First-hand account of Bianco raid detainees

[Ian David]

From BlueMassGroup.com

by: AmberPaw
Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 17:55:31 PM EDT

(Thanks for posting this, AmberPaw. - promoted by David)

Today I was a volunteer in conducting bond interviews in Spanish. I volunteered under the auspices of MIRA http://www.miracoalition.org/ and Catholic Social Services, the Immigration Law, Education & Advocacy Project, ILEAP hhttp://www.cssdioc.org/

Not one of the detainees I interviewed had any criminal history. All were working 48 hour weeks for $7.50 an hour. The saddest question was from a Guatemalan father, who had been working side-by-side with his 18 year old son. They were separated by the ICE raid, and he does not know where his son is.

Every single one wants to stay in Massachusetts and have their day in court.
AmberPaw :: First-hand account of Bianco raid detainees
The corrections employees at the detention center where these folks are being held were courteous, helpful, and a pleasure to work with.

The situation itself, the selective enforcement and draconian treatment of economic refugees is a waste of my taxpayer money. The fact that these people were shuttled as far away as Texas with no way to contact an attorney or make sure their children and spouses were safe is morally wrong - and I hope it will be shown as legally indefensible in federal court. See Judge Stearns decision in which he states:
(PDF DOCUMENT) http://pacer.mad.uscourts.gov/dc/cgi-bin/recentops.pl?filename=stearns/pdf/350detainees.pdf

...the court orders that no further transfers of detainees who remain within the jurisdiction of the court take place without prior notice to the court.

and:

The court further orders that no restrictions other than those incident to the normal rules of custody be placed on access by these detainees to such counsel as they may engage.

Further:

The court will give counsel who have entered appearances on behalf of the detainees until the close of business, Tuesday, March 13, 2007 to:....substitute as parties named individuals who have agreed to be represented by counsel now before the court. The court will give counsel until the close of business, Tuesday, March 13, 2007 to brief the issue of the court's jurisdiction, if any, over detainees who are not being held in custody within this district.

Stay tuned. As John Adams so famously said, the goal was to have the "Rule of Law, not of Men."

More:
http://www.bluemassgroup.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=6603