TOPICS
TOPICS
Official says worksite raids and arrests setting records
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has broken records this year for raiding worksites around the country and arresting illegal immigrants, despite criticism from some lawmakers and immigrant advocates that the agency is using inhumane and heavy-handed tactics.
"We have record enforcement numbers in every area of enforcement," ICE chief Julie Myers told reporters Friday.
Already for fiscal 2008, the agency has made 998 arrests at worksites around the country, which includes 116 employers or managers, Myers said.
In fiscal 2007, the agency made 863 arrests, including 91 employers or managers. "We think we'll be over 1,000 arrests very soon," Myers said. "It's a substantial increase on both employers and criminal arrests overall."
But ICE has come under fire recently from some Democrats in Congress, including members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, for conducting worksite raids in places like Postville, Iowa, and Houston. House Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., held a hearing July 24 on the raid in Postville, in which more than 300 illegal workers were arrested.
Immigration lawyers testifying at the hearing said it did not appear to them that the workers were adequately informed of the charges against them or of their rights. Lofgren called the raid and subsequent prosecution of the workers "unusual and provocative," adding that she has "questions about whether they meet the requirements of due process" of the law. She said her investigation into the raid will continue and might lead to legislation. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, who serves on the Judiciary Committee, has called for an investigation into raids at companies in Houston.
When asked whether ICE did anything wrong during the Postville raid, Myers referred questions to testimony at the hearing by Deborah Rhodes, senior associate deputy attorney general in the Justice Department, and Marcy Forman, director of investigations for ICE.
"I think our agency has taken extraordinary steps to ensure that we are identifying not only humanitarian concerns but ensuring that all appropriate due process is followed," Myers said in general about ICE raids. "I think the bottom line is some people don't want us to enforce the law."
She said more companies are turning away from hiring illegal workers, and observed that about 1,000 employers a week are signing up to use the Homeland Security Department's E-Verify program, which allows them to confirm the legal status of their workers.
"What we are seeing from industry and from business is increased interest in compliance," she said. "They do not want to be on the wrong side of an ICE enforcement action."
Myers also cited other statistics showing her agency's increased activity in enforcing immigration laws. For example, the agency plans to initiate deportation proceedings against more than 200,000 criminal illegal aliens in U.S. jails this year, up from 137,000 last year. And the number of illegal immigrants who have been given deportation orders but remain on the loose in the United States has declined from about 632,000 to 572,000, she said.
"We're trying to make it harder to sneak into this country and harder to stay here illegally. We're doing that in every way possible," she said.
COMMENTS
- I have no problem with my colleagues from the former INS, most of whom are good workers. My issue is with the foolishness of the merger itself, and being thrust into a job totally different from the one which I was trained for and performed well for over 20 years. The simple fact is that immigration and customs are two totally different and specialized jobs, which have nothing in common with each other. This has resulted in legacy employees from both agencies, as well as newly hired ICE agents, becoming "jacks of all trades and masters of none", because nobody can become well versed in the intricacies of each of these vastly different and complex jobs. Calling attention to this major problem should be praised, not criticized! And nobody can deny that ICE is predominantly immigration-oriented. Just look at the ICE website, or yearly reports, and you'll see that 90% of all ICE press releases and accomplishments are immigration-related. Although it won't happen in this administration, because nobody wants to admit that the merger of Customs and INS into CBP and ICE was a big mistake, I wouldn't be surprised to see the missions of these agencies changed drastically by future presidents, in an effort to undo the damage that has been done. Drafted into ICE Posted August 25, 2008 12:17 PM
- The fact is this. ICE and CBP are not going away. Could the merger have been done while still maintaining the legacy agencies? Yes. Should it have been that way? Yes. I'm tired of the blame game on both sides of the legacy agencies. If you don't understand that your attitudes toward both legacy agencies have a negative impact on your work and other's around you maybe you should have a hostile work enviroment suite filed against you. . . By the way, I'm legacy good guys. You figure it out. Can't we all just get along Posted August 7, 2008 7:12 AM
- Dear taxpayers Thank-you for paying my salary. I want you to know that the vast majority of ICE Special Agents take great pride in their work and accomplishments. We are far more cohesive in 2008 than we were back in 2003. The merger may have been a mistake. However, the vast majority of Agents have made the best of their situation and work to the best of their ability to enforce whatever section(s) of law their particular group is charged with. The majority don’t trivialize wether they work immigration related cases or customs related cases. ICEemply and Hmmm do not represent the majority. We are not looking to blame our peers. I have been both a legacy Customs Agent and a Legacy INS Agent so, I think that I see through all the egos. Hmm, INS was a failure at the top levels of government. The failure rests firmly on every President, Senator, and Congressman since 1965. They created the mess, and continue to fail to address it. Yes, Teddy Kennedy, I’m talking about you. INS did have managerial problems, not unlike every government agency I have seen. The rank and file INS Agents worked long and hard to do a thankless impossible task. ICEemply, I believe that the Customs management have been thrust into the same abyss that the former INS management had been thrust. I don’t know what SAC/RAC office you work in. However, in my office the Agents realized a long time ago that we didn’t ask for this, but are going to have to make the best of it. Who ever wrote that ICE is the new INS and CBP is the new Customs, doesn’t really seem to know what they are talking about. To me it sounds like a CBP Inspector who is hoping he’ll be made an 1811 to stamp passports and sniff luggage. The truth is that DRO is picking up most, and hopefully soon all of the admin cases. This will allow the real 1811’s to get back to the criminal work. (both immigration and customs program areas) My 2 Cents. ICE Posted August 6, 2008 10:37 PM
