# Federal agents conduct sweeping immigration enforcement raids in at least 6 states **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 10, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501 "2017-02-10T21:48:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/1 "2017-02-10T21:48:53Z")
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/2017/02/10/4b9f443a-efc8-11e6-b4ff-ac2cf509efe5\_story.html](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/2017/02/10/4b9f443a-efc8-11e6-b4ff-ac2cf509efe5_story.html) > [@](#): > > The raids, which appeared to target scores of undocumented immigrants, including those without criminal records, mark the first largescale episode of immigration enforcement inside the United States since President Trump’s Jan. 26 order to crack down on the estimated 11 million immigrants living here illegally > … > Advocates from United We Dream, the Center for Community Change and Make the Road said on a Friday conference call with reporters that they believed hundreds to have been detained, including undocumented immigrants who had no prior criminal record. They said some had been deported immediately. How can they deport people immediately? If you can’t immediately prove your citizenship, they can just dump you in Mexico? Aren’t people given any time to obtain the proof? How many people keep birth certificates at home? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2017, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/2 "2017-02-10T21:52:32Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > How can they deport people immediately? Some agree to be deported. “It’s a fair cop,” type of thing. It’s less time, trouble, you don’t sit in jail, and, with luck, you can be back and at work again next week. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/3 "2017-02-11T00:06:01Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Some agree to be deported. “It’s a fair cop,” type of thing. It’s less time, trouble, you don’t sit in jail, and, with luck, you can be back and at work again next week. Some are voluntary, true. But the majority are [expedited removal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedited_removal). ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/4 "2017-02-11T00:58:40Z")
The revolving door won’t stop unless some kind of criminal penalty is created. That brings a whole new set of problems. Bad press, the cost of jail, and illegal immigrants will still return. I guess a really severe penalty like prison might deter illegal immigrants. But the cost is prohibitive and just not worth it. So we put them on a bus knowing they’ll be back next week. The only real fix is much tighter border patrols. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/5 "2017-02-11T01:01:56Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > Some are voluntary, true. But the majority are [expedited removal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedited_removal). That site claims that expedited removal can only be used if among other things the removee make[s] no claim to lawful permanent resident status, and do[es] not seek asylum or express a fear of persecution. So even those are voluntary in some sense. Presumably a legal resident would so state. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/6 "2017-02-11T01:04:16Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The only real fix is much tighter border patrols. No the real fix, at least in part, is penalizing the companies/people who knowingly employ them. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/7 "2017-02-11T01:12:56Z")
Good point. Very big fines would make employers rethink using cheap illegal immigrant labor. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/8 "2017-02-11T01:16:14Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Good point. > > Very big fines would make employers rethink using cheap illegal immigrant labor. Big fines would just be passed to consumers. Jail the fuckers. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/9 "2017-02-11T01:42:17Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > [https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/2017/02/10/4b9f443a-efc8-11e6-b4ff-ac2cf509efe5\_story.html](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/2017/02/10/4b9f443a-efc8-11e6-b4ff-ac2cf509efe5_story.html) > > How can they deport people immediately? If you can’t immediately prove your citizenship, they can just dump you in Mexico? Aren’t people given any time to obtain the proof? How many people keep birth certificates at home? Why do you think they are being dumped in Mexico? Illegals come from all over the world. I know of three and none of them are from Mexico. Two are from Europe and one is from from Guatemala. A friend knows several, and all of them are from Europe. Why wouldn’t people keep their birth certificates at home? Mine is upstairs in a locked metal box, along with my Baptismal Certificate, my divorce papers, my son’s birth certificate, his Baptismal Certificate, our SS Cards, his vaccination records, title to my truck, savings bonds, etc. All that important stuff in one place in a locked, fireproof box. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/10 "2017-02-11T02:16:25Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The revolving door won’t stop unless some kind of criminal penalty is created. > > The only real fix is much tighter border patrols. Another possible solution is to open up a path for legal immigration. It worked with my ancestors. I’m assuming it worked with your ancestors. It even worked with Donald Trump’s ancestors. ---
**Author:** ![redhook1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc8723/32.png) [@redhook1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redhook1)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/11 "2017-02-11T03:09:44Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Good point. > > Very big fines would make employers rethink using cheap illegal immigrant labor. > [@running\_coach](#): > > Big fines would just be passed to consumers. Jail the fuckers. > [@OldGuy](#): > > No the real fix, at least in part, is penalizing the companies/people who knowingly employ them. What about sanctuary cities? Deny them federal funding? ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/12 "2017-02-11T03:20:36Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The revolving door won’t stop unless some kind of criminal penalty is created. > > That brings a whole new set of problems. Bad press, the cost of jail, and illegal immigrants will still return. I guess a really severe penalty like prison might deter illegal immigrants. But the cost is prohibitive and just not worth it. > > So we put them on a bus knowing they’ll be back next week. > > The only real fix is much tighter border patrols. When my Mig was deported the judge told him he was banned from re-entry for 10 years and if he was caught in the country before then he could get up to 10 years in prison. This was his first and only time before an immigration judge so they’re either lying to them or there is already a criminal penalty for re-entry once you’re deported. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/13 "2017-02-11T03:25:49Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The revolving door won’t stop unless some kind of criminal penalty is created. > > That brings a whole new set of problems. Bad press, the cost of jail, and illegal immigrants will still return. I guess a really severe penalty like prison might deter illegal immigrants. But the cost is prohibitive and just not worth it. > > So we put them on a bus knowing they’ll be back next week. > > The only real fix is much tighter border patrols. That, and penalizing the people who hire illegal workers - gee, that’s a thought. Of course, it will never happen. It’s far too profitable to exploit illegal immigrants and the wealthy who do so are protected by their powerful buddies. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/14 "2017-02-11T03:26:37Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > Some are voluntary, true. But the majority are [expedited removal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedited_removal). Expedited removal is voluntary removal. You agree you were in the country illegally as soon as you’re detained and they send you home immediately. You are still banned from re-entry for ten years. It’s a felony. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/15 "2017-02-11T03:31:57Z")
> [@redhook1](#): > > What about sanctuary cities? Deny them federal funding? Immigration enforcement is a federal matter. ---
**Author:** ![redhook1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc8723/32.png) [@redhook1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redhook1)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/16 "2017-02-11T03:35:43Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Immigration enforcement is a federal matter. So cities do not have to worry about enabling illegal immigrants but companies do? The posters I quoted were calling for fines and/or jail time for companies who hire illegal immigrants, what about cities that enable them? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/17 "2017-02-11T03:36:43Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > Expedited removal is voluntary removal. You agree you were in the country illegally as soon as you’re detained and they send you home immediately. You are still banned from re-entry for ten years. It’s a felony. No, it isn’t. That’s incorrect information. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/18 "2017-02-11T03:39:11Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The revolving door won’t stop unless some kind of criminal penalty is created. > > That brings a whole new set of problems. Bad press, the cost of jail, and illegal immigrants will still return. I guess a really severe penalty like prison might deter illegal immigrants. But the cost is prohibitive and just not worth it. > > So we put them on a bus knowing they’ll be back next week. > > The only real fix is much tighter border patrols. As others have pointed, your typically-penetrating analysis precisely misses the target. A significant number of Americans love to demonize illegal immigrants, and call for penalties on the immigrants themselves, while remaining completely oblivious to the fact that they would be far less likely to come if Americans didn’t employ them. The lack of enforcement against employers over the years is, possibly more than anything else, an indicator that a significant number of Americans, especially in business and in the government, are happy to rail against illegal immigration while being unwilling to crack down on the demand side of the equation. > [@redhook1](#): > > What about sanctuary cities? Deny them federal funding? There is a difference between being a sanctuary city and actually employing illegal immigrants. For the most part, sanctuary cities simply refuse to inquire about immigration status or do the federal government’s investigative work for them. But someone who employs an illegal immigrant is taking an active role in actually encouraging illegal immigration. Why is it that so many of the conservatives who whine about sanctuary cities never ask who picked their strawberries, or who helped to paint the new buildings in their neighborhood, and never call for sanctions against the employers who drive the demand for undocumented workers? Of course, some employers go all wide-eyed with innocence when you suggest that they hire undocumented immigrants. “Hey, he gave me a social security number! How was i to know he was illegal?” But if you believe them, i’ve got some Florida swampland, and maybe a bridge in London, that you might be interested in purchasing. Right here in California, a number of Central Valley farmers who voted for Donald Trump admit that they knowingly hire undocumented workers, and they are now [worried](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/us/california-farmers-backed-trump-but-now-fear-losing-field-workers.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fus&action=click&contentCollection=us®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=42&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0) that he might try to actually keep his promise about driving out undocumented immigrants. > [@](#): > > Now farmers here are deeply alarmed about what the new policies could mean for their workers, most of whom are unauthorized, and the businesses that depend on them. > > “Everything’s coming so quickly,” Mr. Marchini said. “We’re not loading people into buses or deporting them, that’s not happening yet.” As he looked out over a crew of workers bent over as they rifled through muddy leaves to find purple heads of radicchio, he said that as a businessman, Mr. Trump would know that farmers had invested millions of dollars into produce that is growing right now, and that not being able to pick and sell those crops would represent huge losses for the state economy. “I’m confident that he can grasp the magnitude and the anxiety of what’s happening now.” > > \ > > But in conversations with nearly a dozen farmers, most of whom voted for Mr. Trump, each acknowledged that they relied on workers who provided false documents. And if the administration were to weed out illegal workers, farmers say their businesses would be crippled. So these selfish assholes were happy to vote for the xenophobic blowhard candidate when they thought that their own particular efforts to break the law would be allowed to slide, but now that their pocketbooks are in danger, they’re worried. Another good example of the attitude lampooned in [this tweet](https://twitter.com/cavalorn/status/654934442549620736?lang=en) from a couple of years back: > [@](#): > > ‘I never thought leopards would eat MY face,’ sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/19 "2017-02-11T03:47:38Z")
> [@redhook1](#): > > So cities do not have to worry about enabling illegal immigrants but companies do? The posters I quoted were calling for fines and/or jail time for companies who hire illegal immigrants, what about cities that enable them? I can’t imagine what you think attracts people to sanctuary cities; they don’t offer any extra services to refugees or immigrants. The people you’re picturing travel for work so they can try to feed their families and keep them safe b/c where they’re from doesn’t offer that. The companies profit off them, that’s where the criminality begins. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501/20 "2017-02-11T04:00:02Z")
> [@redhook1](#): > > So cities do not have to worry about enabling illegal immigrants but companies do? The posters I quoted were calling for fines and/or jail time for companies who hire illegal immigrants, what about cities that enable them? Hiring an illegal immigrant is a federal offense. City/state police do not have the authority to enforce federal law. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-agents-conduct-sweeping-immigration-enforcement-raids-in-at-least-6-states/779501.md?page=2)