Vol. 71/No. 7      February 19, 2007

The action was in response to a weeklong sweep by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cops, who arrested more than 761 immigrants throughout southern California. It was conducted under ICE’s “Operation Return to Sender.” Begun last May, more than 13,000 immigrants have been deported under this program.

According to the Los Angeles Times, 423 of those arrested were detained immediately after being released from local jails. The big majority were from Mexico, but also from 13 other countries, including Honduras, Ukraine, India, Japan, Poland, and Trinidad. Jim Hayes, director of ICE’s detention and removal operations in Los Angeles, plans to deploy dozens of ICE agents to city and county jails. Immigration cops say that they have identified 3,000 inmates in state and local jails who will be deported upon their release.

“It’s a practice that leads to the weakening or eliminating of civil liberties, first for immigrants,” Nativo Lopez, president of the Mexican American Political Association, told the Militant. “All of us are affected by that whether we’re here illegally or can trace our roots to the pilgrims.”

Among those addressing the protest rally was Maria Morales, whose husband was arrested January 20 as he was on his way to work, and then deported to Tijuana. José Calderon, president of the Latino-Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel and Pomona Valley, which helped organized the protest, explained, “Their strategy is to say they’ve only arrested criminals. But they’re arresting people on the street,” Calderon said.
 
 
Related articles:
‘No papers? No problem!’
Immigrant, other workers in Texas resist boss and gov’t attacks on rights
Houston: protesters condemn immigration raid  
 
 
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