Posted on 02/27/2008 9:11:34 PM PST by Safari
KSFY has learned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are in the Worthington, Minnesota area today.
An ICE spokesperson confirmed that ICE is conducting an enforcement aimed at specific individuals - not a general sweep of a certain businesses. KSFY spoke with an ICE official, who said they are in the midst of an ongoing investigation and that it could take the remainder of the week.
ICE will not say how many individuals have or will be arrested. They did say this is not a large scale raids. Instead, they said this is a small targeted operation throughout Worthington. Much of the operation is concentrated at residences.
One resident told KSFY that she saw four people taken from a home close to where she lives and into a van.
KSFY will have continuing coverage on this story on KSFY Live At 10:00.
Kent Erdahl and Drew Sandholm contributed to this report.
http://www.ksfy.com/news/16050027.html
02/27/2008 ICE Targeting Immigrants In Worthington
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents caused a stir again Wenesday when they returned to Worthington, Minnesota. They say they're doing targeted enforcement operations in Worthington, Minnesota, and it comes more than a year after agents raided the Swift meat packing plant in town looking for illegal immigrants.
Immigration officials aren't saying too much about Wednesday's work other than that it's different from what happened at the Swift plant. This time around, ICE agents are targeting specific homes and individuals. And while authorities won't say much more than that, people in the community have a lot to say about the growing Hispanic population in Worthington.
Bob Emary has lived in Worthington, Minnesota for more than forty years. But in the past several years he's watched his community change.
Worthington resident Bob Emary says, "We certainly have changed our population and diversity."
And that diversity is what brought immigration agents to the Swift meat-packing plant more than a year ago and back to town again Wednesday.
Emary says, "They're here to make a living that's why they're here."
Worthington resident Joel Chamonica says, "It doesn't matter if you are a citizen or not, as long as you're not white they will treat you different."
Joel Chamonica has lived in Worthington for ten years and says it doesn't matter whether you're living in the U.S. legally or not. He notices the Hispanic discrimination in town.
Chamonica says, "Because they come from other countries you going to say they're bad, you have to know people are persons."
Back in Emary's neighborhood, he says the Hispanic family that lives next door to him are the best neighbors he's had, and hopes others don't judge the entire Hispanic population in Worthington based on this latest round of raids.
Emary says, "I think we're pretty much all the same. Some of us are bad and it doesn't make much difference where we originate from."
Because Emary knows the diversity in Worthington is now a part of this Southwest Minnesota town.
ICE says it is also targeting people in the Sioux Falls area. Tuesday, the agency announced it arrested 225 aliens in six other Midwestern states, including Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois, during a four day operation. It was part of an effort to arrest "fugitive aliens" who did not follow a federal immigration judge's order to leave the country.
However, officials say that operation and the one in Worthington Wednesday are not connected. ICE says they will have more information on the operation in Worthington when agents are done with their enforcement.
Ben Dunsmoor http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=0,66896 (CBS affiliate)
Both are eastern SD television stations. Bot
Earlier initial report from the Twin Cities media.....
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1977388/posts
The only TC outlet to cover the story.
Prepare for tomorrow’s wailing and gnashing of teeth from the usual marxist suspects.......
Worthington, MN. IBP Meat Plant and Campbells Chicken Soup Plant.
This article sounds like it was written by a 5yo kid with Alzheimers.
Cynical no doubt, but I don’t believe this action by ICE is a coincidence. This ICE "ongoing investigation" is nothing but a Dog & Pony show to calm the voters and protect the politician and their own jobs.
When ICE wants to, it seems that they can move pretty fast.
I’ll bet they are enforcing warrants from the raid last year because none of them showed up for court.
They were all out on bail or on the on recognizance and they would have flown the coup. They are probably trying to serve all those warrants now. So much for catch and release.
If I am right, they are only doing this because of the death of those children in Marshall MN, allegedly by an unlicenseed illegal immigrant who gave a false ID to the police a few days ago.
you're kidding me right?
Hey, ICE, contact me tomorrow and I will take you downtown Santa Ana, CA ya know where the Federal Building is or if you want to earn some overtime, how 'bout downtown Los Angeles and you can pick up THOUSANDS & THOUSANDS & THOUSANDS of illegals from now ‘til hell freezes over!
Man, 1/2009 won’t come soon enough for me! Maybe we'll get a POTUS who is actually interested in deporting illegals....I don't know what the Mexicans have on Bush but they're sure getting their peso's worth!
Fat chance. What you're going to get from any of the current three is amnesty, not deportation.
Hey kellynla,
Where do you live?
I am in Floral Park in Santa Ana and know exactly what you are talking about.
Hey ICE you morons, go to Indian Town Florida and deport half the damn town as they are nearly all illegals there fools.
Man you guys like most govt. agencies are just so pathetic.
That’s my sentiments, too, unfortunately. Living in the area, I see how ICE operates. It’s going to take a lot of pressure and staying on top of these people in order to get them to do their jobs.
I wrote 5 different media sources and asked them if they were going to do some positive follow-up on the conditions of the surviving victims as well as posed the question “Were there many people missing from various places of employment due to the fact that they now fear ICE coming in and doing raids?”
This just goes to prove that ICE is not doing enough to follow-up on these employers who have previously violated the law as well as the “general public” doesn’t have the sense that some of us do when we say the laws need to be enforced. It also shows the ignorance of the press.
Congress passed the Secure Fence Act of 2006. The Senate passed it overwhelmingly, 80-19. The House passed it 283-138. And on October 26, 2006, President Bush signed it into law!
Specifically the Secure Fence Act of 2006 called for the installation of over 700 miles of double-reinforced fence along our nation’s southern border.
After promising to build the fence Congressional leaders smirked and winked at each other and, in the dark of night, passed a $555 billion omnibus spending bill that contained a tiny amendment revoking the mandate that the fence be built as the Secure Fence Act had specified!
Hey Congress, we’ve got a message for you!STOP THE SONG AND DANCE. STOP THE SHELL GAMES. A REAL FENCE WILL WORK... BUILD IT!
While we’re on the subject, here are some questions that need to be asked:
Suppose this electronic gadgetry works and we sight a platoon of illegal aliens skipping across the border, will our Border Patrol agents be allowed to pursue them? Or will they be confined to watching them on closed circuit TV?
And since you and I will have to pick up the check for this failed system, can we start paying the IRS in “virtual dollars?”
And while we’re at it, why not insist our politicians start inserting “virtual earmarks” into the General Appropriations Bill?
If these questions sound ludicrous, then ask yourself... why should the American people be satisfied with a “virtual fence?”
Take action now!
http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/secureourbordersxii.html
Ruben Rosario will soon be bemoaning this in the Pioneer Press.
I’m surprised at his silence......
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