Immigrants urged - don't be afraid to go to rally - amid roundup rumors

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http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/politics/14456333.htm

The article starts out:

MILWAUKEE - An immigrant worker group urged Hispanics Friday not to be afraid to turn out for a second rally to support immigration reform after false rumors of immigration roundups in Wisconsin and around the nation.

Federal immigration officials confirmed that the rumors were unfounded, but that didn't keep thousands of immigrants from coast to coast Friday from staying home from work, taking their children out of school and avoiding church.

Then it ends with this gem:

Meanwhile, immigration and customs agency officials announced Friday the arrest of 106 illegal alien fugitives and 19 immigration status violators throughout the Midwest from April 10 to April 19. Of those, 46 had criminal records, Counts said.

The enforcement activity occurred in Milwaukee as well as in neighboring states including Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana. Counts said four of the six Wisconsin arrests were in metro Milwaukee and the other two were in Sheboygan.

Now, here's something interesting I missed on the first read:

Voces de la Frontera Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz also wants the U.S. attorney general to investigate reports that people pretending to be federal agents confronted local immigrants.

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1. Parents Fear Rumors Of ICE Raids During Rally

http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_118203753.html

A message board on Craig's List Web site warned undocumented immigrants that agents with Immigration & Customs Enforcement could show up at the rally.

Parents of some students at Vaughn Elementary planned to keep their children home Monday out of fear agents would go to the school

I wonder if the posting on craigslist was a vigilante tactic? It would fit with the report in the OP of people allegedly pretending to be federal agents.

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2. Operation Phoenix

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-04-29-immigration-fears_x.htm

ICE officials acknowledged they have stepped up arrests under their "Operation Phoenix," an existing program to find and deport fugitive illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds.

Many wondered whether the rumors would deter people from national immigration protests planned for Monday.

The National Immigration Law Center called on organizations nationwide to sign a petition urging ICE to assure the public it won't make any immigration arrests during the protests.

The agency said its policy is not to discuss potential operations. "ICE will continue to operate as it does every day of the year," Boyd said.

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3. And how will most illegals get to the rallies?

By driving without a license, of course. And without insurance. And without a valid registration.

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4. Falcon II

http://www.usmarshals.gov/falcon2/index.html

Operation FALCON II - Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally - This massive fugitive dragnet took place the week of April 17-23, 2006 and covered the western half of the United States. As a prelude to National Crime Victim's Rights Week, this cooperative effort removed some of the country's most dangerous wanted criminals from the streets.
Deputy US marshals teamed up with their state, local, and federal colleagues in the largest fugitive sweep to ever primarily focus on violent sex offenders. FALCON II resulted in the arrest of 9,037 fugitives and the clearance of 10,419 warrants. Of those fugitives arrested, 462 were wanted for violent sex crimes, 311 for other sex crimes, and an additional 783 failed to register as Sex Offenders.

So the majority of the arrests were outside the primary focus of the dragnet.

National dragnet nabs local immigration offenders
http://www.fox11az.com/news/local/stories/KMSB-20060427-dsbp-dragnet.795325df.html

Forty-six people wanted for immigration offenses, including people smuggling, were among the 117 fugitives rounded up in Tucson and Southern Arizona during a weeklong law enforcement operation, officials said.

The dragnet was part of the nationwide Operation Falcon II. The project started April 17 and concluded Sunday.

Gee, I wonder how the immigration roundup rumors could have gotten started?

Operation FALCON II: Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally
Participating Federal Law Enforcement Agencies
http://www.usmarshals.gov/falcon2/federal.html

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT of HOMELAND SECURITY
Office of Inspector General 1 District
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 12 Districts
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Deportations 1 Districts
U.S. Customs and Border Protection 4 Districts
U.S. Secret Service 10 Districts

Yeah, that could do it!

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5. Feds say roundup not related to migrants

http://www.rrstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060429/NEWS0107/104290020/1004/NEWS

A federal immigration official said the rumors might have been sparked by factory raids in Chicago and Milwaukee that led to the arrests of hundreds of illegal immigrants.

But did federal marshals in the area help fuel the fear?

"It's coincidental," said David Turner, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service. "We did conduct long-standing plans a week ago that certainly has nothing to do with the current events or what came up Monday.

"All we know is, we conducted our violent-criminal fugitive roundup and removed a lot of people from all communities — Hispanic communities as well as Anglo and others," Turner said. "The people we were picking up, anybody would want picked up if you were living next door to them."

Dominic Iasparro, the deputy Rockford Police chief, said it would be a stretch to link Operation Falcon II to the immigration rumors.

"It wasn't one particular part of town. It wasn't one nationality," Iasparro said. "It was small groups of (three or four) officers, and those were criminal warrants. I don't know how they would relate that to immigration."

Unless, of course, they happened to come across somebody who also happened to be an illegal immigrant?