32 Suspected Aliens Seized in Sweep at Corner Hiring Hall

Federal immigration officers in street clothes and driving unmarked cars Tuesday apprehended 32 men suspected of being illegal aliens near a street corner in Orange that is used as an informal hiring hall.

The surprise raid was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service officers, who did not notify the city or its Police Department, according to an Orange police spokesman. Afterwards, residents expressed resentment and fear because the raid had sent scores of men running over fences and through backyards. A teacher at a nearby community center said she saw an INS officer draw a weapon during the chase.

‘Didn’t Run Away’

“They were in plainclothes, so when the men (on the corner) saw them, they didn’t run away,” said Robert Miller, a Spanish-speaking grocery store owner who witnessed the raid at about 7:30 a.m.

First, an unmarked car with only a driver inside pulled into Miller’s driveway. At the time, about 100 men were milling about the busy corner of Chapman Avenue and Hewes Street. Local businessmen at a shopping mall across Hewes have complained that workers gathered on that corner harass customers.

The driver grabbed one man and tried to grab others, Miller said, adding that within minutes, five beige-colored vans appeared. At first, most of the men walked toward the vans, believing that the drivers were seeking day workers.

“That’s just it; they didn’t recognize these guys as La Migra (INS agents) , “ Miller said.

Alfredo Perez of Orange said he saw police accompany immigration officers at the corner and also help apprehend some of the men. “They were holding them up against the cars for (the INS).”

Other residents said INS officers later entered an apartment at the First West Manor apartments, about five blocks south of Chapman and Hewes, apparently while chasing some laborers.

Tenant Emily Martinez said she was upstairs in a bedroom when she heard a siren and saw an Orange motorcycle officer who apparently had accompanied the immigration officers.

“People started coming out of their apartments to look. When they did, these men jumped out of two vans that were parked in front and started grabbing people by the back of the necks,” Martinez said.

While the police officer waited, she said, INS officers entered one apartment on the south side of the complex.

Raid Called ‘Routine’

It was the second raid in seven months conducted by the INS, according to Joseph Flanders, an agency spokesman who described the raid as “routine.”

“No guns were drawn because there’s no reason to draw, at least not to my knowledge,” he said.

When asked who initiated the raid, Flanders said, “We did,” rejecting a rumor that a local businessman had notified immigration officers.

Flanders said he discussed the raid later in the day with some of the 12 Los Angeles INS officers involved. However, they told him that the sweep was relatively “trouble free” and no INS officer was required to draw a weapon.

Nonetheless, a Head Start teacher at El Modena Community Center, four blocks from Hewes and Chapman, told her supervisors that she saw one of the federal officers running with his gun drawn.

“Which to me is a very dangerous thing to do because we have so many children and innocent people around here,” said Margaret Reister, the center’s director.

During the day, predominantly Latino residents who streamed into the center expressed fear that immigration officers still might be in the neighborhood.

Says Citizens Afraid

“They keep asking, ‘Is the Migra here?’ ” Reister said. “Even the (U.S.) citizens are paranoid now because they are afraid that immigration (agents) may pull a gun out in the middle of the street.”

Flanders said the INS “generally” notifies local police departments when an immigration survey is imminent as a courtesy because traffic problems could develop.

“We weren’t advised and they didn’t notify us,” said Orange Police Lt. Dean Richards, a watch commander. He added, “I don’t know of any involvement (in the raid) from this office.”

The issue is sensitive for police, who have been part of a citywide task force to develop a solution agreeable to all parties, including the laborers, involved in the sidewalk hiring hall dispute.

Last September, after Spanish-speaking laborers refused to move to a park, police notified immigration authorities to sweep the corner. Even then, police warned laborers to stay away from the corner because a sweep was likely.

“We will assist (INS) if asked, especially if workers are resisting. But my understanding is that was not the case this morning,” said Sgt. Manuel Ortega, the department’s representative to the task force.

Says He Will Check

When told that some officers may have assisted in Tuesday’s raid, Ortega said he was going to ask other officers about the department’s role. He said he knew that one officer directed traffic near the First West Manor apartments after immigration officers chased a man on foot, leaving their INS van parked in the middle of the street.

Ortega said he tried to contact the INS by telephone to determine why no warning was given, but all lines were busy.

“I sure hope people who have been working with us on this thing don’t think that the Police Department or the city had anything to do with the raid,” Ortega said.

Flanders said those apprehended were believed to be Mexican nationals. The 32 men were taken to an immigration detention facility in Los Angeles where they could voluntarily choose to return to Mexico or ask for an immigration hearing.

A community meeting has been called to discuss Tuesday’s raid at La Purisima Catholic Church at 7:30 a.m. today, according to a member of the Orange County Human Relations Commission.