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.”
"It's always the evil employer."
Spoken like a simpleton.
I am an employer. I own 2 businesses. They are legal businesses. There are in fact a lot of scumbag tax cheat employers around here, unfortunately.
"we simply do not have enough beds to take them all into custody"
Suggestion: Buy several old school buses, load the illegals in, drive them to the border, and kick them out in an area where Minutemen are patrolling the border. Keep the buses going around the clock. Don't worry about getting them off the street; get them out of the country.
"Millions of illegals do nothing but stand on street corners waiting for cheap contractors to pick them up or work as nannies, maids or gardeners. Deporting them will not collapse this enormous economy no matter how much you want to pretend otherwise."
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The jobs they do won't be done, that will affect the economy. Unemployment is currently 4.9% where do the millions of workers come from when all these folks are shipped home?
Yes I do, the fences will go up.
Do you believe this country is going to move to an isolationist mentality?
The direction the country has been going in for years is to keep immigration legal and in moderation. It's the politicians who want to go in the opposite one.
What about forced assimilation? English only, schools ballots, etc.?
It's always been my understanding assimilation was part of the citizenship process. A legal immigrant is supposed to learn English and have a general knowledge of American history. It's no coincidence "Press 2 for English" only started with this massive influx of illegals you appear to support.
Whatever jobs they do the economy will adjust without their presence just as it currently hums along in those areas of the country illegals haven't invaded yet.
No matter how hard you try you will not convince most of us illegal aliens have any legitimate need or right to be here.
"I would agree hiring illegals is a big problem. Any idea how hard it is for employers to screen applicants?"
Not hard at all.
NEXUS as well as others offer services that do background checks for a reasonable fee. Even if you give me a bogus SS number, I'll find out in 24 hours.
Amnesty sucks. It gives any dirtbag employer of illegals a huge advantage and "head start" over legit businesses.
"Shoot, doesn't she know they are use to shacking up 20 in a room? That's what they do here in the OC. That's how they can afford to send so much moolah back home."
Them folks will pull any old flimsy excuse out-of-the-air.
Whichever one some dumb-bunny grabs hold of-they use. I say, let 'em sleep on floors, window sills, or whatever anybody else comes up with. If they're here illegally-guess what-they ain't got no rights...And those who have given rights to illegals ought to be PROSECUTED and have to pay HUGE fines.
Actually my daughter's boyfriend was more than happy to:
change a toilet (twice - one in each bathroom)
repair a masonry wall in the front of our home
clean out the garage
mix mortar when we paved the front and back of the house and do the crappy clean up.
trim the ficus tree, cut up and dispose of branches, leaves etc.... including getting into the dumpster to tamp it down so we could dispose of more yard waste.
He did most of this free of charge, but we paid him on a lot of it because he is having a hard time getting a full-time position. He works for one of the local cities part-time, supervising kids after school, driving buses for senior and youth field trips, chaperone at middle school dances. He is trying to finish college part time - because he is finding out you can't get a good entry level position without a 4 yr. degree (he has his AA degree). All he wants is a full time job that will pay enough so he can move out on his own.
He is 22 yrs old.
There may be some who are spoiled and trashy, but the majority I know are not.
There is no such thing as "jobs Amercians won't do."
I don't know what, if any, background you have in things like capitalism and economics, but if you know anything at all about either you would know this.
You others posts seem to indicate you also believe the other MSM myths about illegal aliens.
No, the govt. doesn't need to guarantee our jobs and wages, but the govt. needs to ENFORCE OUR LAWS! If that means cheating employers are prosecuted I say head on, let's get it done!!!!
15 million illegal aliens on the wall, 15 million illegals... Take 62 down, pass them around, 14,999,938 illegal aliens on the wall.
14,999,938 illegal aliens on the wall...
"In my area of the country (large midwest city) this is not the case...."
Here in the Cleveland OH area, construction jobs are coveted because they usually pay so well and have good bennies, etc... I'm sure if you guys pay enough down there, you'll get the applicants. Whether you advertise the wage or not, everyone interested already has a good idea what the pay range in an area is.
"if all these immigrants hear is build a wall and throw them out, how do you think their legal relatives perceive the GOP?"
I guess that depends on the individual and his perception. I'm not asking the GOP to get into the gutter of racism, just to enforce the laws. If its presented as such, I maintain the legals won't mind.
"Our future geopolitically is tied more with the north and south than with the east or west.."
Could be, but given the current situation regarding Mexico's posture on illegals, how much worse could it get? So what if there was a revolution in Mexico? They're already fleeing as if there were.
"The RATS guarantee that this is a political issue."
Looks to me like Bush is doing the same. 'Matter of fact, I think he brings it up more than anyone else.
"The end result is in the eyes of immigrants we are a bunch of racists, so as they begin voting in increasing numbers who will they support."
As for the illegals, as long as we stop their influx and throw out the ones we can catch, they won't be voting here. I realize we differ on how legals might feel about this, but I suspect neither one of us is going to change the other's mind.
"BTW, do you think the wall will get approved by the senate?"
Like most things in gvt, it probably depends on the climate at the time the vote is taken (ie. recent events, etc...). But in general, I'd say no, we're not going to build a wall.
" Do you believe this country is going to move to an isolationist mentality?"
So, abiding by our Constitutional laws is considered "isolationist"?
Nice try. Go sell crazy somewhere else.
"No matter how hard you try you will not convince most of us illegal aliens have any legitimate need or right to be here."
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I don't believe I ever said illegal immigrants/aliens have any right to be here. I think you are making assumptions because I refuse to buy into the dead end that a wall alone will solve the problem.
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