Immigrant "sweep" nets over 2000 illegals

[strandinthewind]

With all due respect, shouldn't these criminals (over and above the illegal/criminal status) be the very ones to go after first?

In the end, there is a system for coming into this country to work and trying to be a citizen. It is relatively easy and clearly if you know enough to evade the authorities by being an illegal, you know enough about how to be legal. So, I say all should have to follow that system.

I mean it scares me that our borders are not secure and that some terrorist who could not get into America through American Customs can just walk across the Rio Grande.

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I mean it scares me that our borders are not secure and that some terrorist who could not get into America through American Customs can just walk across the Rio Grande.

Although that hasn't happened and the worst terrorists thus far have come through Canada!!

And it's not an easy process to come to America if you are from a poor farm in Mexico and your family is starving. It's only easy to come here if you have a lot of money.

Edit: It not being easy to come here is not my way of making an excuse - they're still illegal - I'm just sayin.

[Rickypt]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

In the end, there is a system for coming into this country to work and trying to be a citizen. It is relatively easy

It is?

When my partner came to live here with me, there wasn't a single way he could do so except possibly to pay a ton of money and go to school. And he was French, I can't imagine it's that easy for people from Mexico to come here if they want to.

Maybe the immigration laws have changed, though.

[strandinthewind]

To become a citizen, these are the general Requirements:

All naturalization applicants must demonstrate good moral character.

The other naturalization requirements may be modified or waived for certain applicants, such as spouses of U.S. Citizens.

A period of continuous residence and physical presence in the United States
An ability to read, write and speak English
Good moral character
Knowledge of the principles of the U.S. Constitution
Favorable disposition toward the United States

Certainly, it is a process. I am just noting that the lengths people go to be illegal aliens - fake ID's, nomadic lifestyle, etc., is indicative that that effort could be put into obtaining a Visa or getting your citizenship.

Here one of many sites that goes into the process.

http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm...s.htm#eligible

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by DrummerDeanna

Although that hasn't happened and the worst terrorists thus far have come through Canada!! . . .

I hear ya - but just because they have not (though much of the drug trade does and that is a form of terrorism) - does not mean they won't. So, I say an ounce of prevention . . . .

And, mind you, if, like the gun laws, the idiots in charge over the last several decades would enforce the current laws, this would not be that large of an issue.

[irishgrl]

Originally Posted by Rickypt

Well, it was indeed how I saw it. They were targeting known criminals. Just type "immigration sting" into Google news and read the articles. In San Diego, they rounded people suspected of being illegal immigrants as part of the sweep, but they weren't the main target.

So, obviously it worked to create the impression that if you take a group of 2000 illegal immigrants, that you're going to get a huge percentage of people who have created serious crimes like child molestation.

Here's a sample of what I found on Google.

http://www.southeasttexaslive.com/si...d=512588&rfi=6

The sting targeted individuals who had criminal records, including 146 with convictions for sexual offenses involving minors and 367 members of violent street gangs, including Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13. About 640 of those arrested had been deported before and had returned to the country, according to a statement released by the agency.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the operation is part of a new get-tough strategy that is cracking down on the criminals who "perpetuate illegal immigration."

"The fugitives captured in this operation threatened public safety in hundreds of neighborhoods and communities around the country," he said. "This department has no tolerance for their criminal behavior and we are using every authority at our disposal to bring focus to fugitive operations and rid communities of this criminality."

I think you are already skewing your results if you use a search term like immigration STING. I will do my own search with a different (more generic) search criteria, and lets see what I get.....

edit: I used as my search term "operation Return to Sender" and apparently the focus was on getting illegals who had criminal records. here is an excerpt from an AP article:

The crackdown is called Operation Return to Sender.

"This sends a message," said Monico, standing outside the gray Victorian apartment where Da Silva had been hiding. "When we deport you, we're serious."

An Associated Press reporter and photographer accompanied a fugitive task force as it made Operation Return to Sender raids Tuesday night and early Wednesday.

The operation has caught more than 140 immigrants with convictions for sexual offenses against children; 367 known gang members, including street soldiers in the deadly Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13; and about 640 people who had already been deported once, immigration officials said. The numbers include more than 720 arrests in California alone.

More than 800 people arrested already have been deported.

"This is a massive operation," said Marc Raimondi, a spokesman for immigration enforcement or ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. "We are watching the country's borders from the inside."

The government has conducted similar large-scale immigration sweeps from time to time. On April 20, agents rounded up 1,100 illegal immigrants in 40 cities.

In New England, officials said the Operation Return to Sender sweeps have caught more than 150 people, including 75 who had come back after being deported.

ICE has a network of 35 fugitive teams across the country. The 2006 budget increased that number to 52, and the Bush administration is pushing for 70 by 2007.

The challenge, agents said, is staggering.

There are more than 500,000 "fugitive aliens" who have been deported by judges and either slipped back into the country or never left. There is often a disconnect between local and state prisons and the federal government that allows illegal immigrants to serve time and be released without being transferred to federal officials for deportation.

The work that led to the series of arrests over the past 20 days began last winter. Agents in Boston, for example, began scouting targets four months ago, conducting street surveillance and following up leads from confidential informants.

"It's a lot of preparation, and it's a lot of patience," said Jim Martin, deputy director for ICE's New England field office. "All for a couple minutes of adrenaline."

During the raid late Tuesday, the federal squad, which includes a Boston police sergeant detective, wore bulging bulletproof vests and stiff Kevlar gloves to protect their hands from needles, knives and rusty fences.

Badges dangled on chains around their necks as they passed around wanted posters and shined flashlights on the face of a 24-year-old Latvian man who had served prison time for assaulting a police officer.

The team moved in the dark, climbing fences and hiding behind parked cars to encircle a three-story house in Boston's Allston-Brighton neighborhood. All at once they emerged from the shadows. A half-dozen agents filled the front porch, their knocks on the door echoing down the block. The target had moved, the agents learned, and a team split off and caught him in Weymouth, about 15 miles south of the city.

Another man caught in the recent blitz was a Salvadoran gang member who was convicted in a stabbing that left a 13-year-old boy paralyzed. Agents caught him working at Budget Rental Car at Boston's Logan Airport.

"The problems with immigration aren't going to be solved overnight," Raimondi said as the team sped toward another raid. "You start chipping away at it ... The more teams we get up and running, the more dangerous people we are going to get off the streets."

Ya know, I just cant feel sorry for these people. they need to be GONE. they are killers/rapists/molesters/drug dealers/gang members. to wit:

Some of those arrested in Operation Return to Sender included:

Franklin Ademir Rodriguez, a 25-year-old Salvadoran national and member of the street gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). Rodriguez, also known as “Hollywood,” boasts a lengthy criminal history that includes an assault and battery conviction for helping other MS-13 gang members permanently paralyze a 13-year-old boy by stabbing him in the spine with a sharpened stake. The victim is now confined to a wheelchair for life.

Jose Garcia Rios, a Mexican national whose criminal history extends from 1985 to present. Garcia has been arrested roughly 13 times, has been removed from the country several times, and has past convictions for crimes ranging from aggravated robbery to drug dealing, drug possession, terroristic threats, and evading arrest.

Wilber Kuk, a 24-year-old Mexican national and member of 18th Street gang in Washington, D.C. who has convictions for abduction, malicious wounding, robbery and use of a firearm.

Samuel Gil Martinez, a 24-year-old Salvadoran national and member of the MS-13 gang. Martinez has twice been convicted in Boston of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. In one case, he beat an individual with a baseball bat. In another, he attacked an individual at a bus stop with a “Club” automobile lock. Martinez was arrested with other MS-13 members during the commission of these crimes.

Angel Lira-Alvarez, a 26-year-old Mexican national and member of “East Side Homeboys,” a major street gang in Dallas, Texas. Lira has previous convictions for manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance, theft and burglary. He had previously been deported from the country, but re-entered the United States and was arrested again for marijuana possession. He was the subject of a local arrest warrant for parole violations when ICE arrested him.

Those arrested in the operation came from nations around the globe, including Angola, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cape Verde, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Egypt, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Senegal, Thailand, Uganda, United Kingdom and Uzbekistan.

The arrests are the latest enforcement actions under the interior immigration enforcement strategy that was announced on April 20, 2006 by Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff and Assistant Secretary Myers. A critical element of this interior enforcement strategy is to identify and remove criminal aliens, fugitives, and other immigration violators from the United States, officials said.

The interior enforcement strategy is part of the Secure Border Initiative (SBI), which is the Department of Homeland Security’s multi-year plan to secure America’s borders and reduce illegal migration. SBI’s border security efforts are focused on gaining operational control of the nation’s borders through additional personnel and technology, while re-engineering the detention and removal system to ensure that illegal aliens are removed from the country quickly.

as far as I am concerned, this operation was a job well done, and lets hope they do many more of these sweeps.

[Rickypt]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

To become a citizen, these are the general Requirements:

All naturalization applicants must demonstrate good moral character.

The other naturalization requirements may be modified or waived for certain applicants, such as spouses of U.S. Citizens.

A period of continuous residence and physical presence in the United States
An ability to read, write and speak English
Good moral character
Knowledge of the principles of the U.S. Constitution
Favorable disposition toward the United States

Certainly, it is a process. I am just noting that the lengths people go to be illegal aliens - fake ID's, nomadic lifestyle, etc., is indicative that that effort could be put into obtaining a Visa or getting your citizenship.

Here one of many sites that goes into the process.

http://www.foreignborn.com/visas_imm...s.htm#eligible

Strand, that is the process for a legal immigrant to become a U.S. citizen.

The process to be allowed into the country as a legal immigrant is extremely complex and limited. In fact, they have had a "lottery" every year for a number of years with something like 40,000 slots and millions apply.

I am well familiar with it, I spent quite a sum of money hiring lawyers to help my first partner get legal status here and it never happened after seven years. And he was (1) French, (2) spoke perfect English, (3) employable.

I agree 100% that legal immigration is the way to go, but I think laws need to change dramatically to make sure that people who want to come here and seek a better life for their families have a good shot at it. I'm liberal on immigration and would support raising the "quotas" that currently exist while cracking down more on future illegal immigration.

[Rickypt]

Originally Posted by irishgrl

Ya know, I just cant feel sorry for these people. they need to be GONE. they are killers/rapists/molesters/drug dealers/gang members.

I don't feel sorry for the killers/rapists/drug dealers/gang members either. Those with criminal records need to go.

as far as I am concerned, this operation was a job well done

I know you feel that way, and that's fine. I was just trying to correct the record. And, Irishgrl, when I did the search I found over 100 articles with the same info as the article I posted. Including articles in NY and LA Times. If I thought I had found info based on a skewed query, I wouldn't have posted.

[becca]

I became friends with some Latino people while living in Seattle and in Alaska (in fact the canneries up there have become dependent on labor brought in, mainly Mexican). I also became friends with some former New Jerseyites who informed me about U.S. citizens tax dollars going to build hiring centers for illegal under the counter labor to get it off the streets. This is such a complex sitaution really, but I feel the main problem is that business is able to hire non-citizens so easily with no responsibilites or penalties and in fact many benefits (like not having to provide benefits). They argue how Americans don't want to do many of these jobs, well, sure... now that they pay so badly with no benefits! You cannot expect of citizens to compete with non-citizens, that is just wrong, and companies have so often been held as being above a nationality except when it comes to paying for political seats and votes. Reagan began decimating many anti-trust and other business laws that had made the U.S. what it was. Reagan Jr. (and I respected Bush Sr. but his son is another manipulable puppet like The Gipper), well he is just finishing off I guess what reagan started. Union busting, citizenship undermining, allowing market access with almost no conditions of benefits to citizens... it's just a mess, and particularily galling I would think when your own tax money is being used against you whether to help subsidise a sports arena with a corporate name on it or a hiring center for illegal labor.

The people are caught in the crossfire. The U.S. owes the Tejanos and the Mexican people as far as I'm concerned something, but they are being as abused as the tax paying U.S. citizen is. But it's a case of divide and conquer; turning ordinary working people against each other and nobody seems to hold elected representatives, orf business law, accountable... except to punish and harrass the poor migrants. The Mexican government has things to answer for in this, and their own immigration laws are very restrictive and full of stiff penalties. Building a long wall when Pat Buchanen first made it a presidential campaign platform a dozen or so years ago sounded ludicrous then, i wish it would sound as ludicrous to people now, but instead Bush Jr. is sending more muscle as if that will solve things and not just escalate a situation to a new level.

[Rickypt]

Originally Posted by becca

I became friends with some Latino people while living in Seattle and in Alaska (in fact the canneries up there have become dependent on labor brought in, mainly Mexican). I also became friends with some former New Jerseyites who informed me about U.S. citizens tax dollars going to build hiring centers for illegal under the counter labor to get it off the streets. This is such a complex sitaution really, but I feel the main problem is that business is able to hire non-citizens so easily with no responsibilites or penalties and in fact many benefits (like not having to provide benefits). They argue how Americans don't want to do many of these jobs, well, sure... now that they pay so badly with no benefits! You cannot expect of citizens to compete with non-citizens, that is just wrong, and companies have so often been held as being above a nationality except when it comes to paying for political seats and votes. Reagan began decimating many anti-trust and other business laws that had made the U.S. what it was. Reagan Jr. (and I respected Bush Sr. but his son is another manipulable puppet like The Gipper), well he is just finishing off I guess what reagan started. Union busting, citizenship undermining, allowing market access with almost no conditions of benefits to citizens... it's just a mess, and particularily galling I would think when your own tax money is being used against you whether to help subsidise a sports arena with a corporate name on it or a hiring center for illegal labor.

The people are caught in the crossfire. The U.S. owes the Tejanos and the Mexican people as far as I'm concerned something, but they are being as abused as the tax paying U.S. citizen is. But it's a case of divide and conquer; turning ordinary working people against each other and nobody seems to hold elected representatives, orf business law, accountable... except to punish and harrass the poor migrants. The Mexican government has things to answer for in this, and their own immigration laws are very restrictive and full of stiff penalties. Building a long wall when Pat Buchanen first made it a presidential campaign platform a dozen or so years ago sounded ludicrous then, i wish it would sound as ludicrous to people now, but instead Bush Jr. is sending more muscle as if that will solve things and not just escalate a situation to a new level.

This is an AWESOME post.

[becca]

P.S.

Not to pick on Lou Dobbs or John Stossel too harshly, but be wary of any hyper-emotional crisis the media gets ahold of and the simplistic demands they forward as remedies. If you feel you are being pushed or led down a narrow path you probably are. Keep your options open as both a voter and in voicing an opinion... erring on the side of dealing with fellow humans as equal at least in so far as they are worthy of breathing the same air (at least until someone can copyright and brand an air molecule).

In Alaska I saw many Norweigan flags and Italian flags. If they can show those with pride so can Mexican-Americans and Mexicans now living in the U.S., and I don't see how those flags are meant to be offensive like say a confederate flag on a state capital building would be.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by Rickypt

Strand, that is the process for a legal immigrant to become a U.S. citizen.

The process to be allowed into the country as a legal immigrant is extremely complex and limited. In fact, they have had a "lottery" every year for a number of years with something like 40,000 slots and millions apply.

I am well familiar with it, I spent quite a sum of money hiring lawyers to help my first partner get legal status here and it never happened after seven years. And he was (1) French, (2) spoke perfect English, (3) employable.

I agree 100% that legal immigration is the way to go, but I think laws need to change dramatically to make sure that people who want to come here and seek a better life for their families have a good shot at it. I'm liberal on immigration and would support raising the "quotas" that currently exist while cracking down more on future illegal immigration.

I know - but my point is that I see illegals all the time and they go to great lengths and spend money to remain undercover. That effort and money could be used to be or become legal.

Again, I am not saying it is the easiest thing in the world - I am just saying the effort might be a little more, but it is the only way to go, etc.

[irishgrl]

Originally Posted by Rickypt

I don't feel sorry for the killers/rapists/drug dealers/gang members either. Those with criminal records need to go.



I know you feel that way, and that's fine. I was just trying to correct the record. And, Irishgrl, when I did the search I found over 100 articles with the same info as the article I posted. Including articles in NY and LA Times. If I thought I had found info based on a skewed query, I wouldn't have posted.

if you use a term like immigration STING, I think you're going to get a skewed result. however, I acknowledge that this latest roundup was geared toward the illegals that DID have criminal records and I stand corrected on that point. it doesnt change the fact that these people still need to be ousted however. (which I see you agree with) no harm, no foul as far as Im concerned...

as for the policies of Reagan, and Bush Sr (not to mention Monkey Boy), anyone who knows me knows that I LOATHED Reagan, and his policies. On the other hand, Im not sure what we as Americans "owe" the Mexicans
The corporate ASSWIPES who only care about the almighty dollar and profit margin should be held acountable by ALL means. The idea of mollycoddling big business just grates against my nerves!! I say, do away with outsourcing, do away with turning a blind eye to under the table hiring/benefits practices, make these jerkwads accountable!!

[becca]

Im not sure what we as Americans "owe" the Mexicans

Well, the way states like Texas and California became part of the U.S. was not without extreme acts of racially motivated violence, even if Santa Ana was a complete asswipe. Many Tejanos who fought with people wanting to make Texas a state were screwed badly later on and had land taken from them illegally, just as natives did through broken re-written and deceitful treaties as well as gunfire. Mexico would be a different place today economically and geographically if they had not been through the Mexican-American war. Americans continue to profit from what their ancestors did and so I feel continue to owe descendants of natives, black slaves and others. Canada owes so much of it's wealth and prosperity to natives and it's pretty sad when people don't respect them or to see them as people with alchohol problems and rusting cars. It used to be illegal here to sell liquor to natives because of their genetic propensity to have a problem with it, but now there are more liquor stores than ever thanks to liberalizing and going more free-market. We have a responsibility there that we have given up, but i guess natives gave us cigarettes so in that way we're equal.

Canada has apologized formally to Japanese Canadians interned in camps simply because of race, to Chinese Canadians for the head tax we imposed to limit immigration to here and is contemplating an apology to the Sikh community for a shipload of Sikh's turned back way back in 1915 (although they left5 because they were fighting the British at the time so I would say it makes sense British Columbia would not have them). Wouldn't it be nice to have apologies from Japan for atrocities of the pacific war, like those bomb balloons they sent across the pacific which killed a family in oregon on a picnic? It would be the decent thing to do, although these things are probably only done to get some segment of the vote. And so an official apology to Mexico by the U.S. might even be possibly warranted rather than a bigger wall, but I know that's not going to happen anymore than apologies for arming Ho Chi Minh and Bin Laden initially.

[DrummerDeanna]

Originally Posted by becca

Well, the way states like Texas and California became part of the U.S. was not without extreme acts of racially motivated violence, even if Santa Ana was a complete asswipe. Many Tejanos who fought with people wanting to make Texas a state were screwed badly later on and had land taken from them illegally, just as natives did through broken re-written and deceitful treaties as well as gunfire. Mexico would be a different place today economically and geographically if they had not been through the Mexican-American war. Americans continue to profit from what their ancestors did and so I feel continue to owe descendants of natives, black slaves and others. Canada owes so much of it's wealth and prosperity to natives and it's pretty sad when people don't respect them or to see them as people with alchohol problems and rusting cars. It used to be illegal here to sell liquor to natives because of their genetic propensity to have a problem with it, but now there are more liquor stores than ever thanks to liberalizing and going more free-market. We have a responsibility there that we have given up, but i guess natives gave us cigarettes so in that way we're equal.

Thanks for that!! I was about to post a little about this country's history with Mexico. And the fact that basically Texas and California were stolen from Mexico...and that basically this country has and STILL has a lot of contempt for Mexicans. Not as bad as for Native Americans...but still. Mexican may as well be a dirty word and that's just sad.

I know there are more illegal Mexicans here than any other group - BUT where the hell is talk of getting rid of all of the illegal Chinese, Indian and whatever else immigrants? They are out there and their numbers are nothing to sneeze at I'm sure.

Just recently some news channel profiled an illegal immigrant couple who was here from Ireland...but no uproar over that one??