Bill Montgomery and ICE, Partners in Crime, To Be Protested in Monday March

marchPuente.JPG
Puente
No peace, until Bill Montgomery ends his discriminatory practices...

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery and his partners at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will feel the heat of Latino and pro-immigrant rage this Monday when the Phoenix human rights group Puente spearheads a march demanding an end to the deportations of individuals whose only real "crime" is working for a living and supporting their families.

See also:
-The MCAO Follows ICE's Blueprint for Separating Immigrant Families

"We need immediate relief for our entire community," said Puente organizer Carlos Garcia in a press statement. "Montgomery is turning working into a crime by choosing high-level charges instead of using his discretion to allow our families to stay together."

Indeed, Montgomery's office regularly over-charges undocumented Latino mothers, fathers, sons and daughters with harsh, class four felonies for forgery and ID theft, while looking the other way when white college kids committing the same crimes are charged with misdemeanors, if that.

As I've illustrated at length, those felonies make undocumented persons, some of whom have been here for decades and have valid claims to remain in the U.S., removable from the country.

In fact, that is the reason for this grotesque, discriminatory practice by the MCAO, which was developed in part by Montgomery's predecessor, disbarred ex-County Attorney Andrew Thomas.

Despite Montgomery's embrace of the so-called SANE immigration initiative, he persists in persecuting the very people who would benefit from it. And he does this with a blueprint for deportation developed by ICE, in how to prosecute the undocumented in order to secure their deportation.

The result? Human misery and a waste of taxpayer-backed resources.

Such is the case with Julia Ojeda's husband Miguel Venegas, who recently was arrested in Arpaio's immigration raid on Sportex Apparel in Tempe.

Venegas had worked at Sportex for 18 years, and the couple have three U.S. citizen children, who are upset by their father's incarceration.

"My children ask me where their father is and I don't know what to tell them," Ojeda states in Puente's press release.

Venegas may face an excruciating, six month wait or more before trial, during which his life with his family hangs in the balance.

And he is only one of hundreds treated this way every year by the MCAO.

This injustice must come to an end, which is why I applaud Puente for their efforts, including this march, which is scheduled to begin 8:00 am Monday, March 11th, at Steele Indian School Park (3rd St and Indian School), go on to ICE Headquarters (2035 N. Central Avenue), and end at Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery's Office (301 W Jefferson).

The message: Until we have justice, Monty, there will be no peace, and the protests will roil on.


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47 comments
truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

Annals Of Labor: Nobodies : The New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/04/21/030421fa_fact_bowe?currentPage=all
"According to Germino, modern slavery exists not because today’s workers are immigrants or because some of them don’t have papers but because agriculture has always managed to sidestep the labor rules that are imposed upon other industries. When the federal minimum-wage law was enacted, in 1938, farmworkers were excluded from its provisions, and remained so for nearly thirty years. Even today, farmworkers, unlike other hourly workers, are denied the right to overtime pay. In many states, they’re excluded from workers’ compensation and unemployment benefits. Farmworkers receive no medical insurance or sick leave, and are denied the right to organize. Germino said, “There’s no other industry in America where employers have as much power over their employees."


JoeArpaioFan
JoeArpaioFan topcommenter

The law does not give special privileges to people with kids regardless if they are here legally or illegally.

danzigsdaddy
danzigsdaddy topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

@JoeArpaioFan  thats right, Joe will ignore the rape of your child whether you are here legally or not

JoeArpaioFan
JoeArpaioFan topcommenter

How many times has it been said that it is wrong to separate American citizen fathers and mothers from their children or is only an issue when illegal alien parents are separated from their families?  Take John Smith for example. He is a single father and he has three kids and he was arrested last week and separated from his children.  But why no outrage from you over that?  Stop using anchor babies as poster children.  If illegal alien mothers and fathers don't want to be separated from their kids they shouldn't have come here illegally. It's just that simple.

JoeArpaioFan
JoeArpaioFan topcommenter

I hate to disappoint you but simple locic tells you that those people here illegally are subject to deportation. Why would you think otherwise?  Do you think that illegal aliens are above the law?  If you don't want to be treated like an illegal alien don't come to this country illegally.  Marching to stop deportations is a waste of time.

JoeArpaioFan
JoeArpaioFan topcommenter

I told you all there will be no drivers licenses for DREAMERs and I meant what I said.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/21549288/house-rejects-licenses-for-dream-act-youth

Comrade
Comrade like.author.displayName 1 Like

JAFFY FAGGYBOI, As I said it before, You are an Illegal Yourself, and I think that all Your Beef with them is because none Of them will fuck You up in Your ass due to Your ugly fuck face. Get Your head out of that POS DRAMA QUEEN SHURF  and look at reality, "Illegas" are beign released and they'll continue to be released, as for the DREAMERS'S drivers licences; They are gona get them sooner then You think. That "BELT BUCKET" illiterate GUV. is gonna have to do it once the FEDS tell Her to do so.

BTW, Every time You encounter an "Illegal" You should bow and tell Him: Thank You for sustainning this Country with the unclaimed Income Tax Returns, because thanks to that I can get my drugs everyday so I can keep on ranting on this and other blog sites, buy my Tampons and once in a while buy a Bag of Depends for the OLD FART, and first of all; get my meals everyday" See ,DEEP DOWN YOU'RE AN ILLEGAL'S LOVER. I HOPE YOU DIE FROM AIDS, SINCE YOU ALREADY MIGHT CARRY IT, DEEPTHROAT BIATCH

Cozz
Cozz like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

There is no such thing as justice in Arizona.

The whole system if riddled with corruption from the County Attorneys Office to the Courts.

Anyone that considers any of these people honorable is out of their mind.

JoeArpaioFan
JoeArpaioFan topcommenter

@Cozz Go screw yourself.

Cozz
Cozz like.author.displayName 1 Like

@JoeArpaioFan

You first, when Bozo Joe is done with shoving it up your ass, which I'm quite sure you must really enjoy.

Comrade
Comrade like.author.displayName 1 Like

JAFFY QUEERBOI, You need to go somewhere else with Your fag comments, probably U R the only fag that is able to "screw Yourself", since no "Illegal" will dare tu fuck your gaping assshole, BTW I heard that You smell like shit and urine all the time, it might be that You live at the BK's restroom. FNG PIG.

truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

@Cozz  They are not worthy of our respect as they do not respect people or humanity. This is a human rights issue with laws bent in favor of the 'mass industrial prison complex" --- humans turned into commodities for $$$'s.

JoeArpaioFan
JoeArpaioFan topcommenter

@truthseekeraz @Cozz How many times have you complained when American citizen parents are separated from thir kids? I'm sorry but the law does not give special privileges to people with kids regardless if they are here legally or illegally.

danzigsdaddy
danzigsdaddy topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

@JoeArpaioFan no but it evidently gives priviledges to those who prefer to hire them over the citizens you are claiming they are stealing jobs from. you cant steal something that is given to you

truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

Mr. Lemons, Outstanding journalism. Your closing line hit it out of the ball park!

"The message: Until we have justice, Monty, there will be no peace, and the protests will roil on."

truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

Destroying these families and their children's future is NOT the answer. Incarcerating all those you do not want or like is NOT going to solve the problem either. 

MCAO Montgomery and ICE have it ALL wrong when it comes to the people. They also have too much power with NO accountability.

Both are beholden to the BOP and the mass incarceration of the people making  the U.S. #1 Jailer in the world. A shameful statistic in "land of the free". 

MCAO BM and ICE, incarceration is NOT a solution for solving the problem. It's just burying it for decades in the tradition of Arizona, which is now coming home to roost. An out of control prison system found in Third world countries, now facing class action lawsuits. A taxpayers' boondoggle created by the lawmakers behind closed doors, while the public remains in the dark. 


JoeArpaioFan
JoeArpaioFan topcommenter

@truthseekeraz People shouldn't violate the law and they won't have to worry about being separated from their families.

truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter

This IS the publics' problem. And they and their children will NOT do the slave labor work the immigrants have been doing for decades.

truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

Montgomery and ICE need to study some history and who imported 4-5 million Mexicans / Hispanics in 1942 so the poor white and African-Americans who were poor tenant farmers (slave labor for their landlords) would fight in the wars, while the Mexicans replaced the slave labor of the day. What has changed?  Still exploitation of people. Now they're breaking up established families of long standing in the state and the communities?

Harvest of Loneliness (2010) - IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1658805/
"Hidden within the historical accounts of minorities, workers and immigrants in American society is the story of the millions of Mexico's men and women who experienced the temporary contract worker program known as the Bracero Program. Established to replace an alleged wartime labor shortage, research reveals that the Program intended to undermine farm worker unionization. Harvest shows how several million men, in one of the largest state managed migrations in history, were imported from 1942 to 1964 to work as cheap, controlled and disposable workers. The documentary features the men and women speaking of their experiences and addresses what to expect from a new temporary contract worker program. The politics of the Bracero Program laid the foundation for Mexican workers to follow the path to the US. NAFTA further impoverished the farmers of Mexico, and another generation of Mexicans and Mexican Americans demand a just immigration policy. The film is profoundly relevant to ..." Written by Anonymous

JoeArpaioFan
JoeArpaioFan topcommenter

@truthseekeraz Oh really? Now it's time to deport those 4-5 million Mexicans.

Comrade
Comrade like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

JAFFY DUCK. U R the MOST DESPICABLE AND RETARD ever, "Now is time to deport those 4-5 million"; stupid fuck ...4-5 million is in reference to what the film states, not actuality!!! And stop Your fucking bulshit and ranting...."When American Citizens...this and that..." fuck you PUNK'D ASS BIATCH. You must be the BASTARD SON of THE DRAMA QUEEN AND GIN BREWSKY, and it clearly shows by Your IGNORANCE and STUPIDITY.

truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

.. and criminalizing these families rather than solving what is a human rights crisis. Who will be working the corporate agriculture industries fields that feed America and are the backbone of the service industries?

JoeArpaioFan
JoeArpaioFan topcommenter

@truthseekeraz When an American citizen parent is arrested is his or her arrest criminalizing their families too?

truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

Who is going to fill the need for cheap slave labor that the agriculture states have depended upon for decades?

Comrade
Comrade like.author.displayName 1 Like

JAFFYBOI. I heard that all the time that You are at the DRAMA QUEEN's pigstay You have to wear a shirt knotted up by the belly and a pink G-String, and You have to sit on His lap.

truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

Destroying these families and their children's future is NOT the answer. MCAO Montgomery and ICE have it ALL wrong. They also have too much power with NO accountability.

JohnQ.Public
JohnQ.Public topcommenter like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

"...individuals whose only real "crime" is working for a living and supporting their families."  Actually, that isn't really true.  Their real aspiration is working for a living and supporting their families.  The civil violations that they've committed are (likely) entering the country without authorization or overstaying their authorized stay in the country and the criminal violations that they've committed are (likely) forgery, fraud, misrepresentation and identity theft among others.  I know that you think that this conduct should not be considered civil or criminal violations of the law but this conduct is currently a violation of both the laws of the United States and the laws of Arizona.  Your effort should be on changing the law, not trying to strong arm either the federal government or the state government into failing to enforce the law.  That said, Montgomery's efforts to charge with forgery charges that are non-bondable while an accused murder like Ian MacDonald is able to bond out of jail for $75,000 is a ridiculous travesty of justice and demonstrates both disparate treatment and an ongoing and pervasive racism (Mr. MacDonald is white and his victim was black; immigrants are generally dark complected) that appears to occur regularly at the MCAO.

JoeArpaioFan
JoeArpaioFan topcommenter

@JohnQ.Public But it is a crime to steal jobs from Americans. There are millions of unemployed citizens who just want to work and feed their families too and they come first!

Comrade
Comrade like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

JAFFY ROBBYBOI, Again, U R a STUPID FUCK FACE, ..."But it is a crime to steal jobs from Americans"...."But......but...but.... They.... They took our jobs"...Fucking whiny bitch. Explain, how in the fuck a job is stolen... the fucking jobs are out there for the take, is just matter of look for them, nobody comes first, the jobs are for the ones that look for them and work, not for the ones that just sit and hope for someone to come to their door and offer or someone find jobs for them. BITCHY MOTHER FUCKER.

danzigsdaddy
danzigsdaddy topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

@JoeArpaioFan well then why dont you cry about your sheriff not imposing sanctions on those who hire them over citizens?

truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

@JohnQ.PublicWell said. Except, trying to change the laws by those in "control" is next to impossible. People have worked for reform for years, but the legislators simply ignore the people, while serving their own agendas, the lobbyists and special interests who "own" them. That is why the people must protest and speak out.

People will continue to protest when their voices are not being heard by the lawmakers.

Yes, the attention will educate the public on who to vote out of office. The MCAO has needed a house-cleaning after the Thomas / Aubuchon reign of terror on the justice system of AZ. Looks like Montgomery has chosen to ignore that abuse and follow in their footsteps.

JohnQ.Public
JohnQ.Public topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

@truthseekeraz Agree completely.  The U.S. Constitution is a beautiful document and the right to expression and congregation are important, but they only have meaning if they are exercised on a regular basis.

MotherJones
MotherJones topcommenter like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

@truthseekeraz @JohnQ.Public JQP, the problem is that American employers needed the workers, hired them and looked the other way at their status. In many cases, these employers probably encouraged or aided and abetted this activity. But no one looks at them. Why? Because they have money and high-priced lawyers up the wazoo. So Joe and Bill go after little fish, who are lucky to a public defender that gives a crap. These people came here to work. Give them a way that they can realistically abide by the law, and they will comply. 

JohnQ.Public
JohnQ.Public topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

@MotherJones Not sure I fully agree.  While it is capitalism, it is also distorted by undocumented workers being hired in violation of the law.  To call it pure capitalism is like saying illegal waste dumping is just finding the lowest cost solution for your disposal needs and therefore part of the free market economy.    Both constitute violations of state and federal law and give the business doing it an unfair competitive advantage that distorts the economics of the marketplace.  Minimum wage is a little different in that case the employer is complying with the barest minimum wage required by law, but the employer is "negotiating" that wage in an environment of unequal barganing power because an undocumented worker clearly has significantly lower wage bargaining power than an individual authorized to work in the U.S.  No one is criminalizing hard work - what is being criminalized (or enforced as the case may or may not be) is illegal hiring practices in the same way that illegal dumping practices should remain illegal and be enforced.

MotherJones
MotherJones topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

@JohnQ.Public @MotherJones No they do need them. Even now. They have a work ethic missing in so many native born Americans. Ask any restaurant owner. They will tell you they'd rather hire an immigrant than an American any day, and it's not just because of the pay, tho that is part of it. 

"...theywanted the workers in order lower their labor costs and increase their profits." 

That's called capitalism. And consumers are naturally driven to the lowest pricepoint for the quality they're accustomed to. If you have two stores, one with American workers paid well above market rate and another store with lower prices, same or comparable merchandise, but the workers are paid merely minimum wage, which will you shop at?

If you're part of the shrinking middle or upper middle class, you may have the luxury of choosing. If you're beneath that, or live on a fixed income, you do not have that luxury. 

These are market forces. You can over-regulate. That's called socialism. I'd rather let the market decide, and not criminalize behavior that is laudable: i.e., hard work.

truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

@JohnQ.Public @truthseekeraz  Agriculture is exempted from paying minimum wage which I agree is not a living wage. They are exploited and used as "slave labor" by their bosses who cater to the major food corporations. Study Immokolee, FL, and read -- Big Sugar, Tomatoland, Nobodies -- for starters. 

JohnQ.Public
JohnQ.Public topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

@truthseekeraz I agree completely.  There is a difference, though, between minimum wage and livable wage.  Minimum wage is not a livable wage.  Undocumented immigrants allow employers to pay minimum wage instead of the living wage that employees authorized to work in the U.S. would more likely demand.

truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

@JohnQ.Public @MotherJones  I was addressing the agriculture business where the unskilled are used for slave labor. The other industries fall under the New Deal which ushered in minimum wage -- a living wage. Agriculture skirted the requirements thanks to the agriculture lobbyists.

ref: "Nobodies: modern American slave labor and the dark side of the new global economy" by John Bowe. 

All American workers are facing the policies by those in Congress -- Saipan -- Abramoff, DeLay among others; NAFTA, etc.


JohnQ.Public
JohnQ.Public topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

@MotherJones I want to take issue with one element of your comment.  You started out by saying that, "the problem is that American employers needed the workers..."  I disagree.   American employers (in most sectors except agriculture) did not "need" the workers, they wanted the workers in order lower their labor costs and increase their profits.  Employers would have had to pay higher wages and benefits when hiring employees that were authorized to work in the U.S. (whether natural born or by immigration status) so they choose to hire lower cost undocumented laborers.  The rest of your comment is spot on.

truthseekeraz
truthseekeraz topcommenter like.author.displayName 1 Like

@MotherJones  Thank you for your well-informed comment. That's all they are about -- "easy" convictions = career points nd $$$'s.

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