Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Latinos appeal to Border Patrol
By BRENDA GAZZAR
STAFF WRITER

Thursday, June 17, 2004 - CLAREMONT - In a private meeting, Latino and community groups asked U.S. Border Patrol officials Thursday to halt arrests of undocumented immigrants in the region.

No policy decisions were made during the nearly two-hour meeting at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, but attendees on both sides called it a positive step toward ongoing dialogue.

"Everybody was very calm and spoke their mind," said Sean Isham, a San Diego sector Border Patrol spokesman. "They know it's our job to enforce the immigration law. They understand our position and by having the meeting today, they expressed their concerns with our operations, but I think both sides are apprised of how each other feels."

At least 407 people have been arrested by Border Patrol agents in recent sweeps in the Inland Empire and the San Diego area. The arrests, conducted by the Temecula station's new Mobile Patrol Group, occurred in the Inland Empire on June 4 and 5, in which 79 people were arrested in Ontario and 75 in Corona.

Patrol officials say there have been no more arrests in the Inland Empire since then, but they have continued in Escondido and Rancho Bernardo.

The Temecula station's Mobile Patrol Group, which was formed within the last few months, is a 12-member intelligence-based unit that has taken an active stance on immigration enforcement. The decision to form the group - made possible by the freeing of manpower and resources at the station - was made by local management and approved up the chain of command, Isham said.

On Thursday, Latino organizers also asked for the Border Patrol's participation in a community forum in Ontario.

Isham said that lower-level officials were not opposed to the idea, but that approval was needed from Washington, D.C. Isham said that officials would also take their concerns about conducting the raids to his area chief.

"I believe a moment is coming of relaxation and peace," said Father Luis Angel Nieto of Our Lady of the Assumption Church. "We are beginning the dialogue. We have presented all of our worries ... what hurts our society, our people. We have expressed how it is affecting education, work and the economy. The point of agreement is that they should redefine their strategies in order not to cause the effects that they have caused up until this moment."

Opponents of the sweeps are also working with local government representatives, such as U.S. Rep. Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino, to make their voices heard at the national level.

"This is affecting not only people without documents but also residents and U.S. citizens," said Emilio Amaya, executive director of San Bernardino Community Services Center. "There is a lot of fear in our community."

Border Patrol officials insist that documented residents have no reason to be afraid. Those who are undocumented also have the right to see an immigration judge or be voluntarily deported.

Those who support the recent arrests of undocumented immigrants say it is absurd to ask the government to stop enforcing its laws.

"It's like saying "Will you please not give me a ticket if I have just broken the speeding limit,'" said Andy Ramirez, executive director of Save our State, a group that supports enforcement of immigration laws. "We are a nation of laws. Everyone in this nation is to abide by them."

There are those on both sides of the issue who say undocumented immigration in the state cannot be fully resolved until larger economic issues are addressed.

While some argue that the blame should be placed on the Mexican government for not providing a better life to its people, others say that trade agreements with these countries mostly benefit multinational corporations and are undercutting production there, forcing workers to migrate elsewhere to survive.

"These trade agreements are not going to ease immigration, which is what they are supposed to do," said Jose Calderon, a sociology professor at Pitzer College.

Brenda Gazzar can be reached by e-mail mailto:atbrenda.gazzar@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9355.