Posted on 01/31/2004 5:56:03 AM PST by SheLion
Their boss insists that they're not trying to act like jerks. It's just that the border patrol agents who descended on Portland last weekend are new to Maine and, this being the dead of winter and all, they apparently can't help themselves.
"A lot of our agents are just off the southern (U.S.) border and there's a different atmosphere down there," said Monte J. Bennett, assistant chief patrol agent for the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection in Houlton. "There are a lot more numbers down there. Things are more aggressive."
In other words, if you're an immigrant in Maine these days, you'd best double-check your papers before you go anywhere and learn to say "Yes, sir" and "No, sir" to anyone in a black uniform and boots. And oh yes, try not to look suspicious.
"My business is down 80 percent since Saturday," lamented Juan Gonzalez, owner of La Bodega Latina Grocery Store on Congress Street. "Customers call me on the phone saying, 'Is it clear? Can we come down?' People are really afraid."
According to bureau spokesman Bennett, what happened Saturday in Portland was a typical "transportation sweep" in which federal agents - many recently transferred here as part of a south-to-north shift in homeland security forces - visited Portland's airport, train and bus stations in search of illegal aliens.
They netted 10 people whose papers failed to pass muster. At the same time, they left Portland's hard-won reputation as an immigrant-friendly city in tatters.
Nasir Ahmed was behind the counter at Amei Halaal Market on St. John Street when agents walked in and told everyone, employees and customers alike, to get out their passports and green cards. Ahmed said some patrons eating lunch in the Somali market bolted out the back door - not because they were undocumented, but because they were scared to death.
"How would you feel if you went to McDonald's and got asked for ID while you were eating your food? That's what happened here," Ahmed asked. "Now, less people come in. We lost a lot of customers."
Mohammed Barre, who was in the store at the time, said much of the anxiety could have been avoided if the agents had clearly identified themselves (several eyewitnesses said they didn't) and, before coming through the door, had taken the chips off their shoulders.
"Unfriendly," Barre replied when asked to describe the agents' demeanor. "Very unfriendly."
Bennett insisted that the operation targeted only Portland's "transportation hubs," not its immigrant enclaves. He added, however, that the agents will investigate anything "that needs investigating."
Would two stores with foreign names, frequented by people with dark skin, each a block or two from the Vermont Transit bus station "need investigating"?
"Based solely on that, no," Bennett replied. "They go more by people's mannerisms."
Thus, we are asked to believe, it was a citywide outbreak of "mannerisms" that attracted agents to Amei Halaal Market, La Bodega Latina and even the Preble Street Resource Center, where director Mark Swann has vowed that the next time agents show up, they'll be asked for a search warrant.
(Lest we all think the agents' attitudes began and ended with immigrants, consider my daughter's welcome Saturday upon arriving in Portland by bus from Boston: After she gave a border agent her license, he demanded her passport. She correctly told him that U.S. citizens don't need passports for interstate travel. "Let me give you a word of advice," he replied tersely. "You need to learn to watch your mouth.")
Where all this tension goes from here is anyone's guess.
Meetings are already being held among Portland's immigrant elders and leaders. And the Latino Health and Community Service has called off its Feb. 14 health fair because, director John Connors explained, "I'm not going to put up posters telling these guys we're going to have a bunch of minorities and immigrants showing up at a particular time and place."
Bennett calls such fears unfounded. If confronted by a federal agent, he said, all anyone has to do is "be friendly, be straightforward and answer their questions."
And above all, watch your mannerisms.
Columnist Bill Nemitz can be contacted at 791-6323 or at: bnemitz@pressherald.com
Usually you are not going to find Border Patrol Agents in any establishment unless there has been a complaint by a concernced citizen that there are illegal aliens on the property. As I stated before, an Agent needs suspicion to detain anybody. Giving up ones documents for inspection is equivelent to detention.
The degree of suspicion needed depends on how far away the agent is away from the Border. Suspicion is based on articulable facts. You can't just "know" somebody is an illegal alien. An agent has to be able to explain the cause for dention. Appearance alone does not justify detention. There has to be other indicators that would cause an agent to detain a person.
Suspicion is only required if an agent is going to detain someone. The Agent like anybody else can have a casual conversation with whomever he chooses. The mere presence of a Border Patrol Agent does not equate to detention. If during the course of a casual conversation the agent can develop enough articulable facts for probable cause, the agent can then make an arrest. At the same time the individual approached by the Agent can stop the conversation anytime they choose.
OK, so the employer must advertise, eh? But at what rate of compensation?
The wage dictated by "free market rates" in a land full of Migrants is by design going to attract few legal American workers. The employers are then quite legally able to hire Jose and his brother Miguel.
Current American workers are at peril as well. A labor/service buisness paying workers an average of $9-12/hr will be undercut by a startup buisness paying Migrants much less....or...."Sorry, Jim, we can't afford any raises this year and, by they way, the cost of our health insurance is way up so we're no longer going to provide any for you."
We will greatly increase the number of the "working poor" families, we will still have some of the high-paying jobs requiring education and intellegence -- but not so many middle America blue collar jobs that employ millions of average workers. That is, unless Joe and Fred and Judy can afford to work for minimum wage with no benefits for their families.
Not exactly --- around here you find border patrol agents having lunch in the same cafes the illegals are in --- I think it's kind of funny to see --- I'm quite sure the agents pretty well know who is likely illegal --- the illegals sitting there will nod their heads almost like greeting and the agents nod their heads back. No one gets their ID's checked --- and I've seen this first hand often. Illegals don't seem at all bothered by their presence and will not hesitate to enter the cafe even though the green vans are plainly in view in the parking lot.
You have it right, eno. GW is going to legalize them by the milions, so 10 people won't make much of a difference.
What was the outcome of the 10 people picked up, were they turned loose 24 hrs. later?.
I agree with you but it looks like the Homeland Security folks have different plans. From the article:
..."federal agents - many recently transferred here as part of a south-to-north shift in homeland security forces..."
They must have given up on the southern border. Perhaps the agents were being too effective at impeding the flow of illegal aliens from our neighbor to the south.
I don't think that's the point at all. The point is that if you're a man in dress with a towel around your head and a beard, or five times a day you drop to the floor and stick your behind in the air and you frequent establishments known for harboring illegals, there is a pretty good chance that you have no right to be here. That's why it's called "illegal." While profiling may have its drawbacks, it also works in many cases and for the ones who are doing nothing wrong and are legitimate immigrants, visitors or even citizens, they have nothing to worry about. While I wouldn't like to see these tactics in widespread use, in areas where there are known concentrations of illegals, I think there is validity to it unless and until we find better ways.
That said, I don't think fear should be the primary motivator for these people to leave though. In the first place, it really doesn't work. It just drives them farthur underground and in many cases may serve as an encouragement to them to commit other crimes. No; what we need is to remove their reasons for wanting to be here so that they leave on their own. I would like to see severe penalties imposed on employers who hire them, removal of ALL freebies to illegals beyond emergency medical (followed by immediate deportation), the elimination of anchor baby citizenship and the denial of any special consideration to those who are already here. Employers who hire those who "do work that Americans won't do" must be required to pay a competitive wage and if he then is unable to employ an American after a reasonable period of time, he may employ a non-American from a pool of registered and approved workers who are still IN THEIR OWN COUNTRIES WAITING FOR WORK, and then only for a brief period of time. He should be required to extend the position to Americans at least once a year. A guest worker should also have absolute limits on the length of time he can be here and must sign documents stating that he understands that not returning to his home country upon expiration of his permit subjects him to criminal penalties and deportation and furthur, as a condition of his acceptance into the guest worker program, he would be required to waive any access to the American courts for the purpose of contesting removal or to bring any type of civil rights action against either his employer or immigration officials.
While such guidelines might impose some uncomfortable restraints on guest workers, if their claim is legitimate and they only desire to work jobs Americans won't do and send money home, then compliance shouldn't be overly burdensome. If, however, their intention is to get here, stay here, bring their entire families here and take whatever they can get, or if their intention is to import more crime to our streets and communities, then this should serve as a potent deterrent, which is exactly what it should do.
If one of these morons asks me for 'papers' I'll tell him or her where to stuff 'em.
L
You know, while I understand your point and fundamentally agree with you (I typically resent showing my ID to anybody), if this happened in Springdale, Arkansas, for example, when I happened to be up there working and I knew it was because they were trying to round up illegals....I'd be the first in line to hand them my ID and give them a pat on the back for finally doing something about a very serious problem.
I seem to remember reading not too long ago that Maine has the most "attractive" welfare programs in the country. Is this true? If it is, you can expect to see a growing problem up there with illegals.
Cleaning up the plague of illegals is incompatible with the political agendas of all but a sparse handful of politicians and lawmakers, of either party. I'm afraid we are well on our way down the river and our "elected" representatives are laughing all the way to the bank.
This is why at least parts of this article are completely BS like you say. It's pretty obvious that if the agents came in and were actually looking for illegals, and some people got up and bolted out the back door, the agents would have gone after them --- not the ones still sitting, eating their lunches. This Ahmed guy is a liar.
It already happens more than you may realize. I was driving home from Louisiana one night after having worked down there for a few days. It wasn't late. I got pulled over on a dark country road (which desctibes most of the roads in Arknasas). The cop was a large black man (not that being black is necessarily significant, but when you are a small white woman, alone at night, there is a certain conditioning). After the usual license, registration and insurance queries, he wanted to search my car....said it was just routine. Now, at this point, I knew he was out of line, but what was I going to do? Fortunately, he was very nice and I don't think he thought I was guilty of anything beyond a having bad headlight, but the point is, I was at a distinct disadvantage and in no position to challenge him. Similar stories are becoming more frequent.
Course you would probably fired from the INS (as a racist) for even trying to count them... When illegal alien means future democrat... with so many future democrats being aborted.. democrats will fight to the death for illegals.. Two illegals in the hand being worth one baby aborted is quite cynical..
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.