Bush Doesn't Practice What He Preaches

Since President Bush claims he wants to "resolve the status of the illegal immigrants who are already in our country, without animosity," you would think his administration would be putting the breaks on efforts to arrest and deport them. Right?

Wrong!

Since Bush says he wants comprehensive immigration reform because immigration authorities should be concentrating on prosecuting criminals and terrorists, you would think his administration would already be practicing what the president preaches. Right?

Wrong!

In the past few weeks, instead of reducing the government's animosity toward illegal immigrants, there has been a noticeable increase in raids and arrests of illegal immigrant workers.

Not only criminals or terrorists, mind you, the increased persecution is also against immigrants who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The raids are allegedly targeting specific immigrants who have criminal records or deportation orders against them. But many others who are found anywhere in the vicinity of the raids are also being arrested and processed for deportation. That includes many people who haven't had any problems with the law or immigration authorities — parents who never return home to their children, breadwinners who can no longer pay the rent or put food on the table.

When authorities detain people for whom they don't have warrants, when they randomly detain immigrants simply because they can't prove they are legal residents or American citizens, the civil rights of legal immigrants are often being violated.

This is coming from an administration led by a president who claimed in his State of the Union speech that he wanted to resolve this issue "without animosity."

If the president really wanted immigration authorities to concentrate on pursuing criminals and terrorists, he would order the U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency to stop arresting immigrants indiscriminately.

The random raids are spreading panic in immigrant communities where many had expected the president's policies to reflect his rhetoric.

That's because ICE agents are raiding work sites, like meat packing plants and sanitation companies, and hauling away anyone who can't prove they are in this country legally.

The sweeps are also spreading false rumors that are driving illegal immigrants further underground. Some are missing work and keeping their children at home because they hear that even schools will be raided.

In fact, as part of ICE's "Operation Return to Sender" — targeting fugitives who have ignored deportation orders — most of the raids are conducted on homes in the early morning or in the evening, terrifying many children when doors are broken and their parents are hauled away.

And even when the raids are conducted on homes, not just the targeted criminal is being detained. Even his illegal immigrant neighbors run the risk of being taken.

The raids are motivating immigrants' rights activists to organize a new round of demonstrations all over the country, similar to the protests that managed to kill many of the most draconian anti-immigrant measures that were considered in Congress last year.

The protesters will call on Congress to finally pass comprehensive immigration reform that includes a legalization plan for the 12 million illegal immigrants who are already in the country.

Some pressure will deservingly be placed on Democrats who benefited tremendously from a midterm election backlash against immigrant-bashing Republicans and who are now expected to deliver true immigration reform.

But now the protests are also likely to be aimed at Bush, the president who says one thing and does the opposite.

To find out more about Miguel Perez, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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