Numerous arrests by Border Patrol at Riverside day-laborer site (The Press-Enterprise)

Numerous arrests by Border Patrol at Riverside day-laborer site

10:00 PM PST on Thursday, January 29, 2009

By DAVID OLSON
The Press-Enterprise

U.S. Border Patrol agents Thursday swept into Riverside's Casa Blanca neighborhood and arrested at least 11 people on immigration charges, authorities said.

Riverside police Lt. Bruce Loftus said the arrests were made after numerous complaints of trespassing and loitering on and around Madison Street south of Highway 91, near a Home Depot.

Many day laborers typically gather in the area seeking work.

Loftus said Riverside police called the Border Patrol after they could not identify suspects.

Twelve people were arrested, and 11 were taken away by federal agents, he said.

The Pomona Economic Opportunity Center, a group representing day laborers, said as many as 30 people were apprehended.

Border Patrol spokesman Agent Richard Velez said he could not confirm the exact number of arrests but said it probably was not as many as 30.

Suzanne Foster, executive director of the day-laborer group, said members of her organization and the Los Angeles-based National Day Laborer Organizing Network witnessed and filmed the arrests, which occurred between 5 a.m. and 1 p.m.

"The Border Patrol is going out of its bounds," Foster said. "We don't think the Border Patrol should aggressively raid people walking down the street or riding their bikes and not committing any crimes."

She accused the Border Patrol of racial profiling, by stopping random Latinos on the street.

Velez defended the arrests and denied targeting any ethnic group.

"We have a mandate from Congress to enforce our immigration laws, and that's what we're doing," he said.

The raid came a month after at least six people were arrested at a San Bernardino day-laborer site.

Foster said people have also been arrested at the San Bernardino Greyhound station.

Velez said Thursday night he could not immediately confirm arrests at the Greyhound station, although he previously said the Border Patrol keeps tabs on the station.