Corinne Ramey
Immigration Raids at Casa Fiesta
When I was a student at Oberlin College, Casa Fiesta was one of the most popular hangout spots in that small, Midwestern town. Best known for their margaritas, fajitas, and endless supply of free tortilla chips, the Mexican restaurant was always packed with students, townspeople, and professors. It was located just kitty-corner from the house where I lived, so close that sometimes I would always catch a whiff of frying garlic and onions when I walked to and from class.
But that may all have changed at about 11 am this Wednesday, when Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) officials made a series of arrests at the Casa Fiesta in Oberlin and in Casa Fiestas in Ashland, Fremont, Norwalk, Oregon, Sandusky, Vermillion and Youngstown, Ohio. Overall, 58 immigrants were arrested, although three women were eventually let go. However, they will still be required to appear before a federal immigration judge. According to ICE spokesman Greg Palmore, the immigrants -- all Mexican citizens -- are likely to be deported as soon as possible.
The Casa Fiesta arrests are just the latest in what has become a disturbing pattern of workplace raids by ICE. In Postville, Iowa, this past May, ICE arrested over 400 workers at a kosher meat plant, Agriprocessors, Inc. Other raids have been carried out at restaurants, plants, and workplaces in Texas, California, and across the nation. According to Reuters, "ICE said it had made 949 criminal arrests in worksite-related raids since October 2007, including the arrests of 105 owners, managers, supervisors or human resources employees who face charges ranging from harboring to knowingly hiring illegal aliens."
However, the impact of these raids extends way beyond the 949 arrests. They impact the lives of the immigrants' families, children, and homes. They extend to the children who fear ICE arrests when they go to school, families who are impacted by raids for life, and to the communities where they live. As David Leopold, a Cleveland immigration lawyer, said of the Casa Fiesta workers, "These people are not criminals. The worst thing you can say about them is they came here to feed their families."
Within these communities, both immigrants and non-immigrants have felt the effects of the raids. Restaurants have been shut down and family businesses have closed. Churches have lost their members, and businesses and factories struggle for workers. For example, after the Iowa raids the town struggled to recover:
The tiny northeast town was home to the nation's largest kosher meatpacker, which recently lost nearly half of its work force after a huge raid by immigration officials. The raid sent shockwaves through the town, which has served as a multicultural model...But after the raid, many here are wondering if the future of the town is in jeopardy. Some 2,300 people lived in Postville before the raid; about half of them were Hispanic.
Our country is economically reliant on immigrants. Immigrants pay taxes -- between 1996 and 2003 alone, undocumented immigrants alone contributed nearly $50 billion in taxes -- and contribute to our struggling social security system. They increase consumer demand and generate economic growth. In 2004, the expansion of Hispanic and Asian-American consumer markets was an estimated 12% of America's purchasing power. Raids like the one in Oberlin aren't just bad for the immigrants themselves or for all those college students who will be missing their Mexican food -- immigration raids are bad for the nation as a whole.
Corinne Ramey: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 3:33 PM, Jul 25, 2008 in Immigration
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Comments
Thank you for writing this, Cory. I am so sad about these deportations, and so indignant.
Posted by: Isaac Evans-Frantz | August 1, 2008 03:40 AM
they are illegal, now maybe a few college kids can get some jobs..we must worry about USA and not about the illegals destroying families..they should not be breeding knowing that they will be deported!
Posted by: karin | October 3, 2008 03:16 PM
I hate to hear about the deportation. But I am glad you pointed out about taxes. So many people say deport them because they are not paying taxes, but the truth is they are paying taxes, the just do not get the refund for their taxes like citizens. They loose thier tax money, the government benefits from this.
Posted by: candace | October 20, 2008 03:25 PM
i was one of the workers that worked at casa fiesta,i used to work in the location at youngstown,im 20 years old,my life was destroyed,my girlfriend is about to give birth in norwalk and i wont be there for her,idk what i will do,i have thought about going back but i dont wanna be hidding forever.idk what to do
Posted by: Hector Olivarez | February 16, 2009 01:14 AM
I don't want to sound cruel, I'm a hispanic myself and I do not approve of illegal Immigration. Illegal Immigration is affecting us all. Wages has gone down in a blink of an eye. People and organizations don't want to tell the truth about it. This organizations has everybody misleaded calling the oppose side racist because they don't has a legitiment and credible arguement about it. La Raza for example, is and organization pushing for Amnesty for 20-30 millions of Illegal Aliens in this country. This are political interests not more than that. They should all get together and demand a reform in Mexico that way everyone of them can enjoy a better life in their own country, no just the those that are here but the those living in Mexico. 52% of blacks are jobless and it keeps growing. Who cares about this issues well is obvious that Obama and La Raza don't. "CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN". Brothers and sisters we have been deceived with the promises of somethig that is never going to change unless we punish this politicians by voting for somebody else or a third party.
PS. THE MAJORITY OF HIPANICS IN THIS COUNTRY DID NOT VOTE FOR AMNESTY. REGISTER THAT ONE. DO NOT USE US FOR YOUR POLITICAL AGENDA. WE HAVE MORE RESPECT FOR THIS COUNTRY THAN YOU GIVE US CREDICT. OUT OF POLITICS DISREGARDIN SLAVERY AMNESTY IT WILL KILL THIS COUNTRY. THERE IS THOUSANDS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS JOBLESS AND THEY LIVE ON WELFARE, WIC, MEDICAL, FOR CHILD BIRTH EVERY YEAR, FREE SCHOOLS FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
LET'S SEE CHILD BIRTH $7,000 A YEAR.
SCHOOL PER CHILD A YEAR $7,000.
EMERGENCY ROOMS CARE $1,000 OR MORE PER VISIT.
FOOD STAMPS,CASH,WIC,HOUSING,COURT COSTS, PRISON AND ARRESTS EXPENSES, COULD BE IN THE MILLIONS FOR FAMILIES, NOT INCLUDING, THOSE WHO NEEDS SPECIAL CARE, LIKE DIALESYS, THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS A YEAR, THE LIST GOES ON AND ON.
HOW MUCH THE ILLEGAL ALIENS PAY IN TAXES, I WOULD SAY FROM $300-$500 A YEAR. REMEMBER THEY WORK FOR SLAVE WAGES THEY DO NOT MAKE GOOD MONEY AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF KIDS, AND THEIR USV GOT TO BE PAID, OTHERS DO NOT PAY TAXES AT ALL. SO WHO COVER MOST OF THEIR EXPENSES YOU AND I THE TAX PAYERS.
HAPPY WITH THAT? LET ME KNOW.
Posted by: Carmen Gonzalez | May 17, 2009 09:25 PM