Santa Ana : Reagan Will Be Asked to Halt Alien Sweeps

The City Council will join with downtown businessmen in asking the White House to put a halt to immigration and naturalization sweeps of the area.

Twenty-nine businessmen endorsed the draft of a letter, addressed to President Reagan, requesting that he order Immigrational and Naturalization Service Regional Commissioner Harold Ezell to impose a moratorium on sweeps pending enforcement of a newly signed immigration bill.

INS agents assigned to sweeps should be reassigned to the border, the letter suggests, “where in our judgment, the illegal entry into this country could be better maintained and controlled.”

The INS has stepped up sweeps recently, including one on Election Day and one last Tuesday. Business owner Adolfo Lopez said it is estimated that downtown has lost 50% to 75% of its clientele--both citizen and undocumented--because of the raids.

The letter states that city officials and businessmen have witnessed “INS agents in an indiscriminate manner apprehending Hispanics without probable cause.”

Ezell has said that such sweeps will continue until a change in federal policy is made and that he believes that the group doesn’t reflect the desires of the majority of city residents.

In addition to the City Council, the group is joined by the Downtown Santa Ana Businessmen’s Assn. and Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) in opposing the sweeps.