Posted on 11/08/2001 5:26:02 AM PST by N00dleN0gg1n
Agents detain Indonesians If the dozens of people living in a Newmarket ranch house didn’t raise neighbors’ suspicions, the 20 to 30 cars crammed in the driveway and makeshift, backyard parking lot did. Couple this with an edgy public on high alert in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the fact that many of the men are from Indonesia, home to one of the world’s largest Muslim populations. Worried residents tipped off police. “It raised a red flag,” Newmarket Police Chief Rodney Collins said yesterday, a day after local police assisted federal agents in a raid on the 180 Exeter Road home. “We’re talking 20 to 30 vehicles at a time at a residence that is probably a three- or four-bedroom house,” he said. Ten middle-aged men, all Indonesian citizens, were detained in the “enforcement action” by federal Immigration and Naturalization Service agents who arrived at the beige ranch about 6:30 a.m., INS acting deputy district director Gary Cote said. They face administrative charges for either allegedly overstaying their visas or not being authorized to remain in the United States, he said. Authorities said they have uncovered no evidence to suggest the immigrants are involved in terrorist activities. “We, at this time, do not believe it is in any way related to the events of Sept. 11,” Cote said. “This action was a normal enforcement initiative that INS has as part of its responsibilities,” he added. No criminal charges are pending against the illegal immigrants with the INS or Newmarket police, authorities said. The INS still is looking for up to 20 others who used the house to register their cars and give as their address, a law enforcement official said. “People are on edge and being vigilant. This is a good thing. But this is no cause for hysteria. This was really nothing more than an unannounced visit to find out about illegal immigrants,” Collins said. Law enforcement officials are investigating unconfirmed reports that some of the immigrants worked as laborers in Newfields and Boston. “We can’t confirm that they did have jobs as of this date,” Cote said. “Most of them came as visitors at some point,” Cote explained. “These individuals would not be entitled to citizenship because they were not here as legal, permanent residents. They are here on a temporary basis.” One couple who lives nearby said the group had been living in the house for about a year. But they didn’t become known to police until they got calls from several residents a few weeks ago. Police kept the house under surveillance but found no criminal activity going on. “At this juncture, we have no reason to believe that any crimes have been committed here,” Collins said. About two weeks ago, police contacted INS, who informed them that several of the people allegedly are illegal immigrants, he said. Authorities were armed and wearing body armor but did not have weapons drawn when they entered the house, he said. The occupants let them in voluntarily, he said. One of the men detained was found hiding in a closet. Police were concerned because one of the individuals who listed the house as his address had a first-degree assault conviction. He was not among those detained Tuesday. Cote would not release the names of the 10 detainees, saying the absence of criminal charges protects them under federal privacy law. They are scheduled to appear before detention hearings in the next few days in U.S. Immigration Court in Boston, he said. The men are being held on bonds ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 each at detention facilities, Cote said. (Union Leader correspondent Peg Warner contributed to this report.)
at Newmarket home
By KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
Union Leader Staff
Agreed, however being in this country illegally should be grounds enough for being held without bail.Unless of course we are not being typically PC, and actually following them
God Bless America
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