San Antonio to Assist Families After Undocumented Worker Raids

[Avalux]

San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger wants to help those who were left behind after their loved ones were deported - mainly wives and children. The April 19 raids on IFCO Systems locally resulted in the arrest and deportation of 27 undocumented workers. Hardberger recalled how the city helped Katrina victims after that disaster and sees this situation as similar; saying he's neutral on the issue of immigration. I applaud his efforts to help these people for humanitarian reasons, even if others disagree:

Hardberger said he will meet with City Manager Sheryl Sculley "to see if our existing institutions to help the needy are enough to take care of the needs of these people or whether we should have some sort of special effort in the same sort of sense that we helped the evacuees."

"Right now, some of them are very torn up and have very bad circumstances," he said.

Mark Krikorian, head of a think tank that supports tighter immigration controls, criticized the mayor for comparing lawbreakers to U.S. citizens fleeing a natural disaster. Krikorian said the city likely wouldn't do the same for families of U.S. citizens who have been sent to prison for committing state crimes.

"He's saying the city is neutral, (that) immigration policy isn't its business, and then he's assisting illegal immigrant families," said Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington. "He clearly is getting involved in immigration policies. To say that a city can be neutral on immigration matters is false because anything that a state or local government does is its immigration policy. What he's clearly doing here is subverting federal immigration enforcement.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA042606.03B.immigrant_help.9abe2dd.html

[Avalux]

1. Not one reply? Kick.

Shoulda put Rove, Fitz or Snow in the subject line I guess. :D

[Horse with no Name]

2. These are the people

that give me hope that our country hasn't turned into a mosh pit of self-centered arrogance.

[Avalux]

3. I am proud to say I voted for Hardberger.

He's an old school Democrat and what he did when the Katrina evacuees were in town was wonderful. Texas isn't all bad! ;-)

[bluedog]

4. he is assisting illegals.......

that means hes aiding and abetting......which there are laws against this.....

perhaps some on DU rather not get into this messy topic.....

[Avalux]

5. He wants to help their families -

a lot of them are kids who were born here, in school and citizens. Nothing wrong with that. :hi:

[bluedog]

6. anchor babies....... who we pay for n/t

[Avalux]

7. Perhaps. But if you lived here you may not feel that way.

These people are desperate - what should happen to them?

[bluedog]

8. truthfully?..I could care less.they knew it was ILLEGAL to cross

over the border.......what did they expect.....flowers and candy........sorry I sound harsh...but thats the way I feel

[Horse with no Name]

9. How very

progressive.:crazy:

[Avalux]

10. You're entitled to your opinion,

but the fact is - these are human beings who deserve to be treated with dignity and deserve assistance with basic necessities such as a roof over their heads and food in their bellies if necessary.

[bluedog]

11. and who ends up paying the bill?n/t

[Horse with no Name]

12. I'd love to see the receipts that you have in your possession

Since you pay their bills and all.

[Avalux]

13. Maybe if we didn't spend so much money on fucked up war,

we'd have enough to take care of people who need help. I get that compassion isn't your strong point, but I think you are being overly harsh.

[bluedog]

14. harsh? don't think so

my daughter in law has to wait 999 days to get into the states.....shes from Russia......and has legal papers .....medical records ....every paper one could imagine.has to be filed in triplequit......

you tell me.thats its alright for illegals to sneak in.stay..not have background checks.....proper immunizations........that they have "right" to stay....and I should feel compassion to help them?.........
don't think so......they should go home and come in legal.......like every one else is trying to do.........

[Avalux]

15. In a perfect world, it would be that easy.

I think we both will agree that the current situation isn't working and it isn't fair. However; these people live in my city, some have lived here all their lives. Sending them back to Mexico - yanking the kids out of high school and sending them back there - it's not realistic. They have no home there.
I'm still struggling with what I think the solution is, but mass deportation isn't it.

[AGiordino]

16. And were any of the employers of these illegals arrested?

In Texas? Isn't there a law against knowingly hiring illegal workers?
Didn't these employers wonder why these people would work for substandard subsistence wages?
Oh, I guess not.
This is such a one-sided f'd up country these days it shames me. :wtf:

:argh:

[Avalux]

17. IFCO Systems was the employer -

the company is owned by a group out of the Netherlands, based in Houston with plants all over the country. They were targeted with raids in many different cities, 29 undocumented workers here in San Antonio, 1200 altogether - here's an article:

"Federal prosecutors said the seven current or former managers were charged with conspiracy to transport, harbor and encourage illegal immigrants to reside in the United States for commercial advantage and financial gain. The managers face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each illegal immigrant worker."

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/2006-04-20-ifco-raids_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA