Kalamazoo Hispanic Council Defends Criminals

Local 'Hispanic leaders' are upset about recent immigration raids.

Immigration raids put Kalamazoo's Hispanic American Council 'in crisis mode'

KALAMAZOO — The Hispanic American Council, the Kalamazoo area’s largest Latino advocacy group, is operating “in crisis mode” in the wake of a series of arrests of undocumented immigrants made this week by federal immigration agents, a top official at the council said.

Many in the Hispanic community in the city of Kalamazoo are closing up their shops, keeping their kids home from school and holding-up in their homes, said Lori Mercedes, program director at the council.

“Of course they are afraid,” Mercedes said of the state of mind of Hispanic community members. “We must see the human aspect of what happens when ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) comes into our community.”

The operation, carried out at businesses and residences from Sunday through Wednesday, arrested 20 male illegal immigrants who were either guilty of a crime or had been told to leave the country but had failed to do so. Of the 20 arrested, 15 were from Mexico; others were from Nigeria and China.

Oh no! How could they! CRISIS! CRISIS!

Arrests were made at the Big Burrito on KL Ave., and Stir Max and Olive Garden, both on Westnedge Avenue, Mercedes said.

More jobs for Americans.

Phillip Cruz, program coordinator at the council, said it might be true that some of those arrested were criminals, but that others arrested by ICE were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And they were criminals. Illegal immigration is a crime.

For instance, Cruz said, when ICE agents made their way to Big Burrito, the individual they were looking for was not there. So agents began questioning other workers there. After determining that one of them was undocumented, that man was arrested.

The same circumstance took place at homes in the community, Cruz said.

ICE told the Kalamazoo Gazette on Thursday that the operation was targeted to illegal immigrant criminals and those who had not complied with federal demands to leave the country.

However, according to Khaalid Walls, spokesman for the ICE field office in Detroit: “In general, when conducting operations if we run into individuals who are not part of our operational scope but are here illegally we have the authority to arrest them.”

Mercedes also had serious concerns about the way ICE agents handled their investigations while in the city.

After speaking with several members of the Hispanic community who had interactions with ICE agents while the operation was occurring, Mercedes alleged that agents harassed and intimidated people who had done nothing wrong.

Some were stopped in the streets, she said, adding that the operation lasted much longer than past ICE operations in the city, which usually lasted one to two days.

“The process is full of intimidation,” she said. “There is a fear right now that they can be caught anywhere. A lot will pack up and move away. Enough is enough.”

Good riddance.

Mercedes said that she would be organizing an effort to investigate claims of wrongdoing by ICE. The council, she said, would be in contact with the American Civil Liberties Union to explore its legal options.

But a more immediate negative result of the operation is the possibility that the fear it created will keep Hispanic members of the community from reporting crimes to Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers, she said.

I'm sure criminals report lots of crimes to the police.

Bridges of trust between KDPS and the more than 5,000 member Hispanic community that have been built over several years can be destroyed as a result of an operation like the one that took place, Mercedes said.

“We need to make a distinction between Public Safety and ICE,” she said. “Public Safety is here to enforce and protect the community. Our community needs to know they still have rights even if they are undocumented.”

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The comments on this article are extremely unsympathetic. Not a single one defends the illegals or the Hispanic Council.