Rep. Lynn Woolsey says she's heard of children who are too scared to go to school after raids.
Posted on 05/21/2008 7:55:45 AM PDT by SmithL
(05-21) 04:00 PDT Washington - --
When federal agents raided a San Rafael apartment complex in the early morning hours of March 6, 2007, searching for 30 undocumented immigrants, they left behind a lot of terrified children, Kathryn Gibney, the principal at nearby San Pedro Elementary School, said.
The agents shone flashlights in the children's faces. Several parents were handcuffed in front of their kids. The next day 40 of the school's 400 students were too frightened to show up for class, and others arrived in tears. A year later, Gibney said the effects continue with higher absenteeism, lower test scores and increased counseling for her students.
"They left behind them a trail of fear," Gibney told lawmakers Tuesday in a hearing before a House Education and Labor subcommittee.
Petaluma Democratic Rep. Lynn Woolsey called the hearing in response to growing anxiety among immigrants and the schools, churches and social service agencies that serve them, that stepped-up raids by the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency are coming at a high cost to children. Woolsey said she is considering legislation that would require the agency to follow guidelines to protect children.
Earlier this month, the Oakland Unified School District sent uniformed officers into an elementary school in East Oakland to reassure parents and students after reports of ICE vans in the area. The agency insisted it was not targeting the school, but seeking adults in the area who had been named in arrest warrants.
Gibney cited another incident on May 8 when federal agents stopped a father walking his daughter to Bahia Vista Elementary School in San Rafael. Since the agents could not communicate with the father, the second-grader had to serve as a translator. The father, who was undocumented, was arrested.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
And the fright the children received is the fault of law enforcement, not the law-breaking parents, because...?
Post the photo of Elian Gonzalez please.
As opposed, of course, to illegal immigration/amnesty advocates, who leave a trail of slime in their wake.
Post the photo of Elian Gonzalez please.
Post the photo of Elian Gonzalez please.
Guess they weren’t terrified when the crossed the border and escaped our border agents....risking their lives.
I suspect that kids whose parents routinely break the law always live in fear. That’s not something society is responsible for, however. It’s the fault of the parent(s). I don’t even feel guilty.
susie
Good information. We need to add “Endagering the welfare of a child” and “corrupting the morals of a minor” to the charges these parents are facing. Aren’t those the standard addons when arresting a drug head who has children in tow?
Sorry kids. Your parents chose to come here illegally and break the law; if you were alive when they did, you get to go back to Mexico with them because you’re illegal too. If you were born here...well, we’re still working that part out.
Put the blame here where it belongs—on the lawbreaking parents.
}:-)4
Isn’t Lynn Woolsey the one that speaks like she is drunk?
Done.
Quit breaking the law and the kiddies won’t see pop doing the perp walk.
This is no different than kids of drug dealers or crack house tennants.
We must provide amnesty to these poor illegal parents. It’s for the chilrun’. /s/
A big BOOHOO. Perhaps the children should ask their parents why they don’t obey the law!
Should we not arrest other criminals because their kids might be traumatized????
Better headline, “Criminal Immigrants Create Stressful Environment, Children Hit Hardest”.
The illegal actions of parents will have negative consequences on the children of those who commit crimes regardless of race ... the principal of “reaping what you sow” at work
tough.
Tough crap. That is their illegal parents fault. Pack the parents back to their home craphole and send the anchors with them. The anchors can pick their country of citizenship when they turn 18. We are under no obligation to care for the spawn of illegals whether the kids are legal or not. It is the responsibility of the parents and the parent’s country of origin.
Do kids get sacred when their parents raise them in a crack house, are an FLDS pig barn.
ping
Immigration Raids Terrify Kids......
And there are places in my city that I, an American Citizen, am terrified to drive through because of all the gang banger anchor babies but our politicians don’t care.
pffffffttttttt
This is an example of where not enforcing a basic law, like illegal immigration, leads to ongoing nitpiking, distractions, and expense on government and tax payers.
See, that was ok because they were taking the kid from the adults who didn’t deserve to raise the child. It’s not ok to take the adults from the kid who deserves to be raised by the govern... wait a minute, that’s it! That’s how we convince the left that we need to deport some parents and keep the anchor babies here: the government gets to raise the leftovers!
If you think that scaring the kids is a major problem, add child endangerment to the parent’s offenses.
The kids are too scared to go to a school they have no business attending in the first place? Send them home with their criminal parents. Obviously, the parents are teaching their kids to have no respect for our laws. I’m guessing the kids now have a better appreciation for what can happen when our laws are ignored.
I have the same indignant look on my face as the three in the picture, but for a different reason.
What’s to work out?
If they are anchor babies, they still should go home with their PARENTS. Their PARENTS cannot use the child as an excuse to remain here.
The kids can hold contempt for the actions of their parents who USED their kids as a bargaining chip.
The parents first priority should be to take care of their kids, not to remain in this country.
If MEXICO does not want to accept immigration of American anchor babies, then the parents need to take the Mexican government to task.
Oh boo-hoo, po wittle iwegals being unfaiwy tewowized by waw enforcement.
Let’s all cry in outrage.
Funny....I don’t recall any of these Amnesty proponents getting all misty-eyed when children were ripped away from their mothers in the FLDS raid.....
I guess, it’s okay to “terrorize” Americans and asylum seekers with guns to the face - but God forbid you actually try and apprehend a criminal invader....tsk, tsk.
I think I will vote for Democrats this time as an experiment. I want to see how much this country can take before it implodes.
I guess they could use the same argument for not busting crack houses, branch davidian compounds, polygamist sects, jihadi sleeper cells, etc.
I don’t see how testimony about stressed anchor babies has any part of Congress’ time. MY tax dollars pay for these hearings.
The parents are the ones putting their children in this situation. Charge the parents with child endangerment. Simple as that.
Gee, it sure didn’t bother them when Elian was taking by force and sent back to cuba.
Already spoiled rotten from being here, no thanks, send them home with their parents just like Elian Gonzales.
All these problems arising from illegal immigration have the same solution, enforce the law. What they are doing is convoluting all of our institutions, schools, courts, hospitals etc. because they won’t do so.
There are also millions of American kids terrorized daily by the gangs of illegal alien invaders.
There are also millions of American adults terrorized by the fact that our money is taken from us to enable these lawbreakers.
A flashlight shown in the face does not compare to the agony of the majority.
Illegal immigrants are illegal, hence the raids. The children shouldn't even be here, going to our schools. Children born of illegals in this country should not be considered legal citizens. That law needs to change. Absolutely no incentives whatsoever should be given to those who wish to come here illegally. There should be as many disincentives as possible -- including the threat of being scared out of your wits by agents raiding your home.
The ‘family values’ of these aliens put their children in this situation. Stay home! Problem solved.
If the kids got frightened, it is the parents’ fault for putting them in the situation.
Americans get the feeling illegals are lying in wait to kill us or sue is-—whichever is more profitable.
This garbage will give illegals one more reason to sue us or kill us.
Yeah, they were so stressed they were smiling as they left the compound.
Tell that to the Branch Dividians and the Randy Weaver family.
Democrat Party members want to keep their slave class of illegal aliens.
Looks like a picture of the House Communism Caucus....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.