Immigration 2-Facedness.

Whole Story:
http://rawstory.com/2010/03/200000-protesters-dc-immigration-reform/

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200,000 protesters in DC for immigration reform

By Agence France-Presse
Sunday, March 21st, 2010 -- 4:21 pm

Raids before rally aimed to 'intimidate' marchers, claims activist

In Monday's Washington Post, staff writer David Montgomery explores how immigration raids have cast a shadow on such events.

Weeks ago, as Gustavo Torres, executive director of the Latino and immigration advocacy and assistance organization, CASA de Maryland, was set to shake President Obama's hand, he was alerted to multiple raids back home.

It was just after midday, Thursday, March 11, and it seemed like an auspicious moment for Torres, executive director of CASA of Maryland, and a dozen other immigrant-rights leaders granted the 75-minute presidential audience. The president reaffirmed his commitment to reforming the broken immigration system. And the advocates looked forward to flexing the movement's grass-roots muscles during the upcoming march on the Mall.

Torres's job in the meeting was to raise the subject of workplace raids, which he believes sweep up people whose only crime was crossing the border in search of work. The Obama administration has significantly reduced the number of workplace raids, but most immigrants removed through all enforcement measures continue to be non-criminals.

Focus on people who've committed crimes, Torres urged the president, according to participants. Obama replied that he must enforce existing law, but he directed Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to meet with the leaders to discuss ways to lessen the impact on hardworking immigrants.

Torres received an urgent text message alerting him that "[p]olice vans, unmarked SUVs and squad cars had wheeled into the driveways and parking lots of two restaurants, an office and several residences in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties. Dozens of ICE agents and local police surrounded the properties and secured the exits."

"At the raided locations, 28 men and one woman from Guatemala, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and Bangladesh were detained," the Post article continues. "So far, none has been charged with a crime. All are suspected of 'administrative' violations of immigration law. All but six were released by Friday. The six are those who have prior immigration violations. The fates of the others will be decided by immigration officials in coming weeks."

Torres charged that the timing looked like an attempt to "intimidate" the marchers.

Meanwhile, administration officials used back channels to try to convince advocates that the timing was coincidental. They characterized these raids as fitting the administration's policy of targeting alleged criminal violators, including employers.

"It was part of an ongoing criminal investigation into worker exploitation," said a federal law enforcement official who declined to be identified in order to discuss
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