ICE accused of abuse in Miami raid

U.S. immigration officers used excessive force during a series of raids in Miami according to several advocacy groups.

The raids targeted a suspected sex trade ring, a fact that was praised by some Florida-based immigration advocacy entities. Yet these groups also accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents of gross misconduct and racial profiling:

At the conclusion of the raid, ICE announced that it had arrested four suspected sex traffickers and rescued nine women who had been forced into prostitution in several brothels.

But the groups say too many innocent people were roughed up. ''The sum actions of these raids, meant to protect victims of trafficking, have victimized many in the Homestead community and created a climate of fear and mistrust,'' the coalition of groups wrote in a letter...

The raids culminated in the arrest of 77 illegal immigrants, mostly of Guatemalan and Mexican background. Yet it has been alleged that “agents had relied on vaguely worded warrants to invade people’s homes and arrest nearly anyone who looked Hispanic.”

An ICE spokeswoman responded to the allegations by claiming that officials are “obligated” to arrest any illegal immigrants they encounter regardless of the circumstances. (In other words, the old "collateral damage" excuse.)

Image- Fox News (ICE agents during a 2008 raid in New York.)
Sources- UPI, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, miamiherald.com, CBS4.com, New York Times

Postville plant seeks bankruptcy

The Iowa meat packing company involved in a massive immigration raid filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday.

The bankruptcy filing for Agriprocessors stated that the firm owes between $50 million and $100 million to approximately 400 creditors. First Bank had planned to foreclose the factory located in Postville though that was prevented by the bankruptcy filing.

Agriprocessors is one of the largest purveyors of Kosher meat in the U.S. and its closure could be “potentially devastating” to the Jewish community. Also “devastating” was the impact of the May 12 raid where nearly 400 illegal immigrants were arrested by authorities. A court interpreter claimed allegations of abuse against the workers who were mostly from Mexico and Central America. Additionally, the costs of the raid and subsequent proceedings have been estimated by on Iowan daily to be a minimum of $5.2 million.

Image- New York Times
Sources- The Latin Americanist, New York Times, WSJ.com, AP

Reports: High price tag from Postville raid

Oftentimes the immigration debate centers on issue of race and national security. But what about the costs related to immigration?

Case in point: federal officials claimed that the price tag of a May 12th immigration raid in Postville, Iowa was approximately $5.2 million. As reported by The Des Moines Register and picked up by the AP, the figures are partial in that they’re from May until mid-August. Yet the taxpayers’ bill comes up to an average of $13,396 for each of the 389 illegal immigrants arrested.

One local politico tried to defend the high cost of the Postville:

U.S. Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican, disagreed. He said immigration laws must be enforced, regardless of the expense to taxpayers.

"If we start saying, 'Well, it costs too much money to enforce the law,' then we will see more and more of these radical, pro-illegal immigration activists drive more wedges between us and make it harder to enforce the law," King said.

I would agree with King that excising laws should be implemented except that the status quo hasn’t been working and is in dire need of being repaired. “Enforcement” of a flawed system yields little benefit and the only real “wedges” are among families, communities, and local governments trying to figure out what to do.

Of course, immigration reform requires politicians to stand up and face the issue rather than provide sound bites when they feel it’s convenient. Unfortunately, King’s colleagues on both sides of the aisle in Congress and the major presidential candidates have viewed immigration as a taboo. Alas, reform is nothing but a distant notion so as long as politicos ignore finding meaningful solutions to the immigration debate.

Image- Time (“Two women attend a press conference at Saint Bridget Parish in Postville, Iowa” shortly after the May raid.)
Sources- chicagotribune.com, SFGate.com, The Des Moines Register

Daily Headlines: July 28, 2008

* Colombia: FARC guerilla commander Ivan Marquez said that he would reject an offer to free hostages in exchange for asylum abroad.

* U.S.: Hundreds of protestors marched in Iowa yesterday to denounce a May immigration raid leading to the arrests of almost 400 people.

* Bolivia: Nearly half of Bolivians responding to a recent poll would back president Evo Morales in a recall referendum next month.

* Puerto Rico: Previously undefeated pugilist Miguel Cotto lost on Saturday in a hard-fought bout against Mexican Antonio Margarito.

Image- CTV.ca (“One of seven rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, who surrendered to the Army, stands with his face covered at a military base in Cali, Colombia, Monday, June 23, 2008. (AP / Christian Escobar Mora)”)

Sources- Xinhua, Angus Reid Consultants, gazetteonline.com, The Latin Americanist

Court interpreter denounces immigrant abuses

“A line was crossed” during the prosecutions against undocumented workers after an immigration raid in Iowa last May, according a Spanish-language court interpreter. In an essay publicized last week, Erik Camayd-Freixas said that the nearly 400 defendants were “forced” into accepting plea deals which carry five-month jail sentences. Language problems and illiteracy among some of the workers originally from Guatemala and Mexico were circumvented during the “fast-track” legal proceedings, according to Camayd-Freixas:

This worker simply had the papers filled out for him at the plant, since he could not read or write Spanish, let alone English. But the lawyer still had to advise him that pleading guilty was in his best interest. He was unable to make a decision. "You all do and undo," he said. "So you can do whatever you want with me"…

"If you want to see your children or don't want your family to starve, sign here." That is what their deal amounted to. Their plea agreement was coerced...

As a citizen I want our judges, not a federal agency, to administer justice. When the executive branch forces the hand of the judiciary, the result is an abuse of power and arbitrariness that is unworthy of a democracy founded upon the constitutional principle of checks and balances.

The observations by Camayd-Freixas bring to light the need for comprehensive immigration reform to be enacted as soon as possible. The status quo on immigration has been an unmitigated disaster which- in the case of the Postville raid- unduly punishes the families of those arrested as well as customers who rely on the plants’ products. The longer politicos wash their hands of trying to fix the immigration issue, the greater the problems that will arise.

Image- New York Daily News (“Two of nearly 400 people arrested during an immigration raid of Agriprocessors Inc. plant in Postville, Iowa.”)

Sources- New York Times, The Tennessean, AlterNet, Democracy Now