, in fiscal year 2008 — October 2007 through August 2008 — 1,022 people have been arrested, including 116 company owners, managers, supervisors or human resources employees who now face charges that include harboring or hiring illegal immigrants. The remaining workers arrested are facing charges that include identity theft and Social Security fraud, ICE officials said.
During this same period, ICE made 3,900 administrative arrests for immigration violations.
Administrative arrests may involve people who entered the country illegally but don’t have a criminal record, according to ICE spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa.
http://timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/17/work-site-arrests-and-deportations-continue-rise/?local
Sunday, August 17, 2008
By: Perla Trevizo
Chattanooga Free Times Press
In 2002, 510 people were arrested at work sites nationwide for violating U.S. immigration laws.
In the past 11 months, almost 5,000 have been arrested for the same thing, a tenfold increase. Included in that number are the 311 Pilgrim’s Pride workers arrested April 16 in five states, 100 in Chattanooga.
Over the last several years, immigration officials have redoubled their efforts to detain and deport illegal immigrants, Assistant Field Office Director Scott Sutterfield, from the Office of Detention and Removal in New Orleans, has said.
He credited “fugitive operations teams” and a program that cross-designates state and local officers to enforce immigration laws for the increased number of deportations.
Critics of illegal immigration want to see more raids and tougher penalties. “I felt the Pilgrim’s Pride arrests were justified and there should be even more enforcement of illegal workers in the U.S., along with stiffer penalties and quicker deportation,” said Brenda Poe, a resident of Dunlap, Tenn., who opposes illegal immigration.
Illegal immigrants are “criminals,” she said, and organizations that helped arrested Hispanics and their families should focus on others.
“I was concerned and somewhat surprised that there were so many agencies and organizations rushing in to try to support the families of these criminals,” she said. “Maybe these organizations need to be concerned with the law-abiding citizens and the families that are trying to work according to the laws of our land and still just barely making ends meet.”
Dr. Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda, a professor at the University of California in Los Angeles, said the current increase in deportations is closely tied to politics.
“It’s very clear that there’s an unprecedented increase in deportations,” he said. “I think what we’re seeing now is much more a political response than anything else to the fact that the
Republican Congress and the president wanted stepped-up enforcement because that was campaign promises they made.”
So, in fiscal year 2008 — October 2007 through August 2008 — 1,022 people have been arrested, including 116 company owners, managers, supervisors or human resources employees who now face charges that include harboring or hiring illegal immigrants. The remaining workers arrested are facing charges that include identity theft and Social Security fraud, ICE officials said.
During this same period, ICE made 3,900 administrative arrests for immigration violations.
Administrative arrests may involve people who entered the country illegally but don’t have a criminal record, according to ICE spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa.
http://timesfreepress.com/news/2008/aug/17/work-site-arrests-and-deportations-continue-rise/?local
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Boat carrying 16 Mexican nationals intercepted
Boat carrying 16 Mexican nationals intercepted
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 08/15/2008
11:05:46 PM PDT
IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif.—Authorities say 16 Mexican nationals are in custody and face deportation after their small boat was intercepted at sea off Imperial Beach.
Border Patrol agent Mark Endicott says the 20-foot panga boat was discovered with its lights off just before 1 a.m. Friday, about 500 yards off the coast just north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Endicott says the skiff tried to elude authorities, but it was "obviously overmatched" by vessels from the Customs and Border Protection.
Endicott says the 11 men and five women aboard the boat were taken into custody and face deportation. The boat was confiscated.
Information from: San Diego Union-Tribune http://www.signonsandiego.com
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10220500
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 08/15/2008
11:05:46 PM PDT
IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif.—Authorities say 16 Mexican nationals are in custody and face deportation after their small boat was intercepted at sea off Imperial Beach.
Border Patrol agent Mark Endicott says the 20-foot panga boat was discovered with its lights off just before 1 a.m. Friday, about 500 yards off the coast just north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Endicott says the skiff tried to elude authorities, but it was "obviously overmatched" by vessels from the Customs and Border Protection.
Endicott says the 11 men and five women aboard the boat were taken into custody and face deportation. The boat was confiscated.
Information from: San Diego Union-Tribune http://www.signonsandiego.com
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10220500
Friday, August 15, 2008
A Misguided Crackdown
A Misguided Crackdown
Treating the symptoms, but not the cause, of illegal immigration
Friday, August 15, 2008; A20
Washington Post Editorial
CONGRESS'S FAILURE to enact a workable immigration system last year prompted the Bush administration to redouble its previously lethargic efforts at enforcing existing immigration laws. The get-tough campaign -- more workplace raids and arrests along the Mexican border, plus a smattering of criminal cases against employers -- has two goals. One is to show a doubting public that the feds mean business. The other is to make things so miserable for businesses that corporate lobbyists join in the fight for meaningful immigration reform.
The results of this enforcement-only strategy have meant that undocumented workers are suffering the brunt of the misery even as businesses continue to employ millions of them. A new study by the Center for Immigration Studies, which opposes illegal immigration, suggests this strategy has helped prompt hundreds of thousands of undocumented workers to leave the country; the economic slowdown has added to the pressure by depriving them of jobs. Still, the administration's strategy of emphasizing punishment rather than prevention underscores the need for a more durable solution.
But the basic legal and economic dynamics that created the nation's dysfunctional immigration system remain largely unchanged. Despite the economic dip, there is still demand for unskilled labor that native-born Americans cannot supply. That demand will perk up when the economy does. The number of visas available for unskilled workers -- 66,000 per year -- is laughably inadequate. Many thousands of workers continue to enter the country illegally or enter legally and then overstay their visas. A practical approach would acknowledge both the demand for unskilled labor and the fact that 5 percent of the American workforce consists of undocumented workers. It would raise the quota of temporary employment visas, establish a better system for employers to verify the legal status of job applicants and offer undocumented workers a way to register themselves and eventually earn citizenship. Critics will howl about an amnesty, but realists will see it is the way to address the reality of immigration and labor in a globalized marketplace.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/14/AR2008081403047.html
Treating the symptoms, but not the cause, of illegal immigration
Friday, August 15, 2008; A20
Washington Post Editorial
CONGRESS'S FAILURE to enact a workable immigration system last year prompted the Bush administration to redouble its previously lethargic efforts at enforcing existing immigration laws. The get-tough campaign -- more workplace raids and arrests along the Mexican border, plus a smattering of criminal cases against employers -- has two goals. One is to show a doubting public that the feds mean business. The other is to make things so miserable for businesses that corporate lobbyists join in the fight for meaningful immigration reform.
The results of this enforcement-only strategy have meant that undocumented workers are suffering the brunt of the misery even as businesses continue to employ millions of them. A new study by the Center for Immigration Studies, which opposes illegal immigration, suggests this strategy has helped prompt hundreds of thousands of undocumented workers to leave the country; the economic slowdown has added to the pressure by depriving them of jobs. Still, the administration's strategy of emphasizing punishment rather than prevention underscores the need for a more durable solution.
But the basic legal and economic dynamics that created the nation's dysfunctional immigration system remain largely unchanged. Despite the economic dip, there is still demand for unskilled labor that native-born Americans cannot supply. That demand will perk up when the economy does. The number of visas available for unskilled workers -- 66,000 per year -- is laughably inadequate. Many thousands of workers continue to enter the country illegally or enter legally and then overstay their visas. A practical approach would acknowledge both the demand for unskilled labor and the fact that 5 percent of the American workforce consists of undocumented workers. It would raise the quota of temporary employment visas, establish a better system for employers to verify the legal status of job applicants and offer undocumented workers a way to register themselves and eventually earn citizenship. Critics will howl about an amnesty, but realists will see it is the way to address the reality of immigration and labor in a globalized marketplace.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/14/AR2008081403047.html
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Farmers: Immigration Raids Imperil Harvests
Farmers: Immigration Raids Imperil Harvests
Jay Gallagher and Leah Rae
The Journal News (NY)
ALBANY - With the harvest season beginning, farmers around the state say crackdowns on immigrants are causing a widespread labor shortage that threatens this year's harvest of some fruits and vegetables.
"Some farmers are flat-out short of hands," said Pete Gregg, a spokesman for the state Farm Bureau. "They're worried about leaving fruits on the trees and vegetables on the ground."
New York is home to a labor-intensive farming industry that expects this year to produce 3 billion apples, second to Washington state, as well as cabbage, corn, cherries, peaches, strawberries and blueberries. Most of those crops have to be picked by hand.
At Cascade Farm in Patterson, David Frost is preparing to work harder and longer hours when four of his employees return to high school and college, halfway through the growing season. It's impossible to find replacements, he said, even though there is no shortage of willing laborers nearby.
"We've checked with a lot of day laborers, and none of them have papers," said Frost, who runs an educational farm with a range of organic produce. "And we're a not-for-profit, so we don't want to jeopardize our status with any kind of problems. So we're doing it by the book.
"They all need work. We need them. But they don't have papers," Frost said.
About half of the nation's 1 million hired farmworkers do not have legal authorization to work in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Earlier migrants have had opportunities to legalize their status, but Congress has deadlocked over a proposed legalization program. Of farmworkers who entered the United States since 2001, only 2 percent have legal status, according to the National Agricultural Workers Survey.
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008808140410
Jay Gallagher and Leah Rae
The Journal News (NY)
ALBANY - With the harvest season beginning, farmers around the state say crackdowns on immigrants are causing a widespread labor shortage that threatens this year's harvest of some fruits and vegetables.
"Some farmers are flat-out short of hands," said Pete Gregg, a spokesman for the state Farm Bureau. "They're worried about leaving fruits on the trees and vegetables on the ground."
New York is home to a labor-intensive farming industry that expects this year to produce 3 billion apples, second to Washington state, as well as cabbage, corn, cherries, peaches, strawberries and blueberries. Most of those crops have to be picked by hand.
At Cascade Farm in Patterson, David Frost is preparing to work harder and longer hours when four of his employees return to high school and college, halfway through the growing season. It's impossible to find replacements, he said, even though there is no shortage of willing laborers nearby.
"We've checked with a lot of day laborers, and none of them have papers," said Frost, who runs an educational farm with a range of organic produce. "And we're a not-for-profit, so we don't want to jeopardize our status with any kind of problems. So we're doing it by the book.
"They all need work. We need them. But they don't have papers," Frost said.
About half of the nation's 1 million hired farmworkers do not have legal authorization to work in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Earlier migrants have had opportunities to legalize their status, but Congress has deadlocked over a proposed legalization program. Of farmworkers who entered the United States since 2001, only 2 percent have legal status, according to the National Agricultural Workers Survey.
http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008808140410
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Raid nets 57 illegal immigrants
Raid nets 57 illegal immigrants
By John Harbin
Times-News Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 11:47 p.m.
Fifty-seven illegal immigrants rounded up Tuesday at a Buncombe County factory were sent to the Henderson County Jail for processing but didn’t stay long. After the raid at the Woodfin parachute making plant, ICE agents bused the workers to Henderson County to determine their status and decide whether to release or transfer them.
“We have 57 illegal aliens from Mill Manufacturing Corp.,” U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement agency spokesman Ivan Ortiz said. “Twenty-nine of the people have qualified to be released, and will be given a notice to appear before an immigration judge to determine their status. The remaining people will be taken to Charlotte or Georgia to be detained.”
The 29 were released for humanitarian reasons and cited. They were not fugitives, Ortiz said, nor did they have criminal records.
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20080813/NEWS/643845189&title=Raid_nets_57_illegal_immigrants
By John Harbin
Times-News Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 11:47 p.m.
Fifty-seven illegal immigrants rounded up Tuesday at a Buncombe County factory were sent to the Henderson County Jail for processing but didn’t stay long. After the raid at the Woodfin parachute making plant, ICE agents bused the workers to Henderson County to determine their status and decide whether to release or transfer them.
“We have 57 illegal aliens from Mill Manufacturing Corp.,” U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement agency spokesman Ivan Ortiz said. “Twenty-nine of the people have qualified to be released, and will be given a notice to appear before an immigration judge to determine their status. The remaining people will be taken to Charlotte or Georgia to be detained.”
The 29 were released for humanitarian reasons and cited. They were not fugitives, Ortiz said, nor did they have criminal records.
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20080813/NEWS/643845189&title=Raid_nets_57_illegal_immigrants
Immigrant's death splits blue-collar town
Immigrant's death splits blue-collar town
White teens accused of targeting Latino
By Antonio Olivo Chicago Tribune correspondent
August 12, 2008
Hate crimes against Latinos on the rise Graphic
SHENANDOAH, Pa. — Under an elliptical moon, the sight of an illegal Mexican immigrant alone with a 15-year-old hometown girl seemed to push the beer-fueled high school football players into deadly violence."
Isn't it a little late for you guys to be out?" one teen reportedly asked Luis Eduardo Ramirez, 25, and the girl as they walked near a park after 11 p.m. one Saturday last month. "Get your Mexican boyfriend out of here!"
Ethnic slurs ricocheted in the night, echoing what many have muttered for years in this crumbling mountainside town that was once the thriving jewel of Pennsylvania's coal country.
Then, fists flew, and one teen, an honor student, reportedly delivered a skull-shattering kick to the head, killing Ramirez.
This pocket of blue-collar America, where big-band musicians Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey got their start, is spinning in the ugly vortex of the nation's racially charged war over illegal Immigration.
Federal officials have launched an investigation into last month's murder to determine if it is part of a rising trend of anti-Latino hate crimes around the country.
"We are reaping what we, as a nation, have [sown]," said Mark Potok, spokesman for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate crimes nationwide.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-hatecrimeaug12,0,4994865.story
White teens accused of targeting Latino
By Antonio Olivo Chicago Tribune correspondent
August 12, 2008
Hate crimes against Latinos on the rise Graphic
SHENANDOAH, Pa. — Under an elliptical moon, the sight of an illegal Mexican immigrant alone with a 15-year-old hometown girl seemed to push the beer-fueled high school football players into deadly violence."
Isn't it a little late for you guys to be out?" one teen reportedly asked Luis Eduardo Ramirez, 25, and the girl as they walked near a park after 11 p.m. one Saturday last month. "Get your Mexican boyfriend out of here!"
Ethnic slurs ricocheted in the night, echoing what many have muttered for years in this crumbling mountainside town that was once the thriving jewel of Pennsylvania's coal country.
Then, fists flew, and one teen, an honor student, reportedly delivered a skull-shattering kick to the head, killing Ramirez.
This pocket of blue-collar America, where big-band musicians Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey got their start, is spinning in the ugly vortex of the nation's racially charged war over illegal Immigration.
Federal officials have launched an investigation into last month's murder to determine if it is part of a rising trend of anti-Latino hate crimes around the country.
"We are reaping what we, as a nation, have [sown]," said Mark Potok, spokesman for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate crimes nationwide.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-hatecrimeaug12,0,4994865.story
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Exploited: The Plight of the Undocumented Worker
Exploited: The Plight of the Undocumented Worker
By Cristina Jimenez, Drum Major Institute
Posted on August 12, 2008
We all know that undocumented workers are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, but under this administration, the abuses and violations of human, labor and civil rights have become obscenely worse. A recent clear example: Iowa's meatpacking plant raid.
Much has been written about the unjust and abusive means used by the Justice Department and Homeland Security to deport these workers and their families. But a recent finding reported by the New York Times is even more upsetting- Agriprocessors, the raided meatpacking plant, hired undocumented immigrants as young as 13.
Among the 389 detained, more than 20 workers were found to be under-age. But this is not all. The young immigrants declared that they were exploited, mistreated, beaten, and abused. Some of them worked 17 hours a day, six days a week. And if you think they were making some money by getting paid overtime, you are wrong. Overtime was rarely paid.
As soon as they come to the United States, undocumented workers start desperately seeking for job opportunities to sustain and provide a better life for their families-the very reason for migrating. And of course, employers are more than happy to take advantage of the availability of this vulnerable and desperate pool of workers. Conveniently, employers create low-quality jobs that immigrants are forced to take because their immigration status prevents them from getting or demanding good jobs. While working, undocumented workers endure unfair treatment and wages because they fear being fired or reported to immigration.
http://www.alternet.org/story/94703/
By Cristina Jimenez, Drum Major Institute
Posted on August 12, 2008
We all know that undocumented workers are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, but under this administration, the abuses and violations of human, labor and civil rights have become obscenely worse. A recent clear example: Iowa's meatpacking plant raid.
Much has been written about the unjust and abusive means used by the Justice Department and Homeland Security to deport these workers and their families. But a recent finding reported by the New York Times is even more upsetting- Agriprocessors, the raided meatpacking plant, hired undocumented immigrants as young as 13.
Among the 389 detained, more than 20 workers were found to be under-age. But this is not all. The young immigrants declared that they were exploited, mistreated, beaten, and abused. Some of them worked 17 hours a day, six days a week. And if you think they were making some money by getting paid overtime, you are wrong. Overtime was rarely paid.
As soon as they come to the United States, undocumented workers start desperately seeking for job opportunities to sustain and provide a better life for their families-the very reason for migrating. And of course, employers are more than happy to take advantage of the availability of this vulnerable and desperate pool of workers. Conveniently, employers create low-quality jobs that immigrants are forced to take because their immigration status prevents them from getting or demanding good jobs. While working, undocumented workers endure unfair treatment and wages because they fear being fired or reported to immigration.
http://www.alternet.org/story/94703/
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