Immigration arrests

The writing was on the wall. The Bush administration has made it clear that because Congress failed to pass new immigration laws, federal authorities have no choice but to strictly enforce existing statutes. That means identifying companies with employees working under false Social Security numbers. That means carrying out targeted investigations.

That means making arrests.

On Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents served search warrants at 11 McDonald's restaurants in Reno, Sparks and Fernley and a franchise office in Reno. At least 56 workers were arrested on suspicion of being in the country illegally.

For the interest groups that have fervently defended the rights of foreign nationals to enter the United States and work in jobs that might otherwise be filled by citizens, the action was cause for outrage.

"We don't approve of the Gestapo methods ICE is using," said Reno-area Latino advocate Gilbert Cortez. Never mind that all of the suspected illegal immigrants will enjoy the due process protections provided by the Constitution.

"ICE raids are unproductive because they lock up individuals with no criminal history and warehouse them in detention centers," said Lee Rowland, Northern Nevada coordinator for the state ACLU. Would Ms. Rowland recommend that all first-time offenders be given a free pass out of jail?

"I don't know in this particular instance, but I think as a general rule, to terrorize a community is a way of violating somebody's civil rights," said Vito De La Cruz, a federal public defender. Enforcing existing immigration law constitutes terrorism and civil rights violations? Please.

But this was no raid prompted by the purchase of a bad hamburger. Authorities uncovered enough evidence to obtain search warrants and justify arrests. These are "Gestapo methods"?

"There's got to be a better way to handle this," Reno Mayor Bob Cashell said.

When local law enforcement agencies refuse to check immigration status on drunken drivers, robbers and wife beaters, when illegal immigrants crash uninsured vehicles into law-abiding citizens and are allowed to walk away from the scene of an accident with nothing more than a couple of tickets, there's only one alternative: going to the places where illegals work under fraudulent documentation and, if the evidence supports it, arresting suspects.

Unless, of course, Mayor Cashell, Mr. Cortez, Ms. Rowland and Mr. De La Cruz advocate declaring all places of employment "safe havens" for illegals, as well.