[statecom] Immediate crisis: rounding up Massachusetts residents

[Gracegrnrnbw at aol.com]

Please read all the waythrough to make sense of this.   Whole sale 
deportations of the worst kind - probably in the hundreds - when do we stand up?   Or do 
we just wring our hands...

A short press release fromthe party - saying that we believe first and 
foremost in honoring the worker and human rights of all.   How about going after the 
"underground" economy of the big corporations and the top adminstrators get 
to spend appropriate time in the same prisons as everyone else - This is 
serious, Love,grace
In a message dated 3/6/07 2:34:42 PM, Camilleviv writes:


Please post widely:

> 
> Action:
> 1. Press Conference at 3pm in frontof facility.
> ---Please call press contacts if youhave them;
> ---please attend if you areable.
> 2. Command center torecieve folks looking for assistance/information
>     a. Paul will askabout Our Lady of Guadelupe at St. James
>     b. CatholicSocial Services is also offering space.
>     c. MIRA andCentro Presente will coordinate to look for volunteer 
> psycologicalassistance
>     d. If you arevolunteering and you are able please bring:
>         1.Water
>         2. Facialtissue
>         3.Blankets.
>         4.Flashlights
> 3. Possible vigil this evening at achurch (Stay tuned)
>     a. Paul will askSt. James
>     b. St. Anthony'sis an alternative
> 4. Phone bank has been canceled; ifyou were planning on attending, please 
> volunteer at the commandcenter
> 5. Possible vigil tomorrow at JFK(Stay Tuned)
>     a. MIRA willcoordinate with Centro
>     b. Suggestedtime; 11am or noon
>  
> Information:
> 1. Raid happened starting at 8pm;ICE is still processing people as of 1pm
> 2. DSS is trying to find enoughfamily placements for the children that will 
> be leftbehind.
> 3. Most of the people detained wereMayan women with small children.
> 4. ICE is working with DSS andSchool Dept. to identify and release women 
> who can prove they arethe sole providers for children under 2 years of age or 
> minoritychildren with disabilities or with elderly folks. How they are goingto 
> prove this is unclear.
> 5. Official press conference at 1pmat Moakley Courthouse--closed to public
> 6. If you speak with detaineesplease advise them:
>     1. Not to confessanything.
>     2. Not to signanything.
>     3. To say theyare really the only ones that can care for 
> theirdependents.
>  
> Contact info (cellphones):
> 1. Paul from UAI:617-960-7465
> 2. Corinn from Community EconomicDevelopment: 774-451-8687
> 3. Helena from Imm. AssistanceCenter: 508-735-1953
> 4. Michele of MIRA:875-919-3574
> 5. Jessica of Centro Presente: 617-251-6844
> 6. Shuya (press) MIRA:617-821-8990
>  
> Cynthia Tschampl
> Senior Legislative Organizer
> MIRA Coalition
> 105 Chauncy St, Suite 901
> Boston, MA 02111
> www.miracoalition.org
> Phone: 617-350-5480 ext. 212
> Save the Date!  Interfaith Summitfor Immigrant Justice, April 12th at the 
> State House.
> Migra Raids in New Bedford Today
> 
> 90 people in custody after immigration raid in New Bedford
> 
> By Yvonne Abraham, Globe Staff
> 
> Federal immigration agents raided a New Bedford leather manufacturer this 
> morning and
> 
> arrested the company's owner and three managers on charges that they hired 
> illegal workers.
> 
> Officials did not release the names of the people who were arrested or 
> identify the firm
> 
> targeted in the raid, but a local immigration
> 
> activist identified the company as Michael Bianco Inc., which makes
> 
> handbags and other leather products.
> 
> About 90 people had been taken into custody by 9:30 a.m., said Corinn
> 
> Williams, executive director of the Community Economic Development
> 
> Center in New Bedford, which has been fielding calls from worried
> 
> immigrants .
> 
> The number of arrests is expected to climb, she said, because the
> 
> waterfront factory, which has about 400 workers, employs mostly
> 
> immigrants from Guatemala and El Salvador. Williams said some
> 
> employees, most of them female, fled the factory when the raid began,
> 
> and helicopters hovered overhead to alert authorities of escape routes.
> 
> 
> "A lot of the women working there left small children in child care
> 
> today," Williams said. "Members of the community are just devastated.
> 
> People are just in disbelief. They're hard-working people."
> 
> 
> Williams said she has received assurances that the women who have
> 
> children with no one else to care for them would be released today.
> 
> The others will be put into deportation proceedings, she was told.
> 
> 
> Paula Grenier, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman,
> 
> declined to confirm or provide details about the raid. Grenier said
> 
> only that the arrests followed a 10-month investigation by federal
> 
> officials working with state and local law enforcement.
> 
> 
> The arrests were made as Congress is preparing to grapple once more
> 
> with the issue of comprehensive immigration reform and as the agency
> 
> has stepped up efforts to target employers who hire illegal
> 
> immigrants.
> 
> "I question the timing on this," Williams said. "We're on the eve of
> 
> another introduction of comprehensive immigration reform. My hope is
> 
> that many people will have the opportunity to normalize their status.
> 
> This is going to drive people back into the shadows and make them much
> 
> more vulnerable."
> Posted by the Boston Globe City & Region Desk at 11:52 AM
> 
> 
> 
> 

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AOL at http://www.aol.com.Subj: Urgent 3pm Press conference in New Bedford 
Date: Tuesday, March 6, 2007 2:34:42 PM
From: Camilleviv
To: correspondingsignal at hotmail.com, corinn at juno.com, JSoler at UMassD.Edu, 
brian_pastori at yahoo.com, seacandace at yahoo.com
cc: missy at caporganize.org, putouttheword at yahoo.com, BGilbarg, 
gsmlaborcouncil at verizon.net, movepalante at yahoogroups.com


Please post widely:

Action:
1. Press Conference at 3pm in frontof facility.
---Please call press contacts if youhave them;
---please attend if you areable.
2. Command center torecieve folks looking for assistance/information
    a. Paul will askabout Our Lady of Guadelupe at St. James
    b. CatholicSocial Services is also offering space.
    c. MIRA andCentro Presente will coordinate to look for volunteer 
psycologicalassistance
    d. If you arevolunteering and you are able please bring:
        1.Water
        2. Facialtissue
        3.Blankets.
        4.Flashlights
3. Possible vigil this evening at achurch (Stay tuned)
    a. Paul will askSt. James
    b. St. Anthony'sis an alternative
4. Phone bank has been canceled; ifyou were planning on attending, please 
volunteer at the commandcenter
5. Possible vigil tomorrow at JFK(Stay Tuned)
    a. MIRA willcoordinate with Centro
    b. Suggestedtime; 11am or noon
 
Information:
1. Raid happened starting at 8pm;ICE is still processing people as of 1pm
2. DSS is trying to find enoughfamily placements for the children that will 
be leftbehind.
3. Most of the people detained wereMayan women with small children.
4. ICE is working with DSS andSchool Dept. to identify and release women 
who can prove they arethe sole providers for children under 2 years of age or 
minoritychildren with disabilities or with elderly folks. How they are goingto 
prove this is unclear.
5. Official press conference at 1pmat Moakley Courthouse--closed to public
6. If you speak with detaineesplease advise them:
    1. Not to confessanything.
    2. Not to signanything.
    3. To say theyare really the only ones that can care for theirdependents.
 
Contact info (cellphones):
1. Paul from UAI:617-960-7465
2. Corinn from Community EconomicDevelopment: 774-451-8687
3. Helena from Imm. AssistanceCenter: 508-735-1953
4. Michele of MIRA:875-919-3574
5. Jessica of Centro Presente: 617-251-6844
6. Shuya (press) MIRA:617-821-8990
 
Cynthia Tschampl
Senior Legislative Organizer
MIRA Coalition
105 Chauncy St, Suite 901
Boston, MA 02111
www.miracoalition.org
Phone: 617-350-5480 ext. 212
Save the Date!  Interfaith Summitfor Immigrant Justice, April 12th at the 
State House.
Migra Raids in New Bedford Today

90 people in custody after immigration raid in New Bedford

By Yvonne Abraham, Globe Staff

Federal immigration agents raided a New Bedford leather manufacturer this 
morning and

arrested the company's owner and three managers on charges that they hired 
illegal workers.

Officials did not release the names of the people who were arrested or 
identify the firm

targeted in the raid, but a local immigration

activist identified the company as Michael Bianco Inc., which makes

handbags and other leather products.

About 90 people had been taken into custody by 9:30 a.m., said Corinn

Williams, executive director of the Community Economic Development

Center in New Bedford, which has been fielding calls from worried

immigrants .

The number of arrests is expected to climb, she said, because the

waterfront factory, which has about 400 workers, employs mostly

immigrants from Guatemala and El Salvador. Williams said some

employees, most of them female, fled the factory when the raid began,

and helicopters hovered overhead to alert authorities of escape routes.


"A lot of the women working there left small children in child care

today," Williams said. "Members of the community are just devastated.

People are just in disbelief. They're hard-working people."


Williams said she has received assurances that the women who have

children with no one else to care for them would be released today.

The others will be put into deportation proceedings, she was told.


Paula Grenier, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman,

declined to confirm or provide details about the raid. Grenier said

only that the arrests followed a 10-month investigation by federal

officials working with state and local law enforcement.


The arrests were made as Congress is preparing to grapple once more

with the issue of comprehensive immigration reform and as the agency

has stepped up efforts to target employers who hire illegal

immigrants.

"I question the timing on this," Williams said. "We're on the eve of

another introduction of comprehensive immigration reform. My hope is

that many people will have the opportunity to normalize their status.

This is going to drive people back into the shadows and make them much

more vulnerable."
Posted by the Boston Globe City & Region Desk at 11:52 AM


 





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