[progchat_action] No Way Out: Hurricane or La Migra
 
Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 22:59:39 -0500 (CDT)


No way out: Undocumented immigrants must choose between facing a hurricane
or being deported

By Laura B. Martinez & Kevin Sieff,
The Brownsville Herald
May 17, 2008

Sister Phylis L. Peters is going to stay with her people even if it means
putting her own life on the line.

Recent news that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents will check the
immigration status of individuals fleeing a hurricane has sent a chill
through the poor, unincorporated colonia of Cameron Park, where Peters
founded Proyecto Juan Diego, a community center.

If a hurricane strikes South Texas this year, the colonia's undocumented
residents might have to choose between deportation and evacuation.

"If they are staying, I'm not leaving," Peters said.

Because many Cameron Park residents have family members residing in the U.S.
illegally, there are concerns that families could be divided once they hit
the Border Patrol checkpoints.

On Friday, a group of undocumented women discussed the issue over lunch. For
some, it was the first they had heard of the Border Patrol's plans.

"Instead of offering us help when we need it most, they're threatening us
with deportation," Patricia said. "It's like they're taking advantage of a
disaster to go fishing for undocumented immigrants."

"I live an old house that would never make it through the storm," Maria
said. "But this leaves me with no option but to stay there."

"It's like they're asking us to commit suicide," Patty said.

Residents opting not to evacuate is a concern of County Judge Carlos H.
Cascos whose main concern is for the safety of the county's 387,000 plus
residents.

"Once this word gets out people are just not going to do it. I think they
would rather face the wrath of a hurricane than the wrath of being
deported," Cascos said.

"Our role is to get people out safely, quickly and as efficiently as we can
and get them to a safe haven...we should not be doing anything that is going
to discourage people from evacuating. I think this is going to discourage
people and frighten people," Cascos said.

Although Cascos has the power to issue a mandatory evacuation should a
hurricane threaten the area, the county cannot force people to leave. If the
residents choose to stay and the area gets flooded, the county is
responsible for evacuating them to a safe place.

"We wish they would not do it. We think it is counterproductive to our
evacuation process," Cascos said. "What they are trying to do, I don't think
is in the best interest of the citizenry."

It's a difficult situation for the Border Patrol agents who are following
the rules handed down within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said
Dan Doty, spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol's Rio Grande Valley Sector.

"We value human life. You can never give somebody a life back. We don't want
to see any loss of life, but at the same time we are mandated in our
immigration duties and our Homeland Security duties," Doty said.

Doty reiterated the government's stance that the checkpoints will remain
open during an evacuation and that if an individual is found to have entered
the United States illegally, they will be deported back to their country
once the area has been deemed safe.

Those in custody will be temporarily transported to either the Laredo or San
Antonio sectors.

Undocumented immigrants whose children are U.S. citizens will be given the
option to keep their children with them if they are minors or send them up
to San Antonio if they have relatives who are able to care for the children.

"Family unity is very important to us. We do not want to separate families,
but we have to do what we are mandated to do," Doty said.

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/people_86708___article.html/cascos_hur
ricane.html

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