Dear Everyone;
The article url's are for the story about what happened and the aftermath of when 900 ICE agents raided a kosher meat packing plant in Postville Iowa and arrested 400 illegals. They had arrest warrants for 638 illegals but the others were night crew and are still being rounded up.
It would be presumed because of the amount of time spent preparing for the raid standard legal procedures would be followed for charges and specifications being made clear to those arrested and making certain they had legal representation so they could make the proper legal decisions based on those charges.
What happened was a travesty of basic legal procedures we would normally expect to be allowed anyone in the US.
These articles include a pdf written by one of the hired court interpeters and a local Catholic church which offered a form of sanctuary to the families of those seized.
While we all have a range of views about illegal immigrants and how to solve the problem this is not why I am posting these articles. It's really about what the government can do because it can do it and no one can stop it from happening.
If you believe that because you are an American citizen and the government wouldn't do the same to you just ask Japanese-Americans what happened to them when FDR had the Army drive American citizens from their homes and jobs and businesses at bayonet point and sent them to concentration camps at the start of WWII.
The government will do any damn thing it wants to do - to whomever - whenever - just because it can. The ICE raids are an example of what can happen. I go cold thinking about what could happen if martial law were ever declared over some trumped up incident so we could be " protected by the government" for our own good in a FEMA-KBR concentration camp. Abu Ghraib anyone?
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/pages/camps.html
Ron Getty - SF Libertarian
Hostis res Publica
The Shame Of Postville
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/opinion/13sun2.html?pagewanted=all
This is a PDF from one of the federal court interpreters about his experiences of what happened. He has 23 years as an experienced federal court interpreter so he is not some naif fresh from the farm.
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/07/14/opinion/14ed-camayd.pdf
This is an article about the court interpreter
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/us/11immig.html?pagewanted=all
This is the story of the Postville Iowa Catholic church and its priest aiding the families of those arrested and those who became a " las personas con brazaleteot".
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/us/12religion.html?pagewanted=all