Sweep Exposes a Crowded and Scary Existence

Many of the tenants at Orange Park Villas do not have a comfortable life.

In one two-bedroom apartment, an infant sleeps in a homemade hammock and beds are tucked under the stairs and in the kitchen to make room for the dozen residents.

Another unit has little furniture because the two families living there do not make enough money to pay the $800-a-month rent and still buy beds for the five adults and six children.

It was at this 260-unit complex on East Maple Avenue where a sweeping raid by Border Patrol agents spilled over Wednesday into some of the apartments and sparked complaints about the tactics used by the officers.

The raid, which has outraged Latino activists, has also turned a spotlight on the sprawling and overcrowded apartment complex already embroiled in controversy.

Residents have complained of roaches, rats, leaky faucets and shredded carpet; a previous apartment manager was convicted this year of rent skimming, and the owner--frustrated by his inability to control the overcrowded living conditions--has said he would like to sell the complex or demolish it.

According to a city report, police were called to the neighborhood 440 times during the first half of this year to investigate a variety of incidents, including a back-alley shooting death.

And complaints from nearby property owners--furious over what they fear is happening to their neighborhood and property values--prompted the City Council this summer to slap tighter parking restrictions on the area to ease congestion.

It is a situation that no one seems to be happy with. But for some newly arrived immigrants in search of employment, just living in Orange County is worth it:

“Yes, I know of all the problems,” said resident Jesus Gomez, 23. “But it’s still better here.”

Immigrants come to the United States in search of the prosperity that they have heard so much about in Mexico, immigration experts say. Instead, they have found a tight job market offering meager wages in Orange County. They survive by doubling up in apartments with other families to pay the rent for housing that they otherwise could not afford.

In recent weeks, some of the residents at Orange Park Villas say, their dreams have become even shakier. Twice in the past month, residents said Thursday, they have cowered in fear as immigration agents swarmed through the complex looking for illegal immigrants.

On Thursday morning, a day after the latest raid, residents could be seen through a gap in a curtain or peering out a door as strangers walked by their apartments.

Even though she is a legal resident, Estella Cornejo Dominguez, 33, said she feels the tension created by the recent roundups.

Two adult men and an elderly gentleman who live in her unit did not step out the front door for a whole day, she said.

“They did not leave so they did not go find work,” Dominguez said. “We have to live with care.”

Holding her infant son in her arms, Gina Sotelo looked through the broken living room window that residents say was shattered during the raid and wondered when she will see her husband again and when the family will have money for food.

“The migra comes in and takes our husbands and leaves us without anything to eat,” Sotelo said.

But Sotelo’s husband, who was taken into custody outside the apartment as he left for a day job, is also penniless. Sotelo said he telephoned from Tijuana and said security at the border there also seemed to have been tightened. She added that it would be several days before he would attempt a return.

“They can kick us out and we will come back, and let’s see who wins,” resident Maria Rodriguez said of the cat-and-mouse game played between immigrants and U.S. authorities.

Another woman who asked not to be identified said: “We are going to stay. I don’t think we will leave unless the Border Patrol gets to us.”

Although Border Patrol agents said they had not targeted the apartment complex, residents openly accused Orange Park Villas’ management of calling in authorities because of ongoing problems related to the overcrowded living conditions.

The managers vehemently denied the accusation, however.

“We know we have had too many people there and we were not in any position of knowing how to get them out of there,” said a spokeswoman for owner John Micuda, who asked that she not be identified. “We are not unhappy that it (the raid) has happened, but it was not authorized by us. We had nothing to do with it and we did not know it was coming.”

The assistant manager at the apartments, Annie Telles, surmised that the sweep occurred because city code enforcement officers--who were also present during the raid--have had a number of code complaints from nearby homeowners.

“It’s the complaints of the other people that brought them in there,” she said.

Apartment manager Lorna Lopez also said that the overcrowded living quarters led to broken toilets and garbage disposals, leaky faucets, and other frequent and costly maintenance problems.

“We will not replace the carpets,” Telles added, “because they will not get rid of the people in their apartments.”

Micuda could not be reached for comment. But during an interview this summer, he suggested that the buildings be demolished and replaced with condominiums.

“When the Latinos started moving in, they simply drove out the other tenants,” he said in July. “I’m not trying to eradicate them as long as they pay the rent, keep the place clean, are quiet and don’t paint graffiti all over the place.”

News of the immigration sweep also drew strong comments from citizens throughout the Orange community.

“Having been abandoned by an uncaring President, a do-nothing Department of Justice and senators and congressman who have sacrificed California, the city of Orange has been forced to become the last line of defense against the massive illegal alien invasion of Orange County,” Orange resident Katherine Shapiro said. “The legal immigrants and the citizens of all races overwhelmingly applaud the courage of their mayor and City Council who struggle to protect the town of Orange and enforce the laws of the United States.”

However, three of four callers contacting the mayor’s office Thursday said they disagreed with the tactics allegedly used by officials during the raid, according to City Hall records.

Times staff writers Matt Lait and David Reyes contributed to this report, along with correspondent Mary Helen Berg.