Mar 30, 2007 9:37 pm US/Pacific
N. Bay Religious Leaders: Stop Immigration Raids
SAN RAFAEL (CBS 5 / KCBS) ―
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An ICE officer makes a recent immigration violation arrest.
Dept. Of Homeland Security
Interfaith religious leaders stood shoulder to shoulder on the steps of Mission San Rafael calling for an end to controversial immigration raids.
Prayers were offered in both Spanish and English on behalf of the immigration community at Friday's gathering.
Tom Wilson of the Canal Commission claims the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids are inhumane and tear families apart.
"They go into the children's bedrooms and shine lights in the faces of the children and they drag the children out of bed and they make them come and lie on the floor in the living room. This is what is happening in our community and this has to stop," he said.
Meanwhile, a local chapter of a group that became notorious for sponsoring citizen immigration patrols along Mexico's border with Arizona and California asked local leaders to issue a statement in support of the immigration raids.
Charles Birkman, a spokesman for the Golden Gate Minutemen Project, said the only way to solve illegal immigration is for the federal government to crack down on employers who hire undocumented workers.
"The open borders crowd has dominated the political discourse on this issue and we're hoping people who have not had a chance to speak will do so now and exercise their First Amendment right and rally with us," he said.
The Golden Gate Minuteman Project now has chapters in Fremont, Redwood City, and Alameda.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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