Thursday, October 28, 2010
Immigration Immigration Agents Raid The Clairmont Apartments
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Thu, Oct 28, 2010 at 5:20 PM
On the sidewalk in front of The Clairmont Apartments, representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition denounced an Oct. 20 raid of the southwest Nashville complex by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that is said to have resulted in the detention of more than 20 residents who were allegedly undocumented.
Immigrant representatives and witnesses say agents broke into the apartments and arrested men and women at gunpoint, forcing them to leave their children behind.
"They came and took my friends and their family members — people who take care of me after school and look out for me every day," said a 13-year-old boy whose name is being withheld.
Immigrant representatives know of no criminal charges filed against the people who agents rounded up, and they claim that warrants were not presented before agents entered the apartments by force. One source says they were taken to a detention facility in Ft. Payne, Ala., despite the fact that Davidson County has a facility that participates in 287 (g), a federal program that allows local law enforcement to screen and detain undocumented immigrants.
Leading up to the raid, advocates say conditions at the department had deteriorated, and that absentee management failed to address issues such as insect infestation, a lack of hot water, unusable bathrooms and broken windows.
Since taking office, the president has signaled an intent to move away from home and workplace raids, placing the onus on employers to ensure workers are documented. Both candidates for Tennessee governor have expressed similar sentiments about employer accountability.
This isn't the first time Hispanics have had trouble at the Clairmont Apartments. In 1999, a Scene investigation discovered a private security company was beating, harassing and often extorting Hispanic residents of the Clairmont, then known as Ivy Wood.
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They should have taken the kids too! I think it is ridiculous for the news or anyone else to expect the people to feel bad that this happened. If they had been here legally it may have been a different story. I also think the people who own the complex and manage it should be held for harboring illegal aliens. As for the ACLU, if they can't help an American when they have been violated but they can get tore up over this I wish for them to receive no more funding from me. The A in ACLU stands for AMERICAN. I feel as though my country is being invaded by people who do not want to be documented as being here for a reason. Are we really still wondering how terrorists are getting into the US? It is very possible for ANY foreign individual to not only document there whereabouts here but to also be here legally, so why are they not doing it? Think about that question for a while.
You both are xenophobic, bigoted fools who know nothing of what it is like to be an immigrant (legal or not). The sad thing is that you actually think you somehow deserved to be born where you were born, with all the rights and privileges you enjoy. And the really sad part is that you are oblivious to the historical fact that our (yes, i am American) ancestors came here as ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS who violated and decimated the native population. The biblical testimony is clear: God is on the side of the 'alien' and 'immigrant'.
the Bible is a pathway to Heaven,not Tennessee.
go tell the ruling class in mexico about the Bible,not us.
dred scott started the civil war because free labor could not compete with slave labor then,no more than an honest contractor can compete with illegal labor.
in the Bible,the aliens had to be circumcised to be invited to eat,can't the illegals at least learn to speak english and be documented?
vols31,you are the fool.
Ok, vols 31, lets talk about who was here first! My great grandfather was Cherokee! What does that make me. Now, since you are so for illegals residing in the US, how I come to your house, enter it illegally, and then live there. What would you do? Now think about this. There are legal means of entering the US. So the crap your spilling out only makes me think that if I were robbing a bank you would cheer me on. After all, I would only be breaking the law. Is that what you condone? Sounds like it to me.
Deport them immediately and anyone employing or aiding them should be thrown in jail and brought up on charges..our country is being invaded by Mexico and other countries..they want to come here, fine, but by heck do it legally like the rest.
Midnight Lamp.. with all due respect,you obviously don't know your Bible or History...lol
sorry Midnightlamp..my sincerest apologies..I meant that for the uneducated individual below your document Vols31
Why don't the ACLU and the Immigration Rights Group help get these illegal aliens back to their own country and end all these raids and deportations. These illegal aliens don't belong here. That's why they are called ILLEGAL ALIENS.
Illegal aliens are destroying this Country, and one would have to be almost blind not to see this. How much longer do we have to support these illegal aliens? How much longer do we have to school their illegal alien children? How much longer are we going to let them have our jobs? How much longer are we going to put up with all the crime, stolen identities, forged documents, fake green cards? How much longer are we going to allow these illegal aliens to send money out of this Country and bring our Country down? Oh, amnesty will correct all this. WRONG! Nothing will change except we wouldn't be able to call them illegal aliens any more. Let's get rid of these illegal aliens! Let's get them back to their own Country where they belong!
ENFORCE THE LAW! NO AMNESTY!
I'm an immigration attorney and a minister. Vols31 is right that the Bible supports the immigrant, but I don't think we really need to get into that. But God is also a God of laws, and it's important that we follow them (I notice nobody is mentioning the ICE agents who entered the home without producing a warrant--Should they be thrown into jail for breaking the law?). But the problem with the whole immigration debate is the laws. Our system is broken. We need serious immigration reform so that we can make it easier for PEOPLE to come here legally. As for the argument that they should all be deported...that's just not feasible or advisable. I doubt that anyone who seriously investigates the economic benefits our country receives from illegals would be championing their deportation. Rather, we need to get them on a path to legal status through a workers' program and then make employers accountable. If the Gulf oil spill taught us anything, you're never going to clean up all the oil (get rid of illegals) until you stop the leak (fix the broken immigration system).
wow, Apparently American Man is 100% Cherokee!!! He never had any other ancestors come from ANY part of the world. That is quite astounding in this day and age to never have ANY ancestors who are immigrants!!
Give me a break. I have Indian ancestry too. I also have Italian and Irish ancestry. Everyone in the US has relatives who were immigrants at one time, so stop this BS of "I was here first!!" It's childish and has no merit. Next please!
I just wanted to say that agree with everyone on here BUT vols31. Throwing big word insults at the rest of us only made you look dumb. Here are some facts as to why these agents most likely didn't take the time to pull out a warrant before entering.
#1 They like to run! I have seen it first hand in raids on ILLEGAL immigrants.
#2 They are using terroristic methods in which they hope to control neighborhoods like gang tags (I am not forgetting about the other gangs as well), threats and other means of instilling fear.
#3 Down at the border they are killing political figureheads and law enforcement for busting them with drugs. In fact, it has become common place there, hence Arizona's newly formed laws.
#4 I know an employee of higher law enforcement (in which neither the agent or agency will be named) who has in their possession photos of a protest by the border and held by illegal immigrants. In this photo they are carrying signs for their demonstration. A few of those signs actually read "We will keep killing cops".
This sure makes me want them here. How about you vols31? I am told that they come here for a better life. In fact, they are having a massive drug war on both sides of the border and are killing anyone who gets in their way. The US, Mexico border has become the new Cuba only this time with MUCH MUCH MORE traffic than we ever saw out of Cuba.
Now with all of that knowledge, do any of you still want illegal and undocumented immigrants in this country? How about next door? What if those same people next door are violent and know the only thing that will happen to them if they assault you in any way is that they will deport them. One thing is for sure, I DON'T.
And one other thing. I have spoken with an illegal hispanic before about how they get here. Did you know they pay more money to cross the border illegally than they would to get the paperwork to do it legally? Wonder why they do that? I can promise you this, it isn't cause they want to come over plant flowers!
Legal and documented immigrants I can deal with. Illegal should be deported and if they get caught here a second time they should be treated as a terrorist or an invading military figure.
And jiller is an idiot! Where did I say I was 100% Native American? I don't see it. Get off the drugs and get some help soon. You are clearly seeing things. That's not healthy.
This is the nation of English-Americans. Our people endured persecution in the mother country. They left everything to live in a wilderness. They went on to build the greatest nation on Earth. How is it we have become pariahs in our own country that our fathers paid for with their blood?
Why do the teeming masses of Los Centros filth that come here think us their servants? Why do indigenous Americans believe they have have residual ownership just because naked nomads once roamed this land? Why do bLACKs think they are entitled to wealth because their ancestors were incapable of being anything better than mere chattel? I will tell you why. Because we are being fed LIES on a daily basis by the mouthpieces of our enemies. I urge you to put your people, your family, and yourself FIRST in all matters. If you do this everything else will fall into place.
I also want let you know jiller, that their LOTS of full blooded native american men, women and children still around. You should get out more.
I will say I agree only partially with Make a difference. We do not live in the 17 & 1800s anymore. I do not, however, agree with racism. Hate is a problem. It causes problems that are not needed anywhere. I do not judge people by the color of their skin, only by their actions. You do not have to agree with that and bring up the bible again. It will not change my mind on the state all of this has our country in today.
American Man, by listing those points, and then by writing"This sure makes me want them here", you are characterizing an entire population of people as homogeneous in personal belief, motivation, and behavior. This sweeping generality is fairly short sighted.
I hope someone else will address your points with regards to the war on drugs and citizenship processes and cost. I do not know enough about either to comment thoughtfully. However, I do believe the war on drugs drives a lot of good people from a country ravaged by violence into ours.
I agree pablo, but why take the chance of being sent back? Do it legally and you don't have that to worry about. And it costs roughly $1,500 whereas they spend $3,000 to $30,000 to come to the US illegally. Why do you suppose they do that? Their are plenty of hispanics who come to the US legally everyday. There is a reason they want to be here illegally. No taxes for one. They are trying to fly under the radar as well. And if they do something like say, rape and murder a woman in Knoxville and then throw her body in the river, all they have to fear is a free ride back home. There is no generalization, only a realization. By the way, I have a little more insight on this subject than I am letting on and I will leave it at that.
GO AMERICAN MAN!!!! i totally support you and what you say. and as far as the whole "ice had no warrants" ... seriously? these illegal aliens DO NOT HAVE RIGHTS IN OUR COUNTRY! why do so many people think they do? i'll never understand it. you get here legally, like many of the other immigrants, and then we can talk rights. it's not fair for the people who are trying to get over here legally and having to wait and pay their money, and then get here and have to pay taxes to support the ones who came over here illegally! i'd be extremely pissed off if i was one of them. and vols31 - no one believes they deserve to be born where they're born ... they just are ... we were born here and if we wanted to live in another country, (i would hope) we would go about it by the correct means of getting there. they just happened to be born outside the US, they should go about getting into the country the legal way. you can't pick where you're born any more than you can pick your family when you come out. you deal with the situation you are dealt. everyone does.
American Man, first, let me say that I agree appropriate immigration reform is required ASAP, and that the issue of immigration is one of many vital parts to the safety and stability of our country. I also agree that violent crimes committed by anyone is atrocious.
Now, I believe the answer to your questions are much more complex than presented.
There is a lot of history to overcome as well as a current overriding negativity directed at Latino immigrants (among others). This speaks very simply to cultural (ethnic, familial, folk, and popular) behavior. Cultural behavior is typically socially mediated, so narrowing all the issues that arise from these to cost is impossible.
Now, considering systematic issues is a whole different animal. There are many systematic (i.e., governmental) problems with many more required solutions before a viable immigration policy can be backed by achievable mechanisms. This cannot be narrowed to such a fine point that all the emphasis is placed at the feet of the immigrant, much less have transgressions by some placed on the shoulders of the whole.
There is a great deal of discussion that should be had regarding this issue, and I wish I had time to add more content to these basic points.
Enjoy Life--Just because a person is here illegally does not mean they have NO rights. While they obviously, and for good reason, do not enjoy the same rights as a citizen, they do have rights and our law (which I'm sure you are keen to enforce) recognizes those rights. And to suggest that because they are "illegal" and have less rights that law enforcement shouldn't be obligated to follow the law is a dangerous line of thinking. I don't think any of us really want to go down that slippery slope.
American Man--you are absolutely correct in saying that there are illegals who come here and commit crime, even violent crime such as rape and murder. But the percentage of those that do is extremely small. Unfortunately they are the ones getting the news coverage and it gives the impression that most illegals are violent criminals, which is simply not true.
Consider this abstract from the Harvard Latino Law Review, Spring 2006, by Francine J. Lipman:
"Americans believe that undocumented immigrants are exploiting the United States' economy. The widespread belief is that illegal aliens cost more in government services than they contribute to the economy. This belief is undeniably false. [E]very empirical study of illegals' economic impact demonstrates the opposite . . .: undocumenteds actually contribute more to public coffers in taxes than they cost in social services. Moreover, undocumented immigrants contribute to the U.S. economy through their investments and consumption of goods and services; filling of millions of essential worker positions resulting in subsidiary job creation, increased productivity and lower costs of goods and services; and unrequited contributions to Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance programs. Eighty-five percent of eminent economists surveyed have concluded that undocumented immigrants have had a positive (seventy-four percent) or neutral (eleven percent) impact on the U.S. economy.
Undocumented immigrants, like all U.S. citizens and residents, are required to pay taxes. Despite the historic and strong American opposition to taxation without representation, undocumented immigrants (except in rare and unusual cases) have not enjoyed the right to vote on any local, state or federal tax or other matter for almost eighty years. Nevertheless, each year undocumented immigrants add billions of dollars in sales, excise, property, income and payroll taxes, including Social Security, Medicare and unemployment taxes, to federal, state and local coffers. Hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants go out of their way to file annual federal and state income tax returns.
Yet undocumented immigrants are barred from almost all government benefits, including food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, federal housing programs, Supplemental Security Income, Unemployment Insurance, Social Security, Medicare, and the earned income tax credit (EITC). Generally, the only benefits federally required for undocumented immigrants are emergency medical care, subject to financial and category eligibility, and elementary and secondary public education. Many undocumented immigrants will not even access these few critical government services because of their ever-present fear of government officials and deportation.
Undocumented immigrants living in the United States are subject to the same income tax laws as documented immigrants and U.S. citizens. However, because of their status most unauthorized workers pay a higher effective tax rate than similarly situated documented or U.S. citizens. Yet, these workers and their families use fewer government services than similarly situated documented immigrants or U.S. citizens. Moreover, unauthorized workers have been denied remedies by the U.S. Supreme Court under the National Labor Relations Act and may be challenged to receive protection under wage and hour, anti-discrimination and workers' compensation laws. As a result, undocumented immigrants provide a fiscal windfall and may be the most fiscally beneficial of all immigrants.
Despite their net positive contribution to public coffers, hundreds of thousands of immigrants enter the U.S. each year without documents because of impracticable quota and labor certification requirements. These immigration restrictions combined with the additional tax or tariff on undocumented immigrants are inconsistent with economically efficient immigration policy. Moreover, the high effective tax rate imposed on the poorest undocumented working families relative to their less unfortunate friends and neighbors is inconsistent with fundamental tax policy. This Article describes and analyzes the separate, unequal and unrepresented federal taxation of undocumented immigrants."
My point with all of this is that we need to fix the broken immigration system to allow more people to come here legally. Once that is fixed then we can figure out what to do with those here illegally. And until it is fixed we're not going to be able to do anything with illegals. They'll keep coming. I also reject the notion that illegals are violent criminals. Most are good, hard-working people trying to provide a better life for their families.
The reality is much more horrifying than you know pablo. I agree that not all of the hispanics here illegally have harmful intentions. BUT TRUST ME, the majority of them do. I wish I could go into more detail but I will not. They can say all they want about why they are here, but get them to be honest with you as I have and you will see that they are simply doing what every criminal on the face of this earth does. They are denying the truth. The truth is that the majority of illegals go further than just being here illegal and the whole truth would make you want to move away from the US. These are not idiots coming here illegally. They have their reasons and those reasons would scare you.
smn2 you're right ... i was a little too passionate for a minute there. i apologize. and i do agree with you that not all illegals are violent criminals ... BUT regardless, they have broken the law and come into this country illegally. it's not fair for the ones who are going through the system and doing it the right way. the road to hell is paved with good intentions. and i am completely aware that there are a lot of illegal hispanics who are harder workers than most of us and are just trying to support their families like everyone else, but that still doesn't make it right for them to come over here illegally. i agree that the system needs to change and i don't think that amnesty is the answer like some ppl seem to think it is (and i was not pointing any fingers or implying that about anyone who's commented because i don't know who all believes that). BUT EITHER WAY, SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE. smn2 i like your comments.
smn2, I have a question to that. If they are undocumented, then how do you suppose they know these totals? They can't because it is IMPOSSIBLE. You can choose to believe someone who most likely employs these immigrants knocking american workers out of jobs or you can go and research it personally. I HAVE. You are right on the note that we must have some sort of order in how we handle this problem. Deporting them when they commit a crime is not the way it should be handled though! If they want to be treated like an american then lets do just that. If they commit a crime they should stand trial and serve time for it here in America and then be deported. If we started doing that we would see a huge change in how many illegal immigrants were coming across the border. I am sure ANY criminal would love to simply be bussed or flown to Mexico as their punishment for murder and other crimes. But advocate it. I know a lot about them. You are defending the monster. And just to rest the question I know is on your mind, no, they have never done anything directly to hurt me so my opinion is not based on a horrible personal experience. It is actually based on the words of many of them who have spoken to me about the situation we are speaking of. You have an admirable awareness of right and wrong. Though sometimes that can cause us to be blind to what is really going on.
Enjoy Life--I agree with your last comment--something needs to change. And let me clarify my position. I am not for people coming to this country illegally. It's quite the opposite. My position is that we need to make it easier for them to do so legally by giving our immigration system a major overhaul. I think where we differ is that it doesn't bother me that there are illegals here. It bothers me when an illegal commits a horrific crime, but it's because they've committed the crime and not because they're here illegally. Now, I know that coming here illegally is a crime, but I don't view it as one of moral turpitude as so many in this country do. Plus, given the benefits that they provide to the country I'm less inclined to rail against them.
American Man--Just because they are undocumented doesn't mean they don't exist or can't be tracked. Besides, you seem to be keeping tabs on the majority of them, given that you believe they have harmful intentions.
"This is the nation of English-Americans. Our people endured persecution in the mother country. They left everything to live in a wilderness. They went on to build the greatest nation on Earth. How is it we have become pariahs in our own country that our fathers paid for with their blood?"
Amen Mr. Make a Difference, Boycott Brown Labor!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's what I've been saying for as long as I remember! Anyways, I'm going to start performing my own citizen raids at various apartment complexes around Nashville! Who's with me! We can make a difference one complex at a time! And thank you to all of you out of town commentors! Carpet bombing of blogs and comment boards is definitely one of the solutions to this terrifying dilemma! We can not rest until every illegal brown person is forcibly removed back to where they came from!!!!!
Not counting Native Americans and former slaves, I think it goes Italian, Irish, Chinese, Catholics in general (and Poles), and now Mexicans, who could actually be from anywhere in Central or South America. The ones everyone is going to hate in 30 years or so are, let's say, Indian. I didn't even mention the internment of Japanese-Americans, or how if you're from an "established" Southern family, you are almost certianly not of English extraction, but rather a filthy Scot.
Oh yeah, and Jews.
Having been through the system to have my husband become legal (I'm American he is not), I can attest to how difficult it is to navigate. USCIS can be unorganized and the amount of red tape you must go through can be frustrating to say the least. At times it feels like the right hand isn't talking to the left hand. Consider that you can get an immigration officer who is having a bad day. Consider that the financial cost of becoming legal is a burden to those who are barely scraping by just to be a part of this society. And finally, many people who are going through the process of becoming legal are tied up in the system for years and cannot leave the country until their case is fully processed. This means people (like my sister-in-law) could not return to their country to visit people they love for three years. It's a huge sacrifice to go through a process that can be invasive, heartbreaking, and relieving all at the same time. I'm not defending people who are here illegally. I'm trying to shed some light on what one must go through to be in this country. Let's reorganize our system. Look here if you are interested in getting a glimpse into the process of becoming legal in the U.S.. http://www.uscis.gov
Thanks for your comments, TNHomegrown. I went through the USCIS system myself and it took almost 15 years and over $30K to process my paperwork and legally get a green card. People come to the United States illegally because the immigration system is broken. Many workers have no other way to immigrate here. I'm not advocating illegal immigration. On the contrary, I long for the day when the immigration system is fixed.
The bible states clearly: Give Ceaser what is due.......We are to obey the law of the land. Was the property manager fined for having illegals residing within the community?
