Posted on 01/20/2006 8:44:03 AM PST by GulfBreeze
LEAGUE CITY — League City police and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency took 62 people into custody during a sweep Thursday.
The people rounded up were suspected of being illegal immigrants. But almost all of them — even those determined to be illegal immigrants — were released a few hours later.
Sgt. Dan Krieger of the League City Police Department said officers and immigration agents set out around 7:30 a.m. and hit two spots where day laborers hang out.
That included a spot along West Walker Street, less than a block from the police station.
The other spot was in the 100 block of Texas Avenue, just off of Main Street near an apartment complex and a convenience store.
Krieger said the roundup began as police investigations into a pair of sexual assaults and a two-year-old intoxicated manslaughter case.
Among those suspects was Rigoberto Sanchez, the man League City police believe was responsible for a February 2002 car accident on state Highway 96 that killed four people. He was charged with four counts of intoxicated manslaughter.
Krieger said the three men police were looking for were also believed to be day laborers.
However, none of the three was found in the roundup Thursday.
By early afternoon, 60 of those detained in the roundup were released.
Many soon found their way back to Main Street and Texas Avenue.
Two were taken into the immigration agency’s custody. One had a warrant for an assault charge. The other had an extensive criminal history in California, said Krieger.
Louisa Deason, spokesman for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, said only those with outstanding warrants or those determined to be a threat to the community would be taken into custody.
“It’s a matter of setting a priority because we simply do not have enough beds to take them all into custody,” said Deason. “We are looking for those with a warrant of deportation, sex offenders or (those who) pose a threat to the community,” she said. “Those are the ones we are interested in.”
Those not deemed a threat or not wanted by law enforcement were let go and told they have to get their immigration status worked out, said Deason.
One of the byproducts of the housing boom in the area is the number of day laborers who spend their mornings hanging out, waiting for someone to pull up and offer a cash job.
James Rash owns the Lucky Chief Mini-Mart at Main Street and Texas Avenue. He said he was sorry to see the roundup take place.
“They were good customers,” he said. “Really, I just lost business.”
Rash said if the men waiting in his parking lot ever became a nuisance, he simply asked them to leave. He said they always complied.
“They are nice people,” he said.
Josh World, who lives nearby, said he was not surprised to hear about the roundup.
He said the laborers never bothered him, but his mother sometimes complained about their effect on the neighborhood.
“She understands it is a hard life,” he said. “But she just wants the neighborhood to look good.”
I have lived on the border for years and in my opinion the first wave of the illegal immigration flood I noticed was brought about by President Carter's policies. His administration reorganiized and made new guidelines for both Customs and Immigration. The system was working before he changed it, and hasn't worked since. Every President after Carter has either made the problem worse or ignored it.
It is wrong for some to blame President Bush alone for the problem that has been festering all these years- but you are correct that he should be front and center to fix it.
I had not heard the Kennedy connection, I would be interested in more information about that if anyone knows. It wouldn't surprise me, but there is plenty of blame to go around.
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
I was one of the Officers there for that operation, I can feel your fustration.
"...the vast majority of these illegals are doing jobs Americans won't do."
At what price? Isn't that really the issue in those regards?
Beyond that though, its not really a matter of being "anti-immigrant", its a matter of being anti ILLEGAL immigrant. And in that respect the issue is really one of law enforcement.
“It’s a matter of setting a priority because we simply do not have enough beds to take them all into custody,”
Didn't the worthless sock-puppet Chertoff recvently make the remark that "any illegals caught would be deported"?
LOL
what a joke this "Homeland Security" is...
Yup, being that close to the border it's doubtful ICE would just let them go arbitrarily, they most likely got a call from some open borders higher up.
Any business that violates the law fits that description. We have rules against hiring illegals for a reason, it's to keep the playing field level.
RIGHT ON!!! Your comments should be read to our dumb-ass president three times a day.
"Not enough beds"? Doesn't this contradict last weeks story about having 1000 available beds for illegals?
And both senate and house are doing WHAT about it?.
Here's another for ya.... I was adopted from German parents. I want to go back for the food and the beer.....Not sure as to what it is, but I love the taste of a lot of German dishes and have gotten pretty good at making them. Also, been in NC all my life but just from an average family. My Dad was 1/4 Cherokee. Retired in 1968 - Command Sargent Major (E-9) 82nd Airborne Div. with almost 25 years service. He retired before he wanted. He said 3 wars would be pushing it and he'd seen enough bad sh$t!! Took about 7 years to realize the family was not his battalion. LOL!
Have a safe, fun and blessed weekend. It's always good to meet another....
LULAC Cries Intimidation. Quanel X says "A ca' can gi' birth ta kittins in a oven that don't make it uh biscuit."
Lets take your points one at a time:
"I don't believe for a second that they are driving down wages."
You may not believe it, but its simple supply and demand. More workers chasing fewer jobs = lower wages. Think landscapers and contructions trades are not affected in areas with a lot of illegals?
"but, how do we provide for our labor shortage?"
Easy. We "decide" as a country how many we will let in per year and of what type (skills, etc...). We already do that now, and then we promptly also let in anyone else who walks across the border. Right now its pointless to even attempt to decide how many we should let in until we can actually control that number. Again, I'm not saying I'm against immigration - just illegal immigration.
"If we seal the border what will happen to Mexico? If your saying I don't care, ask yourself who is our 2nd largest trading partner?"
Its not that I "don't care", just not that awful much. Mexico is Mexico's problem. If their approach to solving their economic woes is to export illegals, there in pretty bad shape anyway. As for trade, we import a lot from Mexico too, so a trade war is unlikely to benefit them.
"Also, where do we buy oil when they decide to sell elsewhere? Economically we are linked."
Oil is a global commodity. It matters not at who claims they will or will not sell to whom in that it does not change the total supply or demand picture at all, and therefore it doesn't change the price either.
"What happens to the GOP when they lose their increasing share of Hispanic votes? Why is it that the RATS are so quiet on this issue?"
First of all, I'd just as soon not have us play politics with our border. Secondly, there's really no reason that encouraging illegals has garnered the GOP any Mexican votes. Most polls I've seen claim legal Mexicans are actually against illegal immigration. And the last time I checked, illegals still can't vote, although at the rate things are going that may be a matter of time... :(
BTW... Thanks for your reasonable discussion of the issue. I apreciate it.
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