Posted on 01/26/2007 9:43:33 PM PST by NormsRevenge
RICHMOND -- A Richmond community organizer alleged Friday that federal immigration agents are being deceitful by representing themselves as police officers in order to gain entry to homes and make arrests.
Christina Espinosa of Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organization, also known as CCISCO, a group of 25 religious organizations, said the tactics of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are jeopardizing efforts by Richmond police to gain the confidence of the city's immigrant community.
Espinosa said her group and others have been working with Police Chief Chris Magnus on a community policing program aimed at giving immigrants trust in local police.
But she said, "All our efforts are being jeopardized" by the tactics of ICE agents because there's now an atmosphere of fear and mistrust in the community.
Espinosa said agents are dressed in new dark uniforms that make them look like police officers and they use the word "police" to gain access to homes.
She said CCISCO and other groups will hold a community meeting on Sunday to discuss ICE's policies.
Espinosa said that among those promising to attend are Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, several City Council members and representatives from the Richmond Police Department and the office of Rep George Miller, D-Martinez.
"We want them to put pressure on ICE to stop their aggressive approach," she said.
Espinosa said another purpose of the meeting is to let immigrants know their legal rights.
"If an immigration agent has a warrant, they should open their door for them but if there's isn't a warrant they should not open their door," she said.
ICE spokeswoman Lori Haley said immigration agents are not misidentifying themselves by saying they are "police" because they are federal law enforcement officers.
Haley said, "Because they are federal law officers, they are authorized to identify themselves as police."
She said one reason agents use the word "police" is that many immigrants "may have limited understanding of English" but they understand the word "police."
Haley said, "After their initial contact with someone, agents may elaborate on who they are."
Haley denied Espinosa's allegation that agents are engaging in new tactics that are deceitful.
"We're doing things the same way we always have," she said. "There is no effort to misrepresent ourselves."
Haley said she's not aware of agents having new uniforms that look like police uniforms.
Haley said the primary targets of immigration agents are immigration fugitives who have orders to be deported.
Many of them have criminal histories, she said.
Haley said, "We're a nation of immigrants but we're also a nation of laws."
She said, "Arrests are not made randomly" and are only made after an order is issued by a judge.
ICE agents "simply enforce orders" from judges, Haley said.
Richmond police spokesman Lt. Mark Gagan said, "This is a complex issue that we will not be able to deal with without sitting down with all the parties involved."
The community meeting will be held at St. Mark's Catholic Church at 159 Harbour Way in Richmond at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
they are cops... border cops.
I hope they are well armed, Richmond is not a Disney neighborhood.
I'm sick of the baloney.
There was another incident where illegals were arrested, and the defense's argument was that the illegals were "profiled"!
The bottom line is that they are here illegally and need to go back home.
I can not for the life of me understand why more people do not think this same way.
I am also tired of the argument that they are just trying to make a living. So are we. They should do it in Mexico. If there is a problem with the social order, have a revolution -- there.
Actually....I used to work the Haster, Katella, Harbor neighborhoods around Disneyland and I was a Police Explorer in Richmond. The Neighborhoods are about the same, gangs, guns, prostitutes and drugs.
Boo-hoo. Kiss my ass, Leftist scumbags.
Christina...tsk..tsk...if you or anyone else is in this country legally, you have nothing to fear.
If you are a person who entered this country illegally, lied to authorities, bought or produced fraudulent SSNs or other false ID, are a visa over stayer..YOU ARE A CRIMINAL Christina.
If you aid and abet illegal aliens, guess what Christina...you are a criminal.
One last thing Christina, fear the cops and ICE agents if you are illegally here.
I haven't been in Anaheim for years. I knew somebody would catch me on that one. ;-)
You see a lot of 'Goofys' in both those 'hoods.
The new police chief in Richmond has his work cut out for him, that's for sure.
What an unusual article! I didn't see the word "illegal" attached to 'immigrant' throughout it. /sarcasm
St. Mark’s Catholic Parish in Richmond, Ca. has invited Planned Parenthood into its midst to “educate” the young people regarding sexuality, drug and teen pregnancy. (Contra Costa Times, 10-25-06, front page).
St. Mark’s Parish, located in what is referred to as The Iron Triangle of Richmond, is pastored by Father Ramiro Florez, a native of Mexico, ordained by former Oakland Diocese Bishop, John Cummins. Fr. Flores began his priestly duties as parochial vicar at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Concord, but since he had difficulty with the english language was soon transferred to St. Mark’s where his flock is mainly Latino.
There is information on the internet about Fr. Flores which can be goggled.
In the past I have written about a pseudo religious group called CCISCO - Contra Costa Interfaith Community Sponsoring Organization. CCISCO is very active in Fr. Flores Parish training the Latino youth for political activism and street and political protests. The Catholic Voice, newspaper of the Oakland Diocese has featured CCISCO and St. Mark’s training programs in several articles.
CCISCO along with a new branch of activism that calls itself Casa de Esperanza (literally house of hope) is also very active in this parish. It was Casa’s outreach organizer who hosted this PP program which spoke to about 20 children aged 14-17 (some of whom were rather reluctant to be there, so the article said) This 4 hour event was funded by a $5,000. grant from the California Family Health Council and designed by a “half-dozen teens in the audience.” The CFHC, with a branch in Berkeley, Ca. is a non-profit family planning organization which, according to its parent branch in Los Angeles, apparently endorses Phil Angelides for Governor. (How they get away with doing that as a non-profit I don’t know. Certainly a pro life organization could not get away with saying vote for Tom McClintock for Attorney General because he’s pro life).
One of the events pared each teen with someone famous for a date. Then each youth drew a card which stated “what type of sexual encounter they just had with their celebrity and declared that they had just contracted a particular type of sexual disease.”
Please pray for the youth of St. Mark’s parish. They are being seduced into a lifestyle and leftist leaning pathway that has little to do with salvation or education.
Fr. Flores, in one article, is shown leading a ceremony for local Latino laborers, which included a memorial to the “Martyrs of Chicago.”
The Martyrs of Chicago were a group of 8 anarchists who on May 3, 1886, during a labor protest helped create a riot in the Haymarket sector of Chicago, setting off an explosive which killed one policeman, maimed 3 and injured several bystanders.
http://blog.callifeadvocates.org/?m=200610
"Espinosa said her group and others have been working with Police Chief Chris Magnus on a community policing program aimed at giving immigrants trust in local police."
Another widely used piece of b.s. OBL rhetoric. If the community wasn't saturated with illegals in the first place, there would be no need for such a program. Instead of the need for trust, there's simply a need for law enforcement and the arrest of the illegal aliens.
Thanks! OneAmerica, huh?
As far as Richmond goes...somebody needs to tear that whole place down and start over. About 2 months ago I was helping my dad clean out his attic and found my old explorer uniform, there was still broken beer bottle part in the jacket from my last ride-a-long.
Back in '89 my explorer post worked security for one of Tyson's fights, the city paid HBO to be able to show the fight at the Richmond civic center and then charged people $30 buck to see the fight. Tyson knocked the guy out in 90 seconds and those people got TICKED! They wanted their money back and the only people between the angry mob and the money was a bunch of 14-17 year old kids wearing police uniforms. The police station was across from the civic center but it seemed like hours before the real cops got there.
It's a rabbit hole I've never heard of...If it's a Clinton project, it goes deep!
"All our efforts are being jeopardized" by the tactics of ICE agents because there's now an atmosphere of fear and mistrust in the community. Espinosa said agents are dressed in new dark uniforms that make them look like police officers and they use the word "police" to gain access to homes.
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