6-year-old U.S. citizen detained for 12 hours

[Jcrowley]

The human face of immigration raids in Bay Area
Arrests of parents can deeply traumatize children caught in the fray, experts argue

Tyche Hendricks, Chronicle Staff Writer

Friday, April 27, 2007


Immigration agents arrested siblings Victor and Elvira Mendoza, 21 and 17, when it turned out the fugitive they were looking for no longer lived at the Mendozas' home. Officers detained 6-year-old U.S. citizen Kebin Reyes for 12 hours when they arrested his father as an illegal immigrant.

These and many other families across the Bay Area and the nation were turned upside down this year by Operation Return to Sender, a federal immigration crackdown begun last May. The raids focus on illegal immigrants who have ignored deportation orders, but 37 percent of the 18,149 people arrested nationwide through Feb. 23 were not wanted fugitives.

Mental health experts say the raids are traumatizing children. Legal scholars and public officials are raising constitutional questions about the way the raids are carried out and about their impact on communities as a whole. And immigrant advocates say changes in immigration law -- including tougher provisions enacted in 1996 -- leave little room for illegal immigrants to correct their status.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/27/MNGJIPGO341.DTL&feed=rss.news

[Forkboy]

1. Hey,at least he got to stay with his dad.

Children Stranded After Immigration Raid

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) - Dozens of young children were stranded at schools and with baby sitters after their parents were rounded up by federal authorities who raided a leather goods maker suspected of hiring illegal immigrants, authorities said Wednesday.

Immigration officials said 327 of the 500 employees of Michael Bianco Inc., mostly women, were detained Tuesday by immigration officials for possible deportation as illegal aliens.

About 100 children were stuck with baby sitters, caretakers and others, said Corinn Williams, director of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts.

"We're continuing to get stories today about infants that were left behind," she said. "It's been a widespread humanitarian crisis here in New Bedford."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070307/D8NNHSM00.html

Inhumane Raid Was Just One Of Many

IF THE CHAOTIC immigration raid in New Bedford earlier this month troubled you, we have news: Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, is just getting warmed up.

We know this because the New Bedford raid was part of a frighteningly ambitious plan laid out by the Department of Homeland Security in 2003 -- and it hasn't received nearly enough scrutiny.

The plan is called Endgame, and its details are available online on our group's website (www.aclum.org/endgame.pdf). It's a 10-year campaign to track down and deport all the immigrants to the United States who are living and working here without proper documentation, by the year 2012.

Let's be clear: This means expelling roughly 12 million people.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/03/26/inhumane_raid_was_just_one_of_many/

[HCE SuiGeneris]

2. Op "Return to Sender"?

jeebus f'n christo this country is f'd up.

[man4allcats]

3. I think illegals have a responsibility to make reasonable

efforts to become legitimate citizens of this country, but this 6-year-old U.S. citizen had no "bidness" throwing a monkey wrench into the feds' raid. I mean, who the hell does this little fucker think he is?! We should lock him up and throw away the key! Doesn't he know this is a fascist country now? He's expecting civil liberties? Somebody better educate this kid. That's the advantage of American citizenship. It teaches you that you ain't shit to Bushco.

Edited to emphasize intentional miss_speling. :-)