A Wake-Up Call

by Paul Bass | June 6, 2007 1:41 PM | | Comments (2)

Sarmiento%201.jpgSamuel Sarmiento was asleep at 6 a.m. Wednesday when federal agents burst into his bedroom and took away his wife.

Sarmiento’s home on FIllmore Street, where his family rents a third-floor apartment, was one of at least four Fair Haven addresses raided by federal immigration agents Wednesday in search of undocument workers. At least 13, and probably, more, adults were arrested and taken out of state on way to deportation in what City Hall calls a “disgraceful” federal payback for a new New Haven law enabling undocumented workers to obtain municipal i.d. cards. A federal spokeswoman called the raids “routine” and unrelated to the law. (Click here to read more on that.)

Sarmiento, a 44-year-old construction worker originally from Ecuador, had tears in his eyes Wednesday as he described the raid.

Six agents burst into the apartment, he said. “They checked all the rooms.” Then they took his wife, Ivania Sotelo, who’s 47 and originally from Nicaragua.

Sarmiento said Ivania worked at a suburban factory. His 14-year-old son Jerry attends Amistad Academy.

“Why’d they take my wife?” he asked aloud.

His wife had an expired work permit, he said. “She had a social security card. She’s always working. Every years she pays income taxes.” She first came here from Nicaragua in the late ’80s, went back to Central America for a while, then returned around 2000.

He said agents also made a bust on the second floor of the house.

“I’m looking for a lawyer,” Sarmiento said. Yale Law School attorneys who helped craft the city’s new municipal i.d. plan were preparing Wednesday to represent the detainees, including Sarmiento’s wife.







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Posted by: Clarissa Baez | June 6, 2007 10:58 PM

REALLY THE IMIGRATION NEEDS TO LET THESE PEOPLE BE. THEY ARE WORKING HERE, THEY HAVE A TX ID NUMBER, WORKING PAPERS, THEY PAY FOR THERE TXES EVERY YEAR THEY HAVE FAMILIES IN THERE COUNTRIES THAT NEED TO BE FEED, THEY COME HERE TO WORK AND TO GET THE AMERICAN DREAM HAS THEY CALL IT. LET ME TELL YOU THAT SOME OF THESE PEOPLE WORK FROM 4AM SOMETIMES TO LIKE 10PM.THEY EVEN HAVE TO WORK UP TO TWO JOBS. MY QUESTION IS: DO REALLY THINK THAT US AMERICAN THE ONES THAT ARE LEGAL HERE THE ONES THAT ARE CITIZEN ARE GOING TO WORK THOSE KINDS OF HOURS.NO!!!! THEY ONLY WORK 40 HOURS A WEEK AND THEY COMPLAIN THAT THEY ARE TIRED THAT'S WHAT 90% OF THE AMERICAN SAY. DO YOU THINK THEY ARE GOING TO WORK AT A FARM? DO YOU THINK THEY ARE GOING TO CLEAN TOILETS AT A HOTEL/MOTEL. THE ANSWER IS NO!!!!! BUT ANOTHER THING THEY LIKE TO HAVE THERE BEDS,TOILETS,CLEAN AND WHO DOES ALL THAT CLEANING THE ILLEGAL ALIENS. WE LIKE TO EAT FRUITS,VEGETABLES, RICE, BEANS,AND WHO WAKES UP AT 4AM TO WORK AT A FARM TO GET ALL THESE THINGS AND WORK FOR LESS THAN $5.00 DOLLARS AN HOUR "THE ILLEGAL THAT EVERY ONE IS BOTHERING NOW". I BET THAT NONE OF ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE TALKING THAT THEY ARE TAKING ARE JOBS AWAY ARE NOT GOING TO WORK FOR THAT KIND OF MONEY. THEY WILL GO THE EASY WAY OUT LIKE MAYBE GETTING HELP FROM SOCIAL SERCIVES, OR EVEN ON WELFARE INSTEAD OF TALKING ALL THIS GARBAGE LET THESE PEOPLE HAVE A LIFE. LET THEM WORK LEAVE THEM ALONE THEY ARE NOT BOTHERING NO ONE AND IF THEY WORK AT FARM,HOTEL/MOTEL,CONSTRUCTION,CLEANING HOUSES, ETC.... ARE JOBS THAT THE CITIZEN DON'T WANT TO DO BECAUSE THE AMERICAN DON'T WANT TO WORK FOR THAT KIND OF MONEY......AND TO FINILIZE THIS THEY DO PAY FOR TAXES EVERY YEAR BECUASE THE IRS PROVIDES THEM WITH TAX ID NUMBERS. I BET THAT HALF OF THE AMERICANS THAT CALL THEM SELFS AMERICANS DON'T EVEN FILE THERE TAXES BECAUSE THEY OWE CHILD SUPPORT OR THEY OWE OTHER COMPANY MONEY. I KNOW ALOT OF UNITED STATES CITIZEN THAT DON'T FILE THERE TAXES. BECAUSE THEY OWE CHILD SUPPORT. MAYBE THE GOVERMENT SHOULD GO AFTER THEM AND PUT THEM IN JAIL FOR NOT SUPPORTING THERE CHILDREN FOR NOT PAYING WHAT THEY OWE. I'M PROUD OF THE CITY THAT I LIVE IN AND I THANK THE MAYOR FOR DOING SOMETHING FOR ALL THESE PEOPLE. LAST BUT NOT LEAST "LET THESE PEOPLE LIVE SO YOU CAN LIVE IN PEACE" THEY ARE DOING JOBS THAT WE DON'T WANT TO DO!!!!!!

SUERTE A TODOS LOS IMIGRANTES Y QUE DIOS LOS BENDIGA!!!!!!


"SI SE PUDO Y SIEMPRE SE VA A PODER"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


MAY GOD BLESS THEM!!!!!
QUE DIOS LOS BENDIGA A TODO!!!!!!!

Posted by: One World | June 8, 2007 10:50 AM

"It is rather ironic that our "family friendly" feds are breaking down the doors
of hardworking families such as Mr. Sarmiento, a 44-year-old construction worker
originally from Ecuador, his wife and 14 year-old son. Clearly Mr. Sarmiento is
here legally, so what gave the federal immigration agents the right to break down
his door?

Many of our cities and towns are plagued by high crimes being committed by many
people who are born right here. Quite often the police cannot seem to find them.
Since there are informants who are providing the feds with information about where
non-documented immigrants are living, why not hire these same people to feret out
the thugs and turn them over to the police so that we can have safer streets and
neighborhoods?

Clearly, the feds do not have enough to do! Six agents burst into Mr. Sarmiento's
apartment, he said. "They checked all the rooms." Then they took his wife. Maybe
these agents could be sent to locate Bin Laden; now there is a threat to America's
security for you! We need to put some resources into finding him. Of course, it
is always easiest to pick on the vulnerable. This is exactly why the poor always
do more time in jail than the rich and powerful.

I wonder how many of the informants, their parents and grandparents were born in
this country? As to those who claim that these immigrants are taking away jobs
from Americans, if the Americans were out looking for and accepting these
back-breaking jobs, they would not be there for the immigrants to get often at
lower wages.

Whatever happened to compassionate conservatism? Shame on the informants! Shame
of the Feds. Let us put our resources into more constructive endeavors than in
vindictiveness!

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