Jane G. wrote:
> > Immigration News Briefs > Vol. 10, No. 24 - September 23, 2007 > > 1. Marchers Rally at Georgia Prison > 2. Arrests at Texas Military Base > 3. Illinois Workers Fired Over No-Match > 4. Border Agency Arrests 202 in Alabama > > Immigration News Briefs is a weekly supplement to Weekly News Update > on the Americas, published by Nicaragua Solidarity Network, 339 > Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012; tel 212-674-9499; fax 212-674-9139; > [EMAIL PROTECTED] INB is also distributed free via email; contact > [EMAIL PROTECTED] for info. You may reprint or distribute items from > INB, but please credit us and tell people how to subscribe. > > *1. MARCHERS RALLY AT GEORGIA PRISON > > On Sept. 15, some 100 people rallied outside the Stewart Detention > Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, a privately-run immigration prison, to > protest the treatment of detainees. The rally culminated a week-long > 105-mile march through six counties, organized by the Prison & Jail > Project, a 15-year-old civil rights and prisoner rights advocacy group > based in Americus, Georgia. The group's annual "Freedom Walk"--now in > its 12th year--highlights racial and social inequities in the criminal > justice system in rural southwest Georgia. > > About eight people from the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and the > Atlanta Minuteman Project held a counter-demonstration with banners > reading: "Enforce our existing laws" and "Secure our borders." > > The Stewart Detention Center is operated by the Corrections > Corporation of America, a for-profit prison company, under contract > for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It opened in October > 2006 and with about 500 employees it has become the largest employer > in Stewart County, one of the poorest counties in Georgia. > > "This is a for-profit prison. Is America about turning prisoners into > commodities?" asked Anton Flores, a leader of the faith-based Alterna > community, which co-sponsored the Lumpkin protest. The groups also > pointed out that the prison's remote location makes it difficult for > attorneys or family members to visit detainees. Flores said he planned > to visit detainees from El Salvador and Colombia later in the day. "I > will let them know that there are people who see them as people," he > said. (Associated Press 9/15/07; WALB.com (Albany, GA) 9/13/07; Email > Message from Anton Flores 9/18/07) > > *2. ARRESTS AT TEXAS MILITARY BASE > > On Sept. 14, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested > 12 construction workers at the Fort Bliss US Army post in El Paso > County, Texas, for lacking proper work permits. The 12 were detained > after Military Police and ICE agents interviewed 335 workers at a > housing construction site at Fort Bliss and one at Biggs Army Airfield > on the base. > > Most of the workers were employed by four subcontractors for Balfour > Beatty Construction, said Winn Maddrey, a Balfour Beatty spokesperson. > The four companies were doing framing, drywall, rock-wall building and > flooring at the sites. Maddrey said the subcontractors are required to > provide documentation of workers' immigration status to Balfour > Beatty, and it is the subcontractor's responsibility to verify the > information. The prospective employee must present a copy of the form > certifying his documentation and personal identification before he is > issued a work badge, Maddrey said. > > ICE agents will continue an investigation into the source of the false > documentation, post officials said. Fort Bliss spokeswoman Jean Offutt > said it will be up to the prime contractor for Fort Bliss housing to > determine whether any action will be taken against the subcontractors. > (El Paso Times 9/15/07) > > *3. ILLINOIS WORKERS FIRED OVER NO-MATCH > > On Sept. 19, eight Latino workers were fired from the Ballco > Manufacturing plant in Aurora, Illinois, apparently over allegedly > mismatched Social Security numbers. The next day, Sept. 20, a number > of other workers walked off the job at Ballco and joined their fired > co-workers on a picket line outside the plant. Early on Sept. 21, 15 > of the workers who protested the firings were also fired. > > On Sept. 21, more than 20 workers formed two picket lines outside > Ballco, carrying signs that read "Unfair Labor Practice Strike" and > "Honk for Justice." The protesters said they had been called > individually into a supervisor's office and told that the Social > Security numbers they had provided did not match government records. > "They just told me, 'There's a problem with your Social Security > number, so we're going to have to fire you,'" said Arturo Lopez, a > machine operator at the plant, which manufactures steel balls, valves > and pipe fittings. Another machine operator, Gonzalo Bello, said: > "They said if I ever fix the problem with my Social Security number > that I can try to come back." > > Marcos Samano, a supervisor at the plant, said he was initially told > to stay at Ballco through the end of the year to train new employees, > but he was fired after walking out to join other workers in the > protest. Samano said he was confused about apparently being fired for > not documenting his employment eligibility, although he had been > working at the plant for eight years. Ballco declined to comment on > the firings. (Chicago Tribune 9/22/07) > > *4. BORDER AGENCY ARRESTS 202 IN ALABAMA > > Between Sept. 2 and 14, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents > arrested 202 out-of-status immigrants in Mobile County, Alabama, > according to Ken Fuller, the agent in charge of the CBP station in > Mobile. The two-week crackdown, dubbed "Operation Uniforce III," > targeted migrants who were traveling through Alabama by vehicle after > crossing into the US from Mexico. In announcing the arrests on Sept. > 17, Fuller said that more important than the number of people arrested > is the information gathered from those arrested, including when, how > and where they crossed from Mexico into Texas. The Border Patrol, in > partnership with other law enforcement agencies, plans to continue > these operations in the future. (Press-Register (Mobile, AL) 9/7/07, > 9/17/07) > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > END > > Contributions toward Immigration News Briefs are gladly accepted: > they should be made payable and sent to Nicaragua Solidarity > Network, 339 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012. (Tax-deductible > contributions of $50 or more may be made payable to the A.J. > Muste Memorial Institute and earmarked for "NSN".) > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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