Local News in Brief : Orange : Latino Leaders Assail La Purisima Arrests

Leaders of several Orange County Latino groups gathered Friday morning to denounce the U.S. Border Patrol’s arrest of seven undocumented aliens in La Purisima Catholic Church earlier this week.

“We will not sit by and let our community be raped and ravaged,” said Amin David, president of Los Amigos of Orange County, a businessmen’s association. “We believe that what happened here Tuesday occurred under the direct orders of (U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service regional commissioner) Harold Ezell to send a message to all churches in this region that they are not sanctuary.”

Ezell has stated that the INS policy is to avoid entering churches and schools to search for undocumented aliens. He called Tuesday’s incident “regrettable” but said the Border Patrol agent who entered the church acted properly because he was in “hot pursuit” of two men believed to be illegal aliens.

Among others who spoke at Friday’s news conference--held at the corner of Chapman Avenue and Hewes Street, where many laborers gather each day hoping to be picked up for work--were Zeke Hernandez, president of the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens; Rene Lopez, representing the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Rudy Moreno, a member of the Assn. of Mexican-American Educators, and Sam Romero, a Latino activist from Santa Ana.