Immigrants Demand SA "Sanctuary" [Texas]

WOAI.com ^ | April 20, 2006 | Jim Forsyth

[SwinneySwitch]

Wednesday's roundup of illegals at an east side factory leads to demands that SA protect illegals

Immigrant rights groups called on San Antonio City Council today to pass legislation declaring this to be a 'sanctuary city,' in the wake of the arrest and deportation of thirty illegal immigrants at an east side plant yesterday.

"We demand that city council declare this city to be a safe haven from the Border Patrol," activist Jaime Martinez said. "Not to be raiding factories and workers, and we ask that they be protected."

Relatives of some of the thirty illegals deported from the IFCO Pallet Company offices in the raid on Wednesday marched to the plant gates off Gibbs-Sprawl Road today to demand an end to the INS raids. They predicted the nationwide raids, which netted some 1,000 illegals and seven corporate executives, would lead to greater cooperation between business and immigrant rights groups to oppose tough enforcement of immigration laws.

Imelda Lopez said she didn't get a chance to speak with her husband before he was deported to Mexico.

"There was no chance," to talk, she said while carrying a sign reading 'No Human Being is Illegal. "He said 'I'm on my way to Mexico right now.' We had no chance to talk."

Council Members who spoke with 1200 WOAI about the sanctuary proposal did not rule it out.

"I think the border is kind of an artificial barrier," west side councilwoman Patti Radle said.

North side councilman Chip Haass said he would like to have more information about what the sanctuary designation would entail before voting for or against a proposal.

Austin is currently an officially designated sanctuary city.

Lopez says she and her now departed husband have four children, who she is not left alone to care for.

"There's been a lot of pressure by the government against Hispanics," she said. "The kids know about this, they are old enough to understand."

[pandoraou812]

My feelings exactly!!!

[ARealMothersSonForever]

The actual battle of San Jacinto lasted less than twenty minutes, but it was in the making for six years. It had its prelude in the oppressive Mexican edict of April 6, 1830, prohibiting further emigration of Anglo-Americans from the United States to Texas; in the disturbance at Anahuac and in the battle of Velasco, in 1832; in the imprisonment of Stephen F. Austin, the "Father of Texas," in Mexico in 1834. Immediate preliminaries were the skirmish over a cannon at Gonzales; the capture of Goliad; the "Grass Fight," and the siege and capture of San Antonio . . . all in 1836. The Texas Declaration of Independence at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, officially signalized the revolution.

[shadeaud]

Today is the first day of FIESTA. Instead of cracking a few dozen cascarones, we should crack a few heads of these illegals that DEMAND something. I wonder where Laticia Van der Pute stands on this issue

[upchuck]

I've been robbing convenience stores for the last three or four months and have enough money to last me awhile.

Can somebody tell me where my designated asylum city is?

Thank you!

</sarcasm:heavy>

[rocksblues]

"I think the border is kind of an artificial barrier," west side councilwoman Patti Radle said."

Seems to me this was what Hitler thought just before he sent his troops into Poland.

And the liberals accuse us of being Nazi's.

[McLynnan]

Austin is currently an officially designated sanctuary city.

Can anybody explain this? Austin is definitely the liberal capital of Texas, but this is over the top even for Austin.

[B-Cause]

Bump

Thank you for posting this article.

Does anybody have an opinion about the logic of charging our elected and appointed officials with a felony for misappropriation of tax dollars when the tax revenue is used to educate and care for illegal aliens? Looks like there is a massive case here for not using their authority in a fiducially responsible mannner.

[layman]

"There's been a lot of pressure by the government against Hispanics"

No, Imelda, you misunderstand. Pressure does n come from the inept government, it comes from the legal citizens of the USA, a sovereign country. And, it is NOT against Hispanics ... it is against illegal immigrants. If I were you I would follow my husband and father of my children back to Mexico. It's a no-brainer.

[Babalu]

"I think the border is kind of an artificial barrier," west side councilwoman Patti Radle said."

Patti ... you ignorant sl_t!

[Babalu]

"We demand that city council declare this city to be a safe haven from the Border Patrol," activist Jaime Martinez said.

And what if they don't? I swear, these guys give law abiding Latinos a bad name!

[SwinneySwitch]

"....she is not left alone to care for."


Type O. Not should be now, I think.

[RoseyT]

I had no idea either. I did a quick search for Austin + sanctuary + immigrants and was shocked at the results. Other "sanctuary" cities include Houston, Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, Long Beach, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles and New York.
Basically, they have their own little policy whereby police don't ask suspects their immigration status and they avoid involving federal immigration officials.
Unfreakingbelievable.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

"We demand that city council declare this city to be a safe haven from the Border Patrol," activist Jaime Martinez said. "Not to be raiding factories and workers, and we ask that they be protected."

Insanity. Austin a sanctuary city? Outrage. We are so close to war it is unbelievable. This is tantamount to a city by city takeover of the Southwest and the government allows it to happen. When Texas was first settled by American immigrants, many came here illegally against Mexico's wishes. They refused to accept catholicism and came without permission. The concept of To Populate is to Govern swung into effect, war resulted and the Texians won.

Now, the shoe is on the other foot and illegal immigration has initiated the exact same attitude from the other side where To Populate is to Govern and catholicism MUST be the religion of the region (or one is kindly invited to leave). We are going to have a war again.

[Utahrd]

So where is the official sanctuary city in Mexico for Guatemalans, Hondurans & Salvadorans who are robbed, raped and assaulted by Mexican cops?

[speekinout]

They don't say if Imelda Lopez is legally here or not. If, as seems likely, she is not, they should have put her and the kids on the bus with her husband.

[WVNan]

It seems as if the illegals are not liking the backlash from their little protest marches. They should have kept a lower profile. Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants with Mexican flags showing up on our television sets was not necessarily a good political move.

[Utahrd]

"I think the border is kind of an artificial barrier," west side councilwoman Patti Radle said.


So that means I can buy land on the beach in Mexico and I can invest in Pemex?

Where are my audited financial statements?

[Isabelle]

"Remember the Alamo"!!!!

[Tarantulas]

Found this by using Google:

There are more than a dozen so called 'sanctuary cities' across the United States, from Portland Oregon to Chicago to Houston. The Sanctuary City policy generally forbids local law enforcement officers from checking on, or reporting, a person's immigration status. Austin passed its sanctuary city law in 1997. Supporters say it fosters 'trust' between officials and immigrants, and say they're afraid that without such protections, illegals would be unwilling to report crimes and would become easy prey for criminals.

But Burns says Sanctuary City laws violate federal statute.

"Cities, counties, local governments are forbidden from prohibiting, or in any way restricting, their employees from communicating with federal immigration authorities," Burns said. "The city of Austin's policies are clearly in violation of that."

http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=FD9ED2B5-E303-4116-B4EB-149964550259

Looks like we need a series of citizen revolts.

[atruelady]

I don't understand these so-called Sanctuary Cities...

Federal Law is Federal Law. These people are illegal.

No State or City can dictate where and where not a Federal Agency can go.

That would be like a governor of any state signing a law that bans the FBI from that particular state.

Stupid. Time for the Border Patrol and INS to tell these "Sanctuaries" that they can stuff in, in addition to aiding and abetting criminals.