NEWS
Hearing unleashes immigrant rights debate
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by Jacquelyn Ryberg
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Residents
across Dane County used the Immigrant Workers Union’s public information
hearing Monday evening to voice opinions about the deportations of dozens of
undocumented immigrants from the Dane County Jail over the past year.
When
a person is arrested and brought into the Dane County Jail, he or she goes
through a questioning process, which has included a controversial question
about citizenship status. Officers are not required by law to ask such a
question, according to the IWU.
Many
Dane County residents spoke out against Dane County Jail’s citizenship question
because it exposes those arrestees who are undocumented immigrants and can lead
to their deportation from the United States.
In
2002 and 2003, both the city of Madison and Dane County passed ordinances to
restrict police officers from inquiring about migratory status and
collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement when not subjected to
legal obligations.
“In addition to
consulate notification, ICE has requested that Dane County notify them after
the individual has been arrested,” Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney said.
“During that process, our personnel send an e-mail to ICE notifying them that
the individual has been arrested or charged.”
In
2007, Dane County had 18,000 bookings, of which 286 arrestees indicated during
the booking process their citizenship status. Sixty-one of those arrestees were
placed under the jurisdiction of ICE, according to Mahoney.
“This is creating such a
fear factor in our community, and I am telling you it is impacting our
communities negatively,” Madison resident Kabzuag Vaj said. “I think this
relationship between the local government and ICE needs to stop because it is
creating racial profiling in our communities.”
Numerous
citizens testified yesterday, and the majority criticized the Dane County Jail
for its involvement with ICE.
“If someone wants to
live in Dane County and is a contributing member of society, deportation should
be the last resort,” said Steve Brooks of Mount Horeb.
Madison
resident David Unger said the questioning is unfair.
“The minute the police
take the step of asking that extra question is when things blow up,” Unger
said. “The minute that question gets asked, we are talking about immediate
deportation, and one department cannot make that decision.”
While
most residents indicated they did not favor Dane County Jail’s policy of
reporting illegal immigrants to ICE, others said the jail was just doing its
job.
“These people are
violating the law,” said David Lunde of Brooklyn. “The sheriff does not stop
them because of their race; he stops them because they violate the law.”
Stoughton
resident Cheryl Learn echoed Lunde’s sentiments.
“The sheriff’s office is
charged with upholding the law,” Learn said. “We have laws, and we all must
live by them. If you want to be in this country, you have to realize you are
part of something larger than the local community.”
Mahoney
said as a law enforcement agent he is obligated to uphold the law by reporting
illegal immigrants to ICE.
“I believe all law
enforcement agencies have an obligation to work together,” he said.
“Irrespective of personal beliefs, it is good public policy that law
enforcement work together.”
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 1:58am):
The crowd was hardly equal; opponents of the deportations outnumbered Mahoney's supporters at least 15-1. Mahoney repeatedly indicated that he did not know even the policies he was trying to enforce, and that he took steps beyond the scope of his own duty.
It is clear that the current program of the Sheriff's Department is both unnecessarily costly and destructive. The Public Defender's office cannot keep up with all the new cases going to trial, as arrested immigrants refuse to plea for fear of deportation. Aggrieved workers will not pursue labor violations for fear of deportation. We are also becoming aware of incidents where undocumented immigrants are pulled over for "driving while brown", where the racism that arbitrarily targets them then turns into arbitrary deportation.
Yes, there is an immigration problem in this country. But the problem is not that there is immigration; it is that the system is so corrupt, racist, and ineffective that no real solution can be reached--that is, until we actually begin to target the very socioeconomic causes of migration.
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 4:13am):
Ashok, where you at?
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 9:31am):
"Ashok, where you at?"
Um... he's in the bottom left of the photo. He was also the only one on the committee who actually grilled Mahoney a little, and bothered to see if the Sheriff's actions were wholly necessary. Considering that more than half of the people there who supported Mahoney were Board members sitting at the table (4 board members, 4 others), and that there were nearly 120 people packed into the room, one could say that Ashok represented Madison well.
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 11:20am):
Entering the country illegally is a crime under 8USC1325. The first violation is a misdemeanor and subsequent violations are felonies. If the sheriff is to stop working with a federal agency, maybe he should stop working with the federal government all together. Let's not report bank robberies to the FBI and major drug trafficking organizations to the DEA and fugitives to the US Marshals.
The people in the jails have not only committed a violation of criminal and civil federal law, but have also violated a state, county or city law to bring their illegal presence in the US to light.
He said that incoming inmates are asked about immigration status in the first place because federal law requires notification of several foreign consulates, as well as Mexico's request it be notified." If this is not followed it violates the US treaties with other countries and federal law.
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 11:38am):
First run a find and replace on this article, relacing the PC-ese 'undocumented' with English 'illegal.' Then people would realize that the illegal aliens are HERE ILLEGALLY. It just makes linguistic sense for the police to deal with them. That's kind of what the police do.
As obvious as it sounds illegal aliens don't have any right to be here, and their presence is lowering wages. Sure, maybe Americans don't want to do the jobs they are doing. For $6.00 an hour! But you could probably find a citizen who would do it for $10.00 an hour, no?
Being more liberal doesn't make you a better person. So stop thy bleeding heart.
Don't they still teach at UW that a good journalist is neutral? That one should't be able to tell by reading their article which side of a given debate or issue the journalist is on? I don't find the tone of this article to be neutral, but rather leading.
Jay Nichols (February 26, 2008 @ 12:46pm):
"Many Dane County residents spoke out against Dane County Jailâs citizenship question because it exposes those arrestees who are [illegal aliens... criminals] and can lead to their deportation from the United States."
Well DUH!!!!! Illegal aliens are criminals, one and all. They all need to be caught and deported, every last one of 'em. Period.
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 1:50pm):
there is not an immigration problem in this country, there is however a huge ILLEGAL immigration problem here.
get it right people!! it's illegal aliens americans are mad about. with each passing day, with each new crime committed by an illegal alien, americans are becoming more aware of what is really happening to their country.
eyes are opening so illegal aliens and their supporters should be very concerned.
it has nothing to do with anything except for the fact that illegal aliens and those that employ them are breaking the law. they all need to be arrested. the employers need to be thrown in prison and the illegal aliens need to be deported.
this is a very uncertain time for the united states and our government has repeatedly faltered on the issue of illegal immigration. americans are fed up and americans will stand up when it comes time to do so.
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 1:51pm):
I live in Houston, Texas and unless you want your city to look like mine, I suggest you people grow some balls and start kicking these illegals out of there. Here in Houston,TX we have a Cantina (Bar disguised as a whorehouse) in just about every other block in a "hispanic" neighborhood, we have taco trailer in just about any empty spot they can find, we have "used" tire shops about every 2-3 blocks! In most of these tire shops you are quick to find your "rims" if your car ever gets stolen. We have people with fighting rooster in their backyards and on weekends underground cockfights. We have people with sheep/goats in their backyards breeding them to slaughter later for a special occassion....last and not least I'm hispanic and I'm fedup with this situation! I have been involved in 2 car accidents and each time it was a illegal w/ no insurance and DL.
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 2:09pm):
Anonymous (another one) said:"it is that the system is so corrupt, racist, and ineffective that no real solution can be reached--that is, until we actually begin to target the very socioeconomic causes of migration."
"WE" target the socioeconomic causes of migration. How about the sending countries looking at their own corruption, their own behavior, which drives their citizens to come here illegally, aggravating economic inequality in this country. Mexico, for example, is the 14th richest country in the world in terms of GDP. It is home to the world's richest man, Carlos Slim Helu, the son of Lebanese immigrants. Yet most of our immigration, legal (more than 20 percent) and illegal is from Mexico and almost half of Mexicans say they want to move here. But the sources of Mexico's poverty lie in Mexico's culture itself--a culture which tolerates corruption. How do "WE" change that and why should we even try? We've done such a wonderful job of nation building in Iraq, not.
Perry Seamans (February 26, 2008 @ 2:12pm):
DEPORT ILLEGALS THEY ARE ILLEGAL
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 2:14pm):
ICE should have been at the hearing and arrested every single self-proclaimed illegal alien and began deportation proceedings right then and there. They have no business wasting our elected official's taxpayer paid time with their protests, and unjustified demands. Just who the heck do they think they are? Deportation ....si se puede.
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 4:16pm):
"Many Dane County residents spoke out against Dane County Jailâs citizenship question because it exposes those arrestees who are undocumented immigrants and can lead to their deportation from the United States"
Go figure, the illegals would complain about being caught. They got some nerve to try to stop measures to deport their law-breaking butts out of this country. Their gall never fails to amaze me. Heres a solution - GET LEGAL and then they won't have to worry. If not then shut up and take your punishment for breaking our laws or get the hell out of our country.
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 4:34pm):
The Secure Border Initiative is beta testing a 28 mile long electronic surveilance 'fence' along a very rugged section of the US-Arizona border with Mexico. Between September 2007 and February 2008, Border guards using this technology intercepted and deported more than 2000 "undocumented immigrants" trying to illegally enter our country. 2000 illegals....terrorists.....drug smuugglers.....slave traders.... captured in only 5 months of watching a 28 mile stretch of the border!!! This tidal wave of illegals has to be stopped. The borders must be secured and quickly!
Our health care system is failing in part because it supports 15-20 million of these freeloaders at the US citizens expense, through higher taxes, higher costs of medical services, and higher medical insurance costs. Our social security system can't support these thieves and provide for citizens. Our police, jail, prison, and ICE costs are ALL much higher due to the high percentage of illegals that commit subsequent crimes in the US.
Wake Up Wisconsin! If you tolerate criminality, you get more of it. We need a nationwide secure ID that explicitly shows citizenship status on it. We need a nationwide system for verifying citizenship and social security numbers, to assist employers with validating potential employees. We need high penalties applied to companies that repeatedly higher illegals. We need high penalties applied to the coyotes that profit off of the trans-border slave and illegal trade. We need Citizens to rally in defense of Our Country and demand swift action on these imperitives.
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 6:47pm):
Legal: gaining correct documentation to enter America.
Not Legal: crossing the border without said documentation.
Not Legal and Stupid: crossing the border without documentation and then committing a crime.
Seriously? You really want to stand up for the people on the bottom rung of that ladder? You're fine with illegal immigrants committing the one crime of entering our country. I suppose you're now okay with this illegal immigrant being picked up for other crimes. Where do you stop supporting them? When thefts start occurring? When murders happen?
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 8:14pm):
WOW. The comments here make me proud to be an American. Why aren't people so concerned with other things that are "illegal"? How many of the legal sticklers at the hearing broke the speed limit on the way home? Why don't we take the same approach to pot smoking here? Or date rape? How many of them protested the illegal invasion of Iraq? Have any of them put a jaywalker under citizen's arrest? Something tells me that if the immigrants were coming from Canada there would be a different response. You know, given our country's proud history of not hating/marginalizing/incarcerating/murdering minorities.
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 10:43pm):
Haha Ashok, how does it feel to be an outcast in your own district?
Anonymous (February 26, 2008 @ 11:27pm):
is the IWU doing the questioning? No. you should have used a source that actually does the questioning to get your information about the process, rather than the IWU. i'm not saying which one is wrong or right, but the IWU has its own agenda, so you need to at least get the information from the orignial source and THEN see what IWU has to say about it.
Anonymous (February 27, 2008 @ 8:27am):
I say decrease legal immigrants to zero or only if marriage for 2 years then you'll be allowed into the USA. Mexico is a shit hole just like California is becoming the new dump.
Anonymous (February 28, 2008 @ 5:22pm):
Bottom line is - no state or local government may PREEMPT Federal law and having a Sanctuary Policy ordinance does exactly that. So if they did have such an ordinance, it was illegal and essentially is acting AGAINST the Federal Government.
http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=iic_immigrationissuecenters0342
Anonymous (February 29, 2008 @ 6:58am):
Wow, after reading these comments I am proud to be Hispanic BUT ashamed to be an American!
You all have allot to learn, worry about something worth while and stop harping on people who are a different color unfortunate enough to be born in a place they can't call their own, or feed their family.
One could only hope that one if not all of your children fall in love with an undocumented person who risked their life to come to the great country to seek freedom and survival. I'd like to see you squirm and eat your words then.
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