[migrawatch-public] 2-week immigration operation produces 359 arrests

2-week immigration operation produces 359 arrests
Published: April 4th, 2007

ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN DIEGO — U.S. authorities arrested 359 suspected illegal
immigrants during a two-week operation in the San Diego area that ended
Tuesday.
Fifty of those arrested had criminal records, including past
convictions for child sex offenses, robbery and drug violations,
according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Most were Mexican but the suspects were from 15 countries, including
Cambodia, Cuba, Israel, Laos and Thailand. They were either returned to
their countries or held in jail to wait for an appearance before an
immigration judge.
The arrests were part of Operation Return to Sender, which has
resulted in more than 18,000 arrests nationwide since it was launched
last year. The campaign targets illegal immigrants with criminal records
and those who have ignored deportation orders.
"Our message is if you are ordered deported, you should obey the
immigration court's order," said Robin Baker, ICE field director for
detention and removal in San Diego . "Otherwise, ICE is going to track
you down and send you home."
The arrests nearly all occurred at homes, authorities said.
Only 62 of the 359 arrested were targets in the operation. The rest
were nearby when agents appeared , known as "collateral arrests ."
Critics said the operation created a climate of fear.
"They're trying to sell it as something where they target
(criminals) but it's become part of a larger dragnet," said Pedro Rios,
director of the American Friends Service Committee's San Diego office.
"It's not effective, and it's not a good way to do enforcement ."
The arrests come amid signs of heightened immigration enforcement
away from U.S. borders. A raid at a leather factory in New Bedford,
Mass., resulted in the arrest of 361 workers who were here illegally.

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