I feel the need to give you my opinion on the "raid." By now I’m sure you all know I’m referring to the raid at the Del Monte plant here in Portland.
However, this is not the only place this is happening. Why, it seems to be happening all over the country. In the words of Barbara Bechnel, a journalist and film producer, "a Nazi-like climate against immigrants is being created in this country."
On the other side of the proverbial coin, there are those who welcome and justify these ugly raids on the immigrants as if they are terrorists. However, they are not terrorists, and the federal government, along with all of their followers, need to accept that fact, because being treated like a terrorist does not, my friend, in itself make you one.
We the people of the United States… ring a bell?
Well, we as American citizens — including myself (even though I am Latino, I am a U.S. citizen) — need to ask ourselves as we look in the mirror, should I just stand by and do or say nothing, while my country, the land of opportunity, is terrorizing immigrant communities.
Children are afraid to go to school. Their parents are afraid to step out the door. Come on, people. This raid in Portland broke up close to 200 families, who were doing nothing but trying to support themselves. Many of these same people are also paying taxes here in Portland, yet they were treated like terrorists.
The federal government knows the difference between the two, but instead of going after the real terrorists in the country, and the drug dealers while they’re at it, they go after the workers. We here in Portland are just getting a sampling of what has been going on around us for years.
During the past few months, hundreds of immigrants throughout the San Francisco Bay area have been arrested and deported as part of the nationwide effort by Immigrants and Customs Enforcement known as "Operation Return to Sender." Real funny, huh.
People have told of these federal agents in San Francisco going to a Home Depot parking lot, where immigrants were waiting for work, and just grabbing anyone who didn’t have identification on them and taking them to an undisclosed detention center.
Look, I realize we have a problem with illegal immigrants in this country. But damn, I also know the way it is being handled is not going to work either. We need to speak out against the terrorizing tactics being used.
I strongly believe that the Del Monte corporation should have assisted these hardworking employees in getting started in the process of becoming a legal citizen. It is time-consuming, but must be done.
Hey, some of these people have worked here for years, supporting families while gladly paying their taxes.
And they have made many friends here.
The day after the Del Monte raid, I was on a Tri-Met bus with a woman who said one of her best friends was working for Del Monte. "Now I don’t know where she is, neither do her children," she said. "I imagine she is somewhere waiting to be deported."
So, let us cut to the chase. We know these raids are purely political, trying to force Congress to approve the guest worker program, which seems to be just another low-wage scheme to supply plentiful labor to corporate employors at a prices they want to pay.
Do you really think ICE seriously wants to deport all of the estimated 12 million undocumented workers in this country? This would close many industrial operations. Just follow the money. I’m going to. I’m going to be checking further into this and get back to you. Stay tuned for further details. Until then, let us not keep silent. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Semper fi.
