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Posted by: kwflatbed

By Brian Boyd
Standard-Times staff writer
May 24, 2007 6:00 AM

Citing the "inhumane" handling of the Michael Bianco Inc. raid, U.S. Sen. John Kerry is proposing sweeping changes in immigration law that would dramatically alter enforcements like those at the New Bedford factory in March.
Sen. Kerry's amendment to a pending immigration bill calls for detainees to be held as close to home as possible and would force federal authorities to work with state social-service agencies.
"We need safe borders and we need a sensible immigration policy," Sen. Kerry said in a news release Wednesday. "But there is no place in our country for families being torn apart by reckless ICE workplace raids that separate parents from children and coerce immigrants into waiving their rights."
Sen. Kerry, D-Mass., said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials left children alone and confused in the Bianco raid's aftermath and he wants to keep that from ever happening again.
Critics charged federal officials gave insufficient consideration to the impact on families during the raid and when they shipped about 200 detainees to Texas soon after their arrests.
Local immigration advocates welcomed the proposed amendment.
"By sending these women to Texas, it made it very difficult because they were so far from their children," said Helena Marques, executive director of the Immigrant Assistance Center in New Bedford.
ICE spokesman Marc Raimondi said his agency does not comment on pending legislation. He said its mission is to enforce the laws on the books.
"As new laws are enacted, we certainly will evaluate and take necessary steps to continue to protect public safety and national security," Mr. Raimondi said.
While not commenting on the proposal, he said the agency did coordinate with the state Department of Social Services.
Sen. Kerry's amendment would require ICE to detain immigrants within the jurisdiction of the agency's local field office, to the extent possible given available space. Such a proposal would have kept Bianco detainees in New England as long as there were beds.
Sen. Kerry also calls for ICE to give notice to state agencies so they can arrange for representatives who speak the detainees' first language fluently and for any other services.
Other provisions include: a toll-free number for families to report their relationship to detainees and get information on their status; release of detainees on personal recognizance for a range of humanitarian reasons; and explanations of their legal rights provided by independent agencies when 50 or more people are caught.
Kerry spokeswoman Brigid O'Rourke said the proposal differs from current practice by taking discretion out of the hands of ICE in these matters.
"Many of the issues surrounding the raid in New Bedford were because people were too afraid to tell the ICE agents the truth about their current family situation," she said in a statement. "Kerry's amendment requires that state social-service agents should be the ones screening the detainees, and doing so in their own language."
Corinn Williams, executive director of the Community Economic Development Center, was in Washington Wednesday discussing the immigration bill with elected officials. She said she was pleased with Sen. Kerry's proposal, and she believes changes are needed in the way ICE handles raids.
Ms. Williams said she would like impartial observers to be in workplaces during raids. She also said she thinks the immigration bill itself is a good start but needs some "tweaking."
"We urgently need to pass a bill this year to protect our families and keep them together," she said.
Mr. Raimondi said ICE communicated with DSS from the start and gave them access to detainees at Fort Devens and in Texas. They did not permit them into the factory during the raid because it was a "crime scene," and access was limited to law enforcement officials, he said.
"The facts are it was law enforcement action, well coordinated with the state, well executed, and the results speak for themselves," Mr. Raimondi said.

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/...NEWS/705240358

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Posted by: HousingCop

Ohhhhh, puleeeeze tell me, why this assclown won't go away? Just shut up John and go visit one of your 6 houses with Te-ray-Za. The only immigrant he's EVER saw wore a maids uniform and walked around with a feather duster.
Can you imagine him & her in the White House? I shudder to think that we were a few hundred thousand votes shy of this nightmare becoming reality.

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Posted by: justanotherparatrooper

Sen. Kerry's amendment to a pending immigration bill calls for detainees to be held as close to home as possible
Well NO SHIT!!!! Thats what were trying to do...GET THE FUCKERS HOME and out of OUR country.

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Posted by: dcs2244

Quote:

Originally Posted by justanotherparatrooper Sen. Kerry's amendment to a pending immigration bill calls for detainees to be held as close to home as possible Well NO SHIT!!!! Thats what were trying to do...GET THE FUCKERS HOME and out of OUR country.

Ketchup Boy strikes again...

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