The collaboration of law enforcement agencies with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the Border Patrol is not something new, but recent incidents in Wisconsin demand our attention. More and more we see that law enforcement officers are stopping individuals and asking for their immigration status and making referrals to the Border Patrol, who, in response, asks that the officers place the individuals on hold for them to come and get them to transfer them to INS detention centers for deportation. Officers are acting as if they were agents of the INS. This is inappropriate, unacceptable, and inherently discriminatory.
THERE IS NO NEED TO VOLUNTEER INFORMATION ABOUT
OUR IMMIGRATION STATUS.
We also learned that in the Madison area the Dane County jail is continuously making referrals to the INS/Border Patrol as individuals are being booked to the jail. The INS reimburses the Jail for holding non-resident aliens and the jail sends INS a list of such individuals for this purpose.
A young man who chose to turn himself in to the Dane County jail to serve a 30-day sentence instead of paying a fine was supposed to be released on February 18, 2003. Instead he was picked up by the border patrol and transported to an INS detention center. The future of his wife and three children remains uncertain.
There have been other deportations out of the Dane County Jail and we are aware of a few other currently active cases. If this happens in Dane County, we suspect that it is also happening in other parts of the state. Anecdotal evidence tells us that similar stories could be produced from numerous other parts of Wisconsin. The case of Stratford, Wisconsin, currently under investigation by the ACLU of Wisconsin comes to mind.
We need to stop our law enforcement officers and agencies from automatically referring individuals to INS or the Border Patrol, especially when the cases do not merit deportation. Law enforcement officers are not INS agents and should not engage in such activities. These actions as evidenced in Wisconsin are disproportionately affecting the Latino community, specifically, the Mexican residents in our state.
LUChA members are currently working with Dane County, State of Wisconsin and federal authorities on these matters.
We will be meeting with Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager on May 13, 2003 specifically to discuss these matters with her. Karyn Rotker, Staff Attorney for the ACLU of Wisconsin, will be joining us for this meeting.
If you would like to help, please contact LUChA president Alfonso Zepeda-Capistrġn at 262-798-1291, or via email at president@madisonlucha.org
to offer your help.
LINKS TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT DEAL WITH IMMIGRATION ISSUES
AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL:
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) site will give you the most up to date news about immigration matters in the U.S.
At this site you will also find the most recent postings about Special Registration. Please click at the Office-by-Office Summary of How INS Is Handling Call-In Special Registration (Updated 12/23/02) at the AILA site: http://www.aila.org/.
National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
For more information on immigration matters, please visit the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) immigration policy page and find out about their position.
International
Immigration agreements between the U.S. and Mexico are now in danger. The U.S. was upset that Mexican President Vicente Fox did not agree with Bush's desire to attack Iraq. The U.S. was very critical of Mexico's position and threatened not to renew immigration talks. But, for some reason, Mexico gave in and the U.S. stopped its criticism. Then, Mr. Powell is sent to Mexico for a friendly visit. The talks, however, do not seem to have much priority for the U.S. As of December 30, 2002, very little can be said about any progress in this area.
The Mexican weekly magazine Proceso has frequently reported about this subject. If you are interested in this magazine, please visit the magazine's site and find out what the U.S. mainstream media usually doesn't tell about: http://www.proceso.com.mx
This image shows how some Mexicans coming across the border are treated by INS agents.
