Catalina’s Summer Season Ushered In by INS Raids

Summer has officially arrived on Santa Catalina Island. Just look for the bikinis, the golf bags--and the occasional agent of the Immigration and Naturalization Service arresting undocumented workers.

In an annual ritual that has gone on for years, usually just before the start of the summer tourist season, INS agents have come to this sun-drenched resort 26 miles off the coast of Long Beach to raid local businesses that are illegally employing undocumented workers.

It is a ritual that is cheered, jeered, even laughed at by some, but largely ignored because business people say that anyone arrested is usually back in a few days, just in time for the Memorial Day weekend rush.

For most of the 3,000 permanent residents, the arrival of INS agents is simply a sign that summer has begun.

“They do it every year at the same time,” said one restaurant manager who did not want to be identified for fear it would hurt his business’s reputation. “It comes with the season.”

This year, eight INS agents arrived on the island Thursday, accompanied by a Coast Guard vessel, and nabbed 13 undocumented workers.

“What a waste of money,” said Caroline Wickham, the cook at Sally’s Waffle Shop on the beachfront. “Everyone will be back in a few days.”

The INS said the two-hour raid in Avalon was part of a “stepped-up” national effort to enforce the provisions of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, which placed penalties on employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens.

“(The) arrests should serve as a reminder to Catalina employers that employer sanctions is the law of the land, not just the mainland,” said Bob Moschorak, INS district director in Los Angeles.

Wickham said the raids are nothing new. “It’s pretty much accepted here.”

With so few undocumented workers arrested, most business people say there is virtually no impact on the island’s tourist business, which attracts 10,000 people on a hot weekend.

One restaurant manager said most of his employees are college students who flock to the island each year for a little work and a lot of play.

“Didn’t faze us a bit,” the manager said.

Lt. Thomas A. Gahry, commander of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Avalon station, said that as far as crime is concerned, “Our situation is no different than any other community.” He added that there have been no serious crimes related to illegal immigrants in the two years that he has been on the island.

“Most of your folks are no different than my grandparents when they came over,” Gahry said. “They’re looking for a better life.”

City Manager Chuck Prince said he gets a number of complaints of petty theft that are possibly related to illegal immigrants.

Some residents support the raids, but wish the INS would stop concentrating on working aliens, and focus on unemployed workers who live in the hills above the city.

But others are simply outraged.

“It’s a horrendous expense for the taxpayer,” said one hotel manager. “Last year, they sent a huge Coast Guard cutter. My gosh.”