First Wave of US arrest: No Pinoy is Captured

By Alex P. Vidal  

“Undocumented residents and even green-card holders may fear that filling out the census could put them at risk of deportation and decide its better not to be counted at all.” —Alex Wagner

WE heaved a sigh of relief that no Filipino was reportedly included among the 538 illegal immigrants arrested in the first wave of operations conducted nationwide by the U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) since the Trump administration took over January 20.

This was according to a source from the Damayan Migrant Workers, a grassroots organization that serves and empowers low-wage Filipino migrant workers living and working in New York City and New Jersey.

The source said they have been coordinating with the office of Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer and closely monitoring the raids vowing to provide assistance to Filipinos who might be seized even if they don’t have criminal records.

Some worried undocumented Filipinos have not reported for work for two weeks now, or even before the inauguration of the new president. Many of them worked as housekeepers, cooks and dishwashers in restaurants, liquor stores, laundry shops, balikayan box companies.

They were among those who defied the call of Philippine Ambassador to the US, Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez, to voluntarily leave the US before the removal started.

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The source confirmed that ICE had also conducted raids and arrests in New York and New Jersey, where large number of Filipino communities were located.

ICE agents conducted the raid without producing a warrant, according to a statement issued by Newark City Mayor Ras J. Baraka. The name of the business, as well as the number of detainees, was not immediately released by city or ICE officials. One of the detainees was said to be a U.S. military veteran, who suffered the “indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned,” according to Baraka.

Any undocumented immigrant can be arrested as part of “collateral” damage, border czar Tom Homan had earlier announced.

ICE has confirmed the raid where some U.S. citizens may have been detained especially in Newark, New Jersey.

ICE’s statement read: “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may encounter U.S. citizens while conducting field work and may request identification to establish an individual’s identity, as was the case during a targeted enforcement operation at a worksite today (January 23) in Newark, New Jersey. This is an active investigation and, per ICE policy, we cannot discuss ongoing investigations.”

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The raid in New Jersey’s largest city followed President Donald J. Trump’s pledge to deport millions of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, including in sanctuary cities that have policies protecting illegal immigrants.

The arrests zeroed in on criminals, but migrants without criminal convictions were also reportedly arrested.

The actions come in the days after officials in major cities friendly to migrants, such as Chicago, Denver and Minneapolis, anticipated ICE major raids of immigrant communities.

The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed it was ending a policy that restricted ICE agents’ ability to arrest undocumented people at or near so-called sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals.

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LET’S SAVE OUR PLANET. Let’s close our doors. Let’s remember to close doors behind us when entering or leaving rooms. Many people don’t realize that shutting doors, especially if they lead onto a hallway or to the outside, helps conserve a lot of heat by cutting down on drafts.

FROM EGGS TO FETUS. A fertilized egg is as small as the point of a pin. An 8-week-old fetus is about the size of a nickel.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)