Illegal residents to protest openly

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Illegal Residents To Protest Openly

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By CHRIS ECHEGARAY The Tampa Tribune

Published: Apr 28, 2007

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TAMPA - At pro-immigration rallies here and nationwide Tuesday, a number of illegal immigrants will admit to their status, holding signs touting their work ethic, sharing stories of arduous border crossings from Mexico.

They won't be touched by authorities, leaving immigration critics baffled as to why agents will not arrest people who entered the country illegally and admit to it in public.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents don't do random sweeps, spokesman Marc Raimondi said. They conduct targeted operations.

"They are based on investigations and intelligence geared toward fugitive aliens, egregious violators, significant threats to public safety and national security," Raimondi said.

Having illegal immigrants in the streets is a threat, said Pam Hill of Brandon, a member of the Minutemen Florida Corps, which opposes illegal immigration. She said police should do their jobs by deporting them.

"It's not immigration - it's an invasion," Hill said. "If police could arrest people for other minor things, they can arrest them for this."

Some say the more than 100,000 deportations annually by ICE aren't enough.

"If you had an American citizen smoking pot at a rally, they would be arrested for sure," said Mike Jarbeck, a former Minutemen member and founder of the Florida chapter. "They are both misdemeanors, so it can be compared. But they refuse to enforce the laws against foreign nationals."

Immigration advocates say illegal immigrants realize some people oppose their annual May 1 rallies, but it won't stop them. About 7,000 people turned out last year at Dale Mabry Highway and Columbus Drive. Organizers for the Day Without an Immigrant rally expect a similar, but smaller, event this year.

Sweeps at rallies would be intimidating and chaotic, said Lurvin Lizardo, president of Tampa's Hondurans United and an organizer of the rally.

"You have citizens, residents and people who are legally here at those events," she said. "Going through the crowd would be a bad idea."

Amaparo Franco, who crossed the Mexico border illegally 21 years ago, attended last year's rally.

Franco crossed with her two toddlers, who now are grown men. She cleans homes to support the family.

Franco, of Tampa, said illegal immigrants who don't have any legal problems should be allowed to protest peacefully and not be targeted.

"I have not hurt, killed or robbed anyone and never had any problems," she said. "You have to be respectful of the law. I make an honest living. We should be able to ask for progress and not get arrested."

There's a pragmatic reason for not arresting illegal immigrants, said John Keeley, spokesman for the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington organization that favors restricting immigration.

"There's no place to put them," Keeley said. "If you can't detain 28 illegals caught in a truck in El Paso, Texas, where are you going to put 40,000 from L.A. or Chicago?"

Tampa police will be at Tuesday's rally, but they won't carry out immigration enforcement there, said the department's Hispanic liaison, Brenda Canino. Organizers said they welcome police so that the rally is peaceful.

U.S. DEPORTATIONS

From Oct. 1 through April 1:

REMOVALS: 110,748

VOLUNTARY DEPARTURES: 5,868

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Reporter Chris Echegaray can be reached at (813) 259-7920 or cechegaray@tampatrib.com.

Eh, my husband was a visa overstay and worked *gasp* illegally for a few years. BUT he didn't show up at any rally telling everyone he deserved things he had no right to. He was just trying to finish up his father's business then met me in the process.

BUT I live in St Pete (soon to be Clearwater I HOPE TO GOD) and the police in Pinellas are more concerned with issuing traffic citations for driving 27 mph in a 15 than catching illegals who are boasting about their situation. I doubt Hillsborough is much different (and the Latino population there is much higher too, hah).

[Caladan 19]

Unfortunately, working illegally doesn't necessarily amount to a deportable offense (really); protesting is legal (really); and local law enforcement isn't in a position to prove EWI or an overstay.

The police at the protest could arrest all they wanted, but police can't just arrest someone for being Hispanic and marching, so probable cause would be tricky....and it's not like they have the power to deport so the arrest wouldn't amount to much unless ICE was involved. Plus, it's sort of silly to think that the problem with illegal immigration enforcement is that we just didn't know where the immigrants are, so the protest represents a unique opportunity...

Immigration law is deeply, deeply f*cked up, but the protest doesn't add anything to it.

[GaryC 7]

Unfortunately, working illegally doesn't necessarily amount to a deportable offense (really); protesting is legal (really); and local law enforcement isn't in a position to prove EWI or an overstay.

The police at the protest could arrest all they wanted, but police can't just arrest someone for being Hispanic and marching, so probable cause would be tricky....and it's not like they have the power to deport so the arrest wouldn't amount to much unless ICE was involved. Plus, it's sort of silly to think that the problem with illegal immigration enforcement is that we just didn't know where the immigrants are, so the protest represents a unique opportunity...

Immigration law is deeply, deeply f*cked up, but the protest doesn't add anything to it.

Is someone at this rally is holding a sign that indicates he is here illegally as the article indicates then that would seem to be probable cause to check out his status. ICE should set themselves up at all these protests and kick some butt! (metaphorically speaking of course)

[Caladan 19]

I don't think ICE has the resources to arrest and process 40,000 people. And I don't think local police enforce federal law (I could be wrong about that, but I'm pretty sure immigration enforcement isn't local jurisdiction.)

[choji 0]

And neither party is going to do anything about it because they want the Hispanic vote.

This is an argument one hears very often, albeit a flawed one in my opinion. Is is a well known fact that the percentage of voters among citizens of Latino/Hispanic descent is traditionally low, although a bit on the rise of lately. However, in the grand scale of things the percentage is still low enough to not have an influence for the time being and the near future.

I would even say that the tendency of the Republicans is just the opposite - as most citizens of Latino/Hispanic descent are traditionally tending to vote for the Democrats, they (the R.) seem to be interested to not have too many of those eligible to vote to exercise their rights.

All of this might change with the changes in the socio-structure in the US, but that will take a few generations to have a real impact.

[GaryC 7]

I don't think ICE has the resources to arrest and process 40,000 people. And I don't think local police enforce federal law (I could be wrong about that, but I'm pretty sure immigration enforcement isn't local jurisdiction.)

Your probably right about the local law enforcement not having jurisdiction. That is one of the flaws in the way we enforce immigration laws. The local law enforcement should have the power to determine a persons status just as the have the right to see if they are wanted for a crime. At that point they could be turned over to the proper federal agency for a hearing on their status. They already do this for other federal crimes why not immigration law violations?

[Caladan 19]

Probably because when they try to do that it leads to local law enforcement arresting Canadians on vacation and subjecting them to strip searches.

More seriously, I can't see a way to give local law enforcement that power that doesn't essentially write them a blank cheque for harassing people that they think look like illegal immigrants. Information about EWI and an overstay isn't anything local law enforcement could reasonably have access to, and I think in the cases where a local law enforcement branch turns someone over to the feds it's because they violated a local law, too. (I'm thinking of something like the McVeigh case; he was prosecuted federally, but caught locally on his crimes, too.) So absent another crime (like theft or murder), it doesn't seem that the local guys have any reason to arrest them and turn them over.

And, after going through the visa process and getting federal permission to marry, I sure as hell don't want to have to file more paperwork so C. can be legal in Connecticut and get AP to go to Pennsylvania, you know?

If we want to fix this, it really has to be at the federal level.

[choji 0]

If we want to fix this, it really has to be at the federal level.

It only can be fixed on the federal level.

Everything else would lead to chaos with consequences which make me shudder just thinking about them.

[homesick_american 1]

The US and state governments are a bunch of pu$$ies when it comes to enforcing immigration law, and it has gotten WORSE under Bush...sorry to break it to you, Republicans, but under his watch we've had a wave of illegal immigration the likes of which the US has never seen.

And neither party is going to do anything about it because they want the Hispanic vote. F*cking disgusting if you ask me.

I am a Bush supporter and I have to agree with you. The pandering on both sides is sick! Here is a message to ALL politicians: ENFORCE THE F*CKING LAWS DUMBAZZES!!!

On that we are in 100% complete agreement.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

ENFORCE THE F*CKING LAWS DUMBAZZES!!!

At any cost?

[homesick_american 1]

And neither party is going to do anything about it because they want the Hispanic vote.

This is an argument one hears very often, albeit a flawed one in my opinion. Is is a well known fact that the percentage of voters among citizens of Latino/Hispanic descent is traditionally low, although a bit on the rise of lately. However, in the grand scale of things the percentage is still low enough to not have an influence for the time being and the near future.

I would even say that the tendency of the Republicans is just the opposite - as most citizens of Latino/Hispanic descent are traditionally tending to vote for the Democrats, they (the R.) seem to be interested to not have too many of those eligible to vote to exercise their rights.

All of this might change with the changes in the socio-structure in the US, but that will take a few generations to have a real impact.

Ummmm....I beg to differ. The Hispanic voting bloc is already huge, and they're going to surpass the black voting bloc soon if they haven't already. Both parties are desperate to woo Hispanic voters in large numbers, especially since Hispanics are voting Republican more often these days; they were traditionally Democrats. Both parties seem to think that Hispanics are pro-illegal immigration and pro-amnesty. I really wouldn't know either way, but as they comprise the vast majority of illegal immigrants in the USA it's plausible that they might sympathize with the illegals a bit.

In some states the Hispanic vote is already a major factor...particularly in major electoral college prizes like California, Texas, New York, and Florida. It is insanely naive to underestimate their political influence at this point.

[JoeMama 0]

A simple fix to the protest: Give senior citizens, who have had their licenses revoked, a nice large car. Like an older Cadilllac. And have 'em drive through the crowds like it was an open-air market. Start 'em all at each end of the streets they'll be protesting and drive inward. That should eliminate a few of the unwanted

Edited April 28, 2007 by altimixdj

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

A simple fix to the protest: Give senior citizens, who have had their licenses revoked, a nice large car. Like an older Cadilllac. And have 'em drive through the crowds like it was an open-air market. Start 'em all at each end of the streets they'll be protesting and drive inward. That should eliminate a few of the unwanted

Homicidal maniac.

[homesick_american 1]

A simple fix to the protest: Give senior citizens, who have had their licenses revoked, a nice large car. Like an older Cadilllac. And have 'em drive through the crowds like it was an open-air market. Start 'em all at each end of the streets they'll be protesting and drive inward. That should eliminate a few of the unwanted

Pot-stirrer.

[Alex+R 0]

They're breaking the law...they have no right to speak of 'ethics'

By that logic, neither did Martin Luther King.