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Immigration See other Immigration Articles Title: Whitewater [WI] raid tears families apart as moms face deportation WHITEWATER - The 1-year-old boy wouldn't stop crying. He wanted his mother, and he wasn't alone. The toddler is one of many in Whitewater's Hispanic community whose mothers left for work the morning of Aug. 8 and didn't return. The women were among 25 immigrants arrested by local and federal authorities at Star Packaging on charges that they are in the United States illegally. The workers will be deported to Mexico, said Gail Montenegro, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman. For the women's families, local pastors and congregations have stepped forward to offer love and find homes for the children. "All of the people arrested were hardworking and productive," said the Rev. Russ Walker, senior pastor of Whitewater Community Church, adding that they are being punished for going to work every day to support their families. Allen Petrie, the owner of Star Packaging, is scheduled for an initial appearance Tuesday in Walworth County Circuit Court. Free on a cash signature bond, Petrie is accused of employing people without proper documentation, including Social Security numbers. Walker was caught off guard by the morning raid and said "we really had to scramble to find homes for the children." At a meeting that night with Whitewater police and immigration officers based in Chicago, the Rev. Kenneth Abarca, pastor of Hispanic Ministries at the Community Church, served as liaison for the Hispanic families. The families didn't know where their loved ones had been taken, when they would be brought back, or even if they would return, Walker said. There was good news for the 1-year-old who cried himself to sleep every night - his mother was freed on bond. The arrests reminded Walker of what happened in Germany during World War II, when people were arrested and taken to unknown locations. One difference is that Whitewater police showed compassion, Abarca said. "This was hard for the people doing their duty, too," Abarca said. "I saw police officers suffering because of the children involved." The fallout has reached deep into the Hispanic community, Walker said. All of the children of the immigrants were born in the United States and are American citizens, but their futures here are uncertain, Abarca said, adding that the problem becomes how to return them to their mothers after the women are deported. Because the children's families belong to several churches, the exact number of youngsters in need of assistance could not be confirmed. Abarca said families and friends offering safe homes to the children most likely are illegal immigrants, adding that the church has maintained a "don't ask, don't tell" stance about whether members of the congregation are in the country legally. Family members also fear that the women will be deported to border towns that are notoriously corrupt and dangerous, Abarca said. The church is working to set up contacts with churches or groups in those cities to provide safe houses and transportation for those deported, Walker said. Many of the people arrested are trying to sell everything they own to pay bonds of $8,000 to $10,000 to get out of jail, Abarca said. "The mothers are worried about their kids. They are crying and begging to see their children one more time before leaving the country." "The entire situation is very, very sad," Abarca said. "It's important for the church to be involved as a supportive body. We're trying to inform the English side of the church as to what they can do to help. The Hispanic side already is mobilized." How dare they enforce the laws. What could be more evil! [/sarc]
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#2. To: lodwick (#0)
Seems pretty simple to me. The same thing happened about an hour from here. What's the big deal about shipping them both back together?
#3. To: DeaconBenjamin (#2)
A question for Solomon - a good mom wouldn't leave without the baby, if that is even an option to her. I don't know the answer under our whacked immigration laws.
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