Dozens of illegal immigrants arrested, released in hours

KHOU 11 Houston ^ | April 20, 2006 | Vicente Arenas

[Snickering Hound]

There was a crackdown Wednesday and dozens of illegal immigrants were arrested.

Many of those same immigrants were released just hours later

It was the last thing they, and their families, expected.

"They are not criminals. All they're here for is to work for their family," said Mariz Gomez.

And that's what they were doing making wooden pallets at two different locations when federal agents swooped in and took nearly 70 suspected undocumented workers to this federal detention center in north Houston.

"Just for them to come in here and to just throw them back to where they go. That's not right for them," said Gomez.

Families 11 News spoke with feared the men mostly from Central American countries would be deported.

But that was hardly the case.

Just five hours later Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents began releasing the undocumented workers.

"I was surprised by the quick release," said a man who asked that his face not be shown. Several others made the same request.

It is not clear why these immigrants were released so quickly but workers say it may be because the 950-bed facility was severely overcrowded.

The workers say they were told the facilities were full. Sources inside the facility say the same thing and that agents have been ordered to release immigrants as soon as possible.

Some of the workers say there were other problems Wednesday.

They said computers went down and agents had to scribble information, in one case, failing to write in a court date altogether.

The men we spoke with promised to show up for their immigration hearings, still finding it hard to believe they were released so soon.

[TBP]

This at least is a start. Just arresting them and at work no less.

Now arrest the employers.

[Lexington Green]

Smoke and mirrors
Song and dance

[billygoatgruff]

Actually, this reminds me of an old Cheech and Chong movie where the illegals called the INS on themselves to get a free ride back to the country. There was going to be a wedding and they dressed up in their finest and had gifts in hand when INS loaded them into the buses to go back.

What is the cost to deport one alien? Anyone know?

[Froufrou]

""They are not criminals. All they're here for is to work for their family," said Mariz Gomez."

I wish I could clue you in, but whatever it is I missed it, too. Not criminals. Breaking the law, but not criminals. Yeah, right.

[Redcloak]

What are the rules on OTMs?

• How many can you catch per day? How many can you have in your bag in total?
• Do Guatemalans and Hondurans count differently? Or do they both go toward the total bag limit?
• Are there size limitations? Do they have to be bigger than X but smaller than Y?
• Do you need a special stamp to fish for OTMs?
• Do you have to use barbless hooks?

[travlnmn41]

>>Just stricly PR. Sounds like a big waste of time and tax dollars to me.<<
Damn right. George W trying to show how tough he is on this issue, just one day after kissing the @ss of Vicente Fox. I voted for W twice and I DESPISE the Demonrats, but I have lost all faith in him. Mexico is a giant rotting fish and we're dealing with the stench, and W is much to blame. Get on Michelle Malkin's web site and look at the number of illegal alien arrests and companies charged with hiring illegals. There was a lot more during the Clinton administration, for crying out loud.

[scooter2]

"They are not criminals. All they're here for is to work for their family," said Mariz Gomez.

I got news for ya Mariz, if they're in this country illegaly, they ARE criminals.

[TBP]

They have to let them stick around for their hearings in court.

So detain them until then. Don't jsut release them.

[martinidon]

What is so hard about charting a plane and taking the illegals directly to the airport. They can set the flight up to make several stops. This should be our policy; daily flights back to your homeland!

[concerned about politics]

"Just for them to come in here and to just throw them back to where they go. That's not right for them,"

Yes it is. Just try climbing over the White House fence and see what happens. Politicians have no tolerance for American citizens who trespass.
(Darn. I did it again. Non-citizens are trespass exempt. Crap. We get screwed again!)

[butternut_squash_bisque]

Exactly. This catch-and-release crap is fricking BS!

[BMC1]

This is the way catch and release should work. Bring in buses load them up with illegals and drive them to the Mexican border and release them on the Mexican side.

[Jason_b]

Don't forget to mention: double speak.

undocumented worker ... a euphemism to hide what they really are, interlopers and infiltrators.

[tumblindice]

So these feds with college degrees are wading in this swamp (that they refuse to drain, in a manner of speaking) not even swatting the skeeters but catching them like fire-flies, then releasing them.
Maybe if we told them the illegals were members of a religious cult, or were taxpayers, or had just been a to a gun show. Why then they'd be on them `like white on rice'.

[hershey]

Clearly the govt. thinks we'll see the headlines and think something's being done about porous borders. We're being played. Again.

[Jarhead1957]

S O S

Same Old, Same Old, different party.

I guess we are suppose to be impressed by the stern action of Homeland Security

Homeland Security, Is that a Oxymoron?

[tobyhill]

Illegal Immigration or Undocumented Worker is a legal term which means that if law enforcement is going to charge the individuals with a legal statute then the charged has a right to adjudication (trial by judge or jury) and being the charges are only a misdemeanor, law enforcement is limited in the amount of time they can hold an individual pending trial. Unless the President suspends habeas corpus, it's not up to the accused to prove who they are or aren't, it's up to law enforcement and prosecutors to prove who they are or aren't. This legal standard is going to be the hardest thing Congress will deal with because there is Constitutional bounds that will definitely make it's way to the Supreme Court.

[IamConservative]

Ah, so now not only do we exploit the illegals for economic gain while forcing them to live illegally below the social radar, we now use them for political props.

Seal the border and create a legal means to bring this labor in if we indeed need it.

I am not anti-immigration. I am all for immigrants coming to the US, contributing and paying taxes. I am however very strongly against the creation of an illegal second class of citizen that works for pennies on the dollar at the expense of willing American workers trying to raise families.

[hershey]

'Immigrants'. Sure, drop the illegal part. It's judgmental to call them 'illegal'.