DHS Signals Policy Changes Ahead for Immigration Raids

[Pirate Smile]

Source: Washington Post

By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 29, 2009; 1:19 PM

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has delayed a series of proposed immigration raids and other enforcement actions at U.S. workplaces in recent weeks, asking agents in her department to apply more scrutiny to the selection and investigation of targets as well as the timing of raids, federal officials said.

A senior department official said the delays signal a pending change in whom agents at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement choose to prosecute -- increasing the focus on businesses and executives instead of ordinary workers.

"ICE is now scrutinizing these cases more thoroughly to ensure that are being taken down when they should be taken down, and that the employer is being targeted and the surveillance and the investigation is being done how it should be done," said the official, discussing Napolitano's views about sensitive law enforcement matters on the condition of anonymity.

"There will be a change in policy, but in the interim, you've got to scrutinize the cases coming up," the senior DHS official said, noting Napolitano's expectations as a former federal prosecutor and state attorney general.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/29/AR2009032901109.html?hpid=topnews

[annabanana]

1. This is encouraging. ICE has been out of control..

"real Cowboy outfits"

[Rage for Order]

8. No doubt. Enforcing immigration law is un-American

Or so says the Speaker of the House.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WMerO8nENw

[annabanana]

9. They have been rounding up everyone who speaks with an accent.

Legal immigrants along with illegal... in massive sweeps where they are held incommunicado for days.

They will come into a community and tell local law enforcement that they have actionable evidence of gang activity and just start rounding people up.

http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/205057.php

http://www.alternet.org/immigration/113682/ice_workplace_sweeps_a_waste_of_time_and_money/

[FreakinDJ]

2. Right! - go after Americans and leave Foreigners alone

DHS is nothing but the New Big Brother

[Mithreal]

4. Dude, chill. For every worker they send away, another quickly takes the place.

The way to address diminishing wages and unwanted immigration is to go for the source, the employer who hires them illegally.

If you are an employer and not doing anything wrong, then what's the big deal?

And if you can't figure out if you are hiring illegal immigrants then fix that.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

7. the employer can go to the trouble of getting work permits for them

how hard is that? No work permit then out.

[Andy823]

6. Actually it makes more sense

To go after the employers than the illegals. Going after the illegals cost money. You have to arrest them, hold them, and then pay to send the home. It accomplishes nothing because they can be back in the country the next day, and there are 10 more illegals ready to go to work for everyone that gets caught. As long as the employer will hire them, they will keep on coming to this country, and bypass the legal process, which takes time and money. I you set fines high enough for those who employ illegals it will put a stop to the work, and that will cause the illegals to go home and if they really want to come here to work, they will do it the legal way. If fines aren't high enough and employers continue to hire illegals, six months in jail might change their minds.

I would rather see the employer who won't hire a citizen because they can hire an illegal for less money, and not have to pay any benefits, be punished than to see poor people that just want to make a living to support themselves and their family be the target when it does nothing at all to solve the problem! DHS should also target the larger employers and not just pick on the employer with one or two illegal workers who is trying to compete with the bigger employers by hiring people who will work for less money. Once the larger employers have to obey the laws, then the smaller employers will follow. Many times the small business fails because they won't hire illegals, and the larger business's keeping going because they have lowered their expenses by hiring the illegals. It's hard to compete when the playing field is not even.

If there is no work for illegals, they won't come here! and then we can get a real immigration program that will make sure companies are not breaking the law and forcing down wages, which is pretty much the plan of the big corporations.

[Mithreal]

3. "increasing the focus on businesses and executives instead of ordinary workers"

It's too soon to praise this but this could be a win.

[lsewpershad]

5. Hope

they also get that rouge sherif

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

10. Can they atleast knock off the commando raids on anonymous tips

[Tempest]

11. Anonymous tips are investigated

The investigations can last weeks or months before a raid is conducted, if one is warranted.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

12. yeah, some investigation

They did the full storm trooper meth lab take down routine on a metal shop near my old office a few years ago, the investigation must have consisted of "are there brown people on the premises" because they found exactly ZERO illegal immigrants but detained everybody for hours.

[Tempest]

13. It doesn't mean there were no illegals there ever

Once in a while the word of a raid is leaked and the illegals don't show up.

You never said if meth was found. And depending on where you live, illegals are the workers in most larger meth labs. Just as they are in most large pot growing operations.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

14. It had nothing to do with meth

I just used that of an example of how violent and militaristic the raid was, they took down a small metal shop like they were going in to arrest Bin Laden himself and they found nothing, but just to be sure they held the Americans who worked there prisoner while they looked for so much as an overdue library book or unpaid parking ticket that could justify sending in the fucking cavalry.

The family that owned the business was hispanic, everyone who worked there was part of the family and they claim their family has been in California since the 18th Century and some angry white asshole called immigration claiming they were illegals, they were pretty sure they knew who reported them, a guy they sued over $15,000 in unpaid invoices, but they couldn't prove it and the INS wouldn't tell them and didn't seem to interested in pursuing the person who cried wolf either.