LatinaLista — On a day that has everyone on edge to see who will come out ahead in tonight’s elections, there are pockets of the country where people are nervous for quite another reason.
In parts of the country people are afraid to step outside their homes to even pick up their children from school or go to work.
This afternoon, ICE agents parked across the street from the Oakland, California Public School, Stonehurst Elementary. Troy Flint, press contact for the Oakland Unified School District, told Latina Lista that ICE agents parked across the street from the campus but did not try to enter.
“They knew they couldn’t (enter) because Oakland is a sanctuary city,” said Flint. When asked if the agents appeared to be waiting for parents to come and pick up their children, Flint said he didn’t have information regarding that but that he knew that ICE had arrested someone in Berkley earlier in the day.
Oakland is not the only area where Latinos are on edge.
Latina Lista’s Tulsa news partner Hispano de Tulsa, reports that 10 suspected undocumented immigrants who worked for a construction company were apprehended.
How did ICE find them?
No year-long investigation with this case. Rather, it was an anonymous tip from a competitor who was mad that the company employing Latino immigrants got the job. The ironic thing is that of the ten, some were in the country legally. Yet, they had to endure the accusations, the intimidation and having to prove they were legally here.
The news coming out of Oklahoma doesn’t get any better for legal Latino citizens. Check out the Oklahoma City and Tulsa links under “Regional Editions” to see what the latest measures the state is taking to make sure Latinos, both documented and undocumented, don’t feel OK.
And if there’s one aspect of this immigration fight that should be enforced — it’s to keep the children out of it. For ICE to park themselves across the street of an elementary school is clearly a sign of intimidation and an act of terrorizing these children and their families.
It’s time to set strict boundaries for where ICE should not go.
ICE agents park across street from Hispanic-dominant elementary school and lie in wait
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Comment(8)
mayanmx
Marisa,
I am so sad to read what you have written today. More sad then I felt when I heard about the raids in my city on the day after May 1 and all the way through May 5, ICE raids were held here in San Francisco, picking up burrito makers from the Mission District’s most well known restaurants. Some people in the area felt it was a direct response to the muted march the day before, smaller in numbers as the fear increases. To make a point.
The saddest of all to hear is an increasing impact on children.
Is this the land of laws? Is this the land of laws where agents sneak around schools while the Congress can’t make up its mind? Is this what this country is about now? Why aren’t people saying anything as this country gets pulled apart?
I guess, ultimately, because a big part of this country is not affected. If it were otherwise, how can we stand around and watch people criminalized and dealt with by police while Congress doesn’t do anything?
I, for one, intend to contact my representatives to ask that there be a moratorium. How can Congress turn their backs while families, communities and cities are intimated? Its not lost on me that its happening right here in my city, which is also supposed to be a sanctuary city.
When I returned to the U.S. after working in Mexico, and then Canada, believe me, crossing the border, when that border official welcomed me home, it was the greatest feeling ever. My overwhelming love for my country was stronger than ever. As I talk to young children about the history of the past, and try to explain today, it’s not easy to tell the same old cuento again and again. I love my country, but believe in its greatness, not the same old tired history, and I feel a deeper sadness for the fear and hysteria that has gotten a grip on our core values. When educated, intelligent, elected officials can’t come to a resolution about 12 million people in this country, and then allows for the criminalization to happen anyway, there is something akin to a deep failure that makes each and every one responsible to answer to the future.
Since I believe this country is more, please write your representatives, or call or stand up to say no more raids until Congress does its job. Don’t make poor, working immigrants, and their children, and the communities of which they are apart, your scapegoat.
I believe we are capable of so much more.
I know life can be cruel, and we must accept it, I know it does no good to resist the reality that some people will think its o.k. to intimidate children. It’s just that this country promises so much more and when inspired, has a vision unmatched. Its been a long time since I’ve seen that light, and I am thirsty for courage from our elected leaders to stand up and say no to ICE agents intimidating children and their parents
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EYES OF TEXAS
Perhaps we should just eliminate ICE all together since so many upstanding illegal immigrants are opposed to it and the function they serve. After that we can do away with all city police departments so they can no longer harass basically honest citizens for committing petty crimes like shoplifting or traffic violations. Hell, why not just do away with all law enforcement agencies so no one on the wrong side of the law gets harassed or arrested. Why do we need laws on the books if no one is going to enforce them anyway? What a wonderful country this would be for everyone to do as they pleased without having to be responsible for anything they do.
Frank
We cannot and should not stop enforcing our laws as is on the books just because there “might” be a change to them in the future. That is ridiculous!
laura
This lays to rest any claim that ICE is there to stop gangs, or unfair employers, or any other undesirable elements of society.
Their parking in front of an elementary school demonstrates more clearly than any analysis that their goal is to intimidate immigrant families. To stop immigrants from demanding human rights. To frighten immigrants into accepting the dangerous working conditions, low wages, fraudulent non-payment of wages, that American business wants from them.
None of the ICE raids in workplaces had any uncomfortable consequences for the business owners or managers. None of them are detained, or in court, or in debt to pay fines.
ICE pursues only one purpose: to frighten a large fraction of the working population – immigrants. Does that surprise you, coming from the Bush administration ? Do you believe for one moment that Bush, Cheney and Chertoff care more about the children of immigrants than they care about the children of New Orleans, whom Mr. Chertoff left to drown?
Frank
“Immigrants”. They are immigrants, they are illegal aliens.
Grandma
“Is this the land of laws? Is this the land of laws where agents sneak around schools while the Congress can’t make up its mind? Is this what this country is about now? Why aren’t people saying anything as this country gets pulled apart?”
Is this the land of laws? Apparently not, since there are more than 30 million illegal aliens in this country who are here ILLEGALLY! ICE is starting to do the job they should have been doing for decades.
Horace
I view these people as Mexican and Central American nationals who have no consideration for the feelings of U.S. citizens who view their borders as sovereign and sacred. These same foreign nationals would do exactly the same thing to U.S. citizens if the socioeconomic tables were turned and it was our citizens who were invading their country. It’s as simple as that.
Gary
Whoa, guys
Hold the panic at “ICE sightings.” Just because ICE agents are operating in your neighborhood, does not mean that they are doing immigration enforcement. In fact, ICE also investigates drug trafficking, money laundering, imported pharmaceutical fraud, child pornography and online child predators, weapons smuggling, intellectual property rights crimes, and a host of other customs-related crimes. That is the Customs part of their name and constitutes perhaps half or more of their operations. So, even if you favor unrestrained immigration, don’t be too quick to condemn their presence. Perhaps ICE agents in your neighborhood are looking for that guy trying to traffic methamphetamine into your community or the guy trying to prey on your children through the Internet or the guy trying to con your local pharmacy into selling bogus pharmaceuticals. Unless you are in favor of that, too…
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