Isn’t that the whole purpose of upholding the law. That those who do right are commended and those who do wrong fear those in authorities? The recent fires have brought a situation where help and shelters are requiring ID. Wow… novel concept to weed out the law breakers.
[LA Times] Evacuations raise deportation fears
Seeing U.S. agents and being asked for ID at rescue centers spark concern among illegal immigrants, making them wary of seeking help.By Richard Marosi and Ari B. Bloomekatz
Los Angeles Times Staff WritersOctober 28, 2007
SAN DIEGO — Flames were only one worry for some illegal immigrants in the fire zone. Equally scary were the crowded roads and evacuation centers, heavy with law enforcement officers, including U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Some wondered if they would be deported if they went to shelters.
“We decided that we wouldn’t go because they ask for your name and everything,” said day laborer Jose Salgado, waiting for work off the 5 Freeway near Rancho Santa Fe.
His friends working in the nearby tomato fields had different concerns, he said: “They didn’t know if they would have a job when they got back.”
Disasters can magnify the marginalized status of people here illegally. Seeking help can mean taking risks, and decisions can be informed as much by rumor and miscommunication as by facts and actual events.
In response to recent rumors, U.S. authorities deny that they have been rounding up illegal immigrants at evacuation centers, and Mexican Consulate officials in San Diego who visited numerous sites have found no evidence to support the rumors. “We are not arresting fire evacuees. It’s absolutely ludicrous to suggest otherwise,” said Lauren Mack, spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Immigrant rights groups and the American Civil Liberties Union, however, claim that authorities have created a climate of intimidation through neglect and such policies as asking for identification at some shelters.
{ 1 trackback }