Portland Raid On Illegals Shows - Officials Upset (At The Raid)
By Bull Dog Pundit on Immigration
Ankle Biting Pundits
Today federal authorities raided a Portland food processing plant and rounded up 165 illegal aliens. As you read the story you’ll see the type of things that make we opponents of the Amnesty bill so upset.
<<< More than 165 workers were detained to be processed for possible deportation, officials said, and three people were indicted on immigration, illegal documents and identity theft charges.
Portland Mayor Tom Potter criticized the raids. The three arrests were understandable, he said, but “to go after local workers who are here to support their families while filling the demands of local businesses for their labor is bad policy.”
According to an affidavit filed by Maximillian Trimm, a special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, only 48 of nearly 600 employees at the Fresh Del Monte Produce fruit and vegetable processing plant had valid Social Security numbers.
The three indicted were Jose de Jesus Zarazua-Lopez, accused of re-entering the United States illegally after being convicted of heroin charges and deported to Mexico; Jose Dejesus Buenrostro, accused of encouraging an illegal immigrant; and Margarita Amezcua-Salvador, accused of possessing counterfeit alien registration documents, identity theft, selling a Social Security card, and encouraging an illegal immigrant.
CAUSA Oregon, an immigration rights group, called the raids inhumane.
“The Del Monte workers and their families are an integral part of the Oregon community and economy, and our immigration policy must reflect this reality,” the group said in a statement.
Potter spokesman John Doussard said the city’s Police Bureau had been given a heads-up about the raids but did not participate. Potter said in a statement that a city crisis response team would help the families of the workers.
Authorities created a 24-hour toll-free hotline for family members of unauthorized workers who were arrested in Tuesday’s operations. Operators can answer questions about detention status and the removal process. The number is (866) 341-3858. >>>
OK, where to start.
First, obviously is this idiot mayor who claimed that actually enforcing the law and deporting illegal aliens is “bad policy”. Hey, isn’t that similar to what people like John McCain, Ted Kennedy and President Bush are saying in criticizing those of us who say that authorities should “enforce the law” before granting amnesty? And he calls illegal aliens “local workers”. Um, no they’re not. They’re foreigners that broke the law to get here.
Second, you will notice that under the Amnesty Bill, the three named aliens would not be permanently barred from citizenship. Under the Cornyn Amendment they would have been, but his amendment was defeated thanks to “Republicans” like John McCain, George Voinovich, Lindsey Graham and Arlen Specter. You can read Pat’s response defending that vote, and specifically lamenting that those who committed document fraud would never be able to become citizens here.
Third, what about the approximately 350 people who didn’t have valid Social Security numbers, but weren’t rounded up for immigration crimes? Isn’t that also a crime or something that should be investigated?
Fourth, the response of the local illegal immigrant group (and the local Archbishop) describing the raids as “inhumane” makes me laugh. Why not just let everyone in then? After all, isn’t keeping everyone out “inhumane”. I mean, think about it, wouldn’t just about everyone on earth have a better life in this country? If so, isn’t it “inhumane” that we let all of them in?
They are not an “integral” part of the local economy, and if they are, they shouldn’t be. Now, the plants are going to have to hire citizens and/or those foreigners here that have decided to play by the rules. If, because of the wages, they don’t get people to fill the jobs then they’re going to have to raise the pay, and we’re all going to have to pay higher prices for the food made there. But so what?
Fifth, if I were a Portland resident, I’d be offended that the city has set up a “hotline” to assist the families of illegal immigrants who were rounded up. If anything, local authorities should be using information from those phone calls to round up any family members who are illegal. Why? Well, um, because they are BREAKING THE LAW.
What I’m really interested to see is whether or not those illegals who were arrested are kept in custody pending their detention, or are given future dates to come back to the hearing which they will ignore.
Especially if the McCain-Kennedy Amnesty bill passes because under that law there would be no repercussions for ignoring such a court order.
And they’ll tell you their bill isn’t “amnesty”. Do they really believe that
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