Los Angeles Webster Commission records, 1931-1992

Carecen, article, 1992-06

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Carecen, article, 1992-06

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Content CARECEN DENOUNCES
~
C A R E C E N
WIDESPREAD CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
IN POST-RIOT LOS ANGELES
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ANGELA CASTILLO
Chair
JOYCE S. FISKE
Vice-Chair
REV. LUIS OLIVARES, C.M .F.
Honorary Vice Chair
LINTON JOAQUIN, Esq.
Treasurer
DOUGLAS MIRELL, Esq.
Loeb and Loeb
Secretary
LYNN ALVAREZ, Esq.
Immigrants Rights Office
CAROLYN ANAGNOS
TIMOTHY BARKER, Esq.
Mitchell, Silberberg and Knupp
ISABEL BELTRAN
Commun~y Representative
RUTH CAPELLE, PhD.
Professor of Art
California State University, Fullerton
MONICA LOZANO-CENTANINO
Associate Publisher
La Opinion
NORA HAMILTON, PhD.
Associate Professor of Political Science
University of Southern California
DR. SAUL NIEDORF
Assistant Professor of Child Psychiatry
UCLA School of Medicine
STEVEN T . NUTTER, Esq.
Western Regional Director
ILGWU
PAT REIF, PhD.
Chair, Feminist Spirituality Program
Immaculate Heart College Center
MARK D . ROSENBAUM, Esq.
General Counsel
ACLU Foundation of Southern California
BARBARA WAHL ROSOVE
REV. TIM SAFFORD
All Saints Episcopal Church
CARLOS VAQUERANO
Commun~y Representative
Executive Director
MADELINE JANIS, Esq.
June 1992
Contacts: Edward J. Flynn, Legal Director
Madeline Janis, Executive Director
Carlos Vaquerano, Communications Dept.
The Central American Refugee Center ( CARECEN) of Los Angeles
has documented widespread violations of the civil and human rights of Latino
residents living in the central Pico-Union district in the weeks following the
riots of 1992. CARECEN's investigation has revealed that at least 452
persons were stopped for little or no reason by the Los Angeles Police
Department, interrogated as to their immigration status and summarily
handed over to the INS, with no criminal charges ever brought against them.
As the LAPD has itself acknowledged, these incidents were in direct violation
of city law and policy regarding the police department's intervention into
immigration matters. Other Latinos were stopped, interrogated in the street
and arrested by Border Patrol forces sent to the city supposedly to protect its
residents, while yet others were arrested for alleged undocumented status
after unconstitutional arrests and interrogations in the course of warrantless
apartment-building raids supposedly targeted at suspected looters.
After being delivered into U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service
custody, many persons were pressured by INS into signing voluntary departure
requests, thereby giving up their rights to an immigration hearing, often
through assertions by INS officers that failure to sign could result in lengthy
detention and fines. INS imposed exorbitant bonds of up to $20,000 on many
detainees, even in cases where they had no criminal records. Dozens of
people were subsequently held in INS custody under appalling and
overcrowded conditions, which drove some detainees to urgently seek
1
CENTRAL AMERICAN REFUGEE CENTER / CENTRO DE REFUGIADOS CENTROAMERICANOS
668 South Bonnie Broe Street / Los Angeles, California 90057 / (213) 483-6868 / FAX (213) 483-4407
®~ 25
deportation rather than remain in detention. As of late May, more than 700 persons
arrested during the riots had already been removed from the United States by the
INS, while more than 100 others were in detention awaiting hearings. One hundred
nine persons were released from custody by INS after it was learned that they had
lawful status. In the weeks after the riots, CARECEN and other free legal-services
agencies found it exceedingly difficult even to gain access to detainees to provide
them with legal assistance, due to obstructive visitation policies and administrative
disarray on the part of the INS.
The immigration sweeps by the LAPD in concert with the INS, and the
dispatch of the Border Patrol to the Pico-Union district were outrageous attacks on
the integrity of the law-abiding Latino community of central Los Angeles. In the
days following the riots, the Pico-Union neighborhood, like many neighborhoods in
the city, desperately needed a commitment by the authorities to protect its residents
without regard to ethnic or national origin. Instead, Latinos in large numbers were
subjected to unlawful interrogations about their immigration status by both local and
federal authorities. This situation was undoubtedly due in large part to racist
comments by the Chief of Police and the U.S. Attorney General singling out Latino
and Central American immigrants as a major cause of the uprising. As a result of
these civil-rights violations, CARECEN received reports of many inner-city residents
too fearful of leaving their apartments even to go to the store to buy food for their
families.
Cases of civil and human rights violations identified by CARECEN in the last
wake of the riots include the following:
1. Martha C.: An 18-year-old woman who was seven-months
pregnant, she was drinking a fruit juice she had bought at a store near
Grandview and 9th Street on Thursday, April 30, around 3 p.m., when
LAPD squad cars pulled up and started interrogating bystanders about
their names and countries of origin. The store was open for business,
and no looting or other criminal activity was taking place. When she
admitted having no immigration documents, she was arrested and taken
to LAPD Rampart division.
Never charged with any crime, she was soon thereafter picked
2
up at the police station along with several dozen more arrestees by the
INS, and was taken to the downtown Federal Building. INS detained
her under a $20,000 bond, and held her under appalling conditions,
transferring her nightly at about 1 a.m. from the Federal Building to
the INS detention center at Terminal Island, San Pedro, and then back
again at about 5 a.m., for a period of eight days running.
Nearly two weeks after her arrest, on May 12, she was rushed
to a hospital emergency room for fear she might miscarry. An
immigration judge released her on her own recognizance on May 14,
pending a hearing in her immigration case.
2. Lucia A.: A 24-year-old woman who is four months pregnant, she was
walking with her husband on Olympic near Alvarado on Tuesday, May
5, shortly after midnight, when an LAPD squad car pulled up, and two
officers emerged and demanded to know the pair's country of origin.
When they were unable to produce papers, one of the officers said to
her in Spanish, "You're going to be visiting your country very soon and
for free."
The officer grabbed her by the hair and pushed her up against
a wall, referring to her as a prostitute, and then cuffed her tightly with
plastic bands. The day after her arrest, INS presented her with a
voluntary departure form and told her she could avoid detention and
a high fine if she signed the paper. She went ahead and signed. She
was placed in INS custody and suffered from frequent transfers, poor
hygiene, inadequate diet and being forced to sleep on the floor or on
cement benches.
3. Edwin P.: He was standing at a bus stop near Union and 8th Street
on Saturday, May 2, at about 5 p.m. when police and uniformed INS
officers pulled up in an unmarked civilian car and demanded to know
of him and several "cholos" nearby whether they had any immigration
papers. When he indicated he had none, he was taken into custody,
never charged with a crime, but taken directly to INS offices at the
Federal Building downtown. He believes the young gang members
were later released, possibly because they had legal status. He believes
his interrogation was due entirely to his ethnic appearance.
4. Miguel R.: He was visiting his girlfriend at an apartment building near
the intersection of Los Angeles and Washington streets, Saturday
afternoon, May 2, at about 1 p.m., when several vehicles apparently
belonging to LAPD, the Border Patrol and the National Guard
converged on the premises. There were items in the alley next to the
building which were apparently believed to be remnants of looting
from previous days.
Although several bystanders ran from the building, he did not.
He was in his girlfriend's apartment when officers burst in and took
him into custody. Asked where he was from, he told the officers
3
Guatemala. Along with about 20 other people, he was taken to
Newton Division, where he spent the next three hours or so. He was
not charged with a crime, but was instead transferred to INS custody.
On Monday, May 4, he signed a voluntary-departure request form after
INS officials recommended he do so.
5. Enrique V.: He was walking alone on 3rd Street near Loma on
Saturday night, May 2, at about 10 p.m. when an LAPD squad car
braked to a halt beside him. Three officers leaped out, grabbed him
and restrained him with plastic cuffs though he did not resist, and
demanded to know his name and where he was from. He gave the
officers his name and said he was from Mexico.
He was brought to the Rampart Division, where he spent only
about 15 minutes before the INS arrived to take him and others into
INS custody. He was brought first to the Federal Building, and then
was taken to the detention center in San Pedro on Sunday morning at
about 3 a.m. On Monday, May 4, he was shown a voluntary-departure
request form and was pressured to sign, the INS officer telling him he
could be jailed for up to five years if he did not. He signed.
6. Manuel C.: He was a passenger in a car stopped by the LAPD on
Friday night, May 1, near the intersection of Hoover and Washington,
on apparent suspicion that the driver, his uncle, was intoxicated. The
arresting officers demanded to know his name and country of origin
(Mexico), and shortly thereafter, he was transferred to INS custody.
His uncle was released by LAPD the next morning.
7. Jaime H.: On Saturday, May 2, at about 5:00 in the afternoon, he
was walking down Kenmore Street near 9th, on his way to buy
mangoes from a street vendor, when three LAPD squad cars suddenly
pulled up. Six officers emerged from the cars and stopped him, one
of them demanding to know his age and where he was from. Jaime,
an 18-year-old lawful permanent resident, did not have his residency
card with him at the time. He was arrested and taken by the police
to Rampart station.
After only about ten minutes at Rampart, he was taken into
custody by INS and taken along with numerous other arrestees to the
Federal Building downtown. Although he informed an INS processing
official of his lawful permanent resident status, he was placed in
detention, first in the Federal Building basement and later at Terminal
Island. He was never brought before a judge, and was not released by
INS until June 10, 1992.
The practices of the LAPD in the days following the riots were a clear
violation of city and state law, which prohibit the LAPD from detaining persons on
4
the basis of alleged civil immigration violations (illegal entry) or handing them over
to the INS unless they have been charged with multiple or high-grade misdemeanors
or felonies (Special Order 40). It is noteworthy that the INS participated directly
in the LAPD sweeps, allegedly as "translators." The Border Patrol activities in Los
Angeles, meanwhile, violated constitutional protections which mandate that
interrogations and arrests be based on probable cause to believe a crime has been
committed, and not on ethnic appearance alone.
These developments pose a serious threat to the proper enforcement of
criminal law in the multicultural city of Los Angeles. CARECEN has long urged the
LAPD to adopt a clear policy dedicating itself to the protection of the residents of
Los Angeles without resorting to the enforcement of civil immigration laws or
automatically calling in the INS. The incidents of the post-riot period will only serve
to heighten the tension and mistrust between the city's Latino community and the
LAPD and other law enforcement authorities -- tension and mistrust which must be
avoided in Los Angeles these days at all cost.
(CAR.ECEN et al v. Daryl Gates was filed in Los Angeles in May 1991 by
CAR.ECEN along with the Immigrants Rights Office of the Legal Aid Foundation of
Los Angeles, the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF),
and the National Immigration Law Center. This lawsuit challenges the LAPD practice
of illegally inquiring into people's immigration status -- victims and suspects alike -- and
calling in the INS to take custody of undocumented persons. CAR.ECEN has long been
concerned about this policy, which has led to widespread fear of the police in Los
Angeles' Central American community and elsewhere, and to a profound reluctance by
victims of violent crime to seek the involvement of the LAP D ).
5
D11~ DJNctor
JUN 091992
Nr. Allan Paraohini
Immigration and N aturallzation Service
u:s-~-c
IOO Noni& Lo, An,•lf• StN•t
Lo, An,•Z.1. CA IOOll
Director ot R aearch end Pyblic Aftair•
ACLU Foundation o~ Southern Calitornia
1616 Beverly Boul•vard, P.O. lox 26907
Lo• Ang•l••• California 90026-9i38
Dear Hr. Parachin1:
The folloYing i• in re pon•• ta your Fr••dom a! Information r•que t
of Nay 2~, 1992. Alt.hough thi• offio• d098 not hav• on• document
thet 1nclud•• the information ••t forth in your requeat, I can
provid• you vit.h the figures b•••d upon a review of rel•vant
dooumenta prepar•d during the time •p•ci!ied.
1> Th• number of individual• turn•d ov•r to the IN& ••ch dey by
the Los Ang•l•a Police Department, tarting April 29, 1992 through
thei date of your requ• t, May 20, 1992. Thi• •l•a include• the
countri•• of origin. Only dat•• in vhich actual turnover• v•r•
made ar• 11 ted.
~ATE Qf TURN OVER N6IIQNALIIX
H y 1
-
26 N•x1co • 344
2 - 69 El Salvador 44
3 - 18:5 Guat.emala 43
4 --
47 Hondur 13
!5 - 45 Belize 3
6 ..
41 Nicaragua 3
7 •
14 Jamaica 1
8 - s USSR .. --1.
10 • 3
18 -
..ll
Total• 4e2
Total a 4~2
2> Th• numb•r of ind1vidual turn•d ov•r to th• INS ••oh day by
the Lo Angele Polic• Departm•nt from April 22 through April 24,
1992 1 •• follow••
DATE PE TURN OVER
Apr 22 - 0
23 - 0
24 • 0
3) The number of ind1v1dual turned over to th• INS ••gh day by
th• Lo Angel•~ County Sheriff'• Office •tarting Apr11 29, 1992
through th• date of your r•qu t, Nay 20, 1992. Thi• el•o includes
th• cou~tr1ea ot origin,
PATE Qf TURN OVER HATIONALITY
Apr 29 - 11 Mexico - 880
::10 - 29 El Salvador
-
88
nay 1
-
26 Gl.lat•mala
-
sa
2 - 29 Hondura
-
23
3 -
6 Cuba 7
4
-
33 Ar11enia 3
~ -
· ,2
Colo•b1a 3
& - 65 Nicaragua 3
7 - 131 Vietnam
-
3
8
-
139 Franc• 2
9 - 63 Iraq
2
10 •
79 France 2
11 - 31 Dominican Rep.
- 1
12 - 3S Norocco 1
13 - 60 Syria 1
14
-
41 Co•t• Rica 1
1~ - 62 Italy 1
16 - 33 Hambia 1
17 - 3~ Brazil 1
18 - 28 Canada 1
19 - 23 Trin1dad
1
20
.
-1.1.
Nalay i.a 1
Ethiopia 1
Indone ia
- ---1.
Tot la t.,090 Total: 1,090
4> Th• number ot individual turned over to th• INS ••oh day by
th• Loa Ang•l•• County Sheri.ff'• Office from April 22, through
April 24, 1992. Thi al o include• the countria of origin.
P6IE OF TURN OVER
Apr 22 - 28
23 - 26
24 - ll
Total: 76
2
NATIONALITY
N•xico
El Salvador
Philipp in••
B•liz•
Guat•mala
Honduras
Jamaica
P•nama
Cuba
- 61
7
2
1
1
1
1
1
..l.
Total: 76
I~ you hav• afty further qua tion, pl•••• contact•• at <213> 894•
2780.
llino•r•lY,
Robert N. Ko•oharak
Di•tr1ct Dir•ctor
3
T EL NO :
~251 P0J / G ,4--
---...... .
CON s ULA TE ... .. . ii j. -6 i 4·.: a 9- ~ ····-- ·· ~-- -·- . . . . . ...... .
-'
.r - ... .
<., ··\
t.0 ·,_ \;
\ . I
' ✓ •
UNITBD STATBS D6PAJlTMENT OF JUSTJCB
DIMIGR.ATION AND NA11JllAUZATION SHR.VICB
A. , •·
·- -.. - .---·
300 N. LOS ANJELES ST .• LOS ANOELBS. CA 90012
PioM THB (lfp~I! OF fHS IPR
DISTltJCI' DllECIOR
P19e Number 1
May 20, 19.92
LOS ANGELSS DISTRICT USINS
RIOT ALIENS PROCESSED
1. Alien• arreatad at tAPD d•ploymant site•----
2. Total Riot Alien, relea••d to INS custody
from tACJ vlth detainer----------·----------
3. Total Riot Aliens releaatd to INS cu1tody
from tACJ with NO detainer------------------
4. Total Ali•n• received from LACJ/LAPO/OTH!R --
4a. t•111 Released from cuatody
(Not Deportable) ---~---------------•--
5. Total Dtportablt Riot Aliena processed----"~
Sa. Total OSC/WA --------------------------
5b. Total Voluntary Returns-~-------------
6. Ali•n• in INI euetody T.I. ------------------
6a. OSC/WA (awaiting hearing)--------
6b. VR (awaiting travel documents) ---
7. Aliens tranaferrtd t'!> oth•r r~·~ f.oci 1.iti••
outside LOS ----------•••·--------•----p------
a. lliene removed from tht United St1te1 ---·---
Sa, n•ported •------~----------------------
Sb. V/~ ~--~-~-~-~~- -~-~~~---·-~~~-~-~-~~~--
May 19
"
22
\
1
23
0
23
22
l
33
13
20
so
13
0
13
p.
Totale
332
425
198
955
l09
846
127
719
261
11 ·:
144
I
I
.... I oc: C. I . I 'j
••9• Number 2
May 20, 1992
t. Riot Ali•n• by
ay Day and country
Country of birth:
Total Interviewed
AlMINIA 1
IIL!ZI 3
COITA RICA 2
CUil !
IL SALVADOR 97
GUATIMAt.l 51
IONDURll 33
ITALY l
MIXICO 147
NICARAOUA 6
PIILIPP?NZS 1
l0S1%l 1
'l'otal--- 955
~ --------------
TEL NO :
~251 P04 , u~
· ·····-- - · • • ... . ......... .
Pr0ct11•d for r1moval
AkMBNIA
BIL!ZB
COSTA RIOA
C:tJ&A
!L SAt.VADOl
CUA'l'IMALA
HONDURAS
ITAt.Y
MEXICO
NICARlCJUl
PHILIPPINES
RUSSIA
0
3
l
4
81
''
27
1
&ll.
4
0
0
846
p. O
'"\
TABLE OF PERSONS DETAINED BY LAPD DURING DISTURBANCES WITHOUT CAUSE
OR FOR MINOR CRIME AND TURNED OVER TO INS' .
Prepared by CENTRAL AMERICAN REFUGEE CENTER
NAME NATIONALITY DATE DETAINED CHARGES LOCATION REMARKS
DETAINED BY FILED
1. Lucia A. Guatemalan 5/4/92. LA.P.0. none INS/TID
2
Turned over to INS. 4 months
pregnant. Detained with no motive.
Verbal abuse by police.
2. Alex 0. Salvadoran
5/5/92.
LA.P.O. none INS/TIO Turned over to INS. Entire buldlng
, ' : searched because of suspected
looters. 17 year old boy taken away
although no stolen goods In
apartment.
3. Salvador M. Salvadoran 5/2/92 LA.P.O. none INS/TIO Turned over to INS. Detained on
street after buying donuts. Police
I I
called him a ,OCklng asshole,• toid
I
him he'd soon go to his country ior
free,· puled his hair, pushed him,
and handcuffed him tlghtty.
4. Leslie A. Honduran 5/6/92 LA.P.O. none INS Turned over to the INS. 6 months
pregnant. Police treated her
roughly.
1
Th• CentraJ American Refugee Cenw (CAAECEN) has conducted a total of 66 Interviews 'Mth d«a.inHs and/or their family members lira May 2. 1992. Of these, we have
been able to document 22 cas.1 of lmprope, and/or IUegat 000p«ation between the lAPO and the INS. Of the balance, 13 people were arrHted by other authoritiM (mottty the
Sheriff'~ Department) and in 31 cases we were not able to obtain sufficient lnfOf'mation. Full names of 8'1 clients will be made available at a later date upon client consent.
2
TIO is Terminal Island Detention Centec' located in San Pedro, California. All persons listed as NS/TIO were in INS custody as of the week of May 11, 1992. Some may have
been deported.
~
--- -- ----~------~ -~- -~ - =----- ~ -=-=-=- - =-==-=-=--:-=================~ ~ ~~--;;...iiiiiiiia.~---
5. Ana A. Salvadoran
5/1/92 LA.P.D. none Released Turned a,,Jer to INS. Hands tied
from INS but tightly with plastic. PoUce called her
under a prostitute and said she'd soon get
deportation a free trip home. Saw others on the
bus being hit by INS.
6. Marta C. Satvadoran 5/1/92 LAP.D. none Released Turned (Ytler to INS. 18 years old,
from INS but 7 months pregnant and II. Not
under allowed to see a doctor in INS
deportation custody for 8 days.
7. Jose L Salvadoran 5/5/92 National none Released Turned a,,J8f to INS. Detained with
Guard from INS but no motive-on- the way home from
" • • I
under work.
' " .. J
• ' ,~ f\ ; ;
f J ·> ( \
deportation
.,~ ,· '
8. Mauricio A. Salvadoran 5/3/92.
LA.P.D. curfew INS Turned a,,Jer to INS.
violation
9. Javier M. Mexican 5/1/92. LA.P.D. none Reteased Turned over to INS. Was In a car .
from INS but with his uncle, who was arrested.
In No motive to arrest him, so
'
deportation lmmediatety turned (Ytler to INS.
10. Arturo S. Guatemalan 5/1/92. LA.P.D. curfew INS/TIO Turned over to INS. PoUtlcal asylum
vfolatlon applicant.
11. Juan M. Honduran 4/30/92 LA.P.O. none INS/TIO Turned over to INS.
12. Eddy V. Guatemalan 5/1/92 LA.P.D. none INS Turned over to INS.
13. Mario S. Mexican 5/1/92 LA.P.D. none INS/TIO Detained drMng mother to work.
:11 · /
Turned over to INS.
14. Jaime H. Salvadoran 5/2/92 LA.P.D. none INS/TIO Turned over to INS.
15. Victor C. Mexican 4/30/92.
LA.P.D. none INS/TIO Turned over to INS.
16. Jorge M. Honduran 4/30/92 LA.P.D. none Deported Minor (17 years old). Turned over to
INS.
17. Guadalupe Mexican 5/2/92 LA.P.D. none INS/TIO Turned over to INS.
C.
18. WUlie M. Salvadoran 5/1/92 LAP.D. none INS/TIO Turned over to INS.
19. Samuef S. Guatemalan 5/1/92 LA.P.D. possible INS/110 Turned over to INS.
curfew
violation
20. Cartos S. Salvadoran 5/2/92 LA.P.D. possible INS/TIO Turned over to INS. Has TPS.
curfew
violation
21 . Jose P. Salvadoran 4/30/92 LA.P.D. curfew county jaH Wil be turned over to INS after
violation serving sentence (INS hold).
22. lsraef F. Mexican 5/2/92 LA.P.O. curfew unknown Befleved to be In INS custody.
violation
DECLARATION
I, Martha Campos, do hereby declare the following:
1. I am an 18-year old woman. I am presently seven months pregnant, and am in
detention in the INS detention center at Terminal Island, San Pedro, California.
2. On April 30, 1992, I was arrested and detained by the Los Angeles Police
Department. The circumstances were these: at about 3:00 in the afternoon, I was
standing in a store that was open for business near Grandview street, drinking some
fruit juice. Suddenly several police cars pulled up, and the police began to
interrogate everyone in the vicinity. An officer demanded to know my name, and
if I had any immigration papers and what country I was from. I responded that I
had no papers and I told him what country I am from. I was then taken to a police
station with many other people.
3. After I had spent about 20 minutes at the police station, Immigration arrived in
several vans and took me and many other people away. There were about 10 other
people in my van. They took me to the main Federal Building in the center of Los
Angeles. Later that same day, at the Federal Building, some officials from
Immigration gave me some papers to sign, for my deportation back to El Salvador.
They said that if I did not sign, I could be held in detention for a long time. I went
ahead and signed the papers.
4. For the next eight days, until Friday, May 8, I was detained during most of the days
in the basement of the Federal Building. I was held along with numerous other
women, some of whom were also pregnant, in a: cell with no furniture apart from a
bench along the wall. This bench was narrow, and it was impossible for me to sleep
in this cell, except on the floor. Each night at about 1:00 a.m., we were woken up
and put on a bus, and taken to the INS detention center in San Pedro. We were
held there every night until about 5:00 a.m., when we were taken back to the Federal
Building. At San Pedro, we had to sleep on hard cement benches. I never got a
good night's sleep during this entire time, and it was difficult to endure this
treatment because of my pregnancy.
5. On May 8, I was brought to San Pedro and have not been taken back to the Federal
Building since. During the entire time that I was being shuttled between the Federal
Building and San Pedro, I was not permitted to shower and bathe. Also during that
time, I was not given a change of undergarments and clothing. Since I have been
at San Pedro, I have been given a change of clothing only once. The meals I have
been given both at the Federal Building and at San Pedro have been very bad and
small. A typical meal has been some dry meat and old bread, and a small orange.
I have been given little milk to drink, and very few fruits and vegetables. I had not
been given vitamins until Wednesday, May 13. I have lost weight and feel very weak.
I believe the food I have been provided has been totally inadequate for a woman in
her seventh month of pregnancy.
6. On Tuesday night, May 12, around midnight, I was rushed to the emergency room
of a nearby hospital. I had been feeling very feverish and sick in my bed, but when
another detainee notified the guards, they said I could wait until morning to see a
doctor. But I was feeling worse and worse, and was afraid I would lose my baby.
Finally, after my friends insisted, INS decided to take me to the hospital. At the
hospital, I was told by the doctor that I was weak and that I could give birth to my
baby prematurely. But after examining me, they let me be returned to the detention
center.
7. On Wednesday, May 13, I felt very dizzy and weak. My lawyer visited me in the
morning, and after his visit, I was taken to see the doctor at the detention center.
This was the first time I was given medical attention for my pregnancy while in the
custody of the INS, apart from the emrgency-room visit the night before. The doctor
gave me a pre-natal kit, which included vitamins. I believe I should have been given
these vitamins a long time ago by INS.
8. I am feeling very weak now. I fear being deported back to El Salvador, and I wish
to have a judge hear my case, but I cannot stand being detained even another day.
They have not given me the care that should be given to a pregnant woman. They
are not giving any of the pregnant women I know here the care that they need. I
fear that the treatment I have suffered while in INS custody could have caused or
might still cause serious harm either to me or my baby, or both.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct, to the best
of my knowledge and belief.
?z-2/?R_;z(y; C~/7 ~
MARTHA CAMPOS
CERTIFICATE OF TRANSLATOR
I, Edward J. Flynn, hereby certify that I am fluent in both English and
Spanish, that I translated the foregoing Declaration of Martha Campos in its
entirety to the Declarant in Spanish, and that she signed the Declaration
after affirming that she understood it.
r;:-/; C /42-
~
DECLARATION
I, Lucia Altai Ramos, do hereby declare the following:
1. I am a 24-year old woman. I am presently four months pregnant, and am in detention
in the the INS detention center at Terminal Island, San Pedro, California.
f. ,-4{
2. On Monday, May fa: ::th at approximately 1 :00 a.m., my husband and I were walking
along Olympic near Alvarado street on our way home from dinner. Two Los Angeles
Police Department officers patrolling the streets, suddenly pulled up, stopped us, and
asked for our papers and demanded to know our country of origin. When we were unable
to produce the papers, one of the police officers said to us in Spanish, "You're going to
be visiting your country very soon and for free". This same officer proceeded to grab my
hair and push me up against a nearby wall all the while referring to me as a prostitute.
3. The two officers proceeded to search my and my husbands clothing and bags, but
found nothing which appeared to interest them.
4. We were then handcuffed, placed in a patrol car and taken to the police station. Soon
after reaching the police station we were transferred by the INS to the Federal Building
downtown. Streets.
. ,
5. At INS we were given voluntary departure papers and told that if we signed them we
would be deported that night and would not be placed in detention. We were also told
that if we didn't sign the voluntary departure forms we would be forced to pay $5,000
each in fines.
6. On May 4th, we were transferred to the San Pedro Detention facility on Terminal Island.
For the next five days and nights, I along with several detainees was shuttled between the
Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles and the San Pedro Detention Facility. At the
Federal Building we were forced to sleep on concrete benches without pillows or
blankets. At one or two a.m. we would be awakened from sleep and placed on a bus to
San Pedro. We would arrive at San Pedro early in the morning where we would finish the
night in cots or on benches located on the first floor. We were then woken up around 5
a.m. to be returned to the Federal Building.
7. The food I received, both at the Federal building as well as at the San Pedro Facility
was often dry or spoiled. For five days I was seriously ill with constipation. When I asked
to see a doctor I was told there was none available. Finally, one night, after I had
complained about my physical condition, I was removed from the pod and made to sleep
in the dinning room on top of a table. I was forced to sleep in this manner for two nights.
It wasn't until the 11th of this month that I was allowed to see a doctor.
8. I am four months pregnant and have felt seriously ill since my apprehension by the
INS.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct, to the best of my
knowledge and belief.
Date
{I ;rt,q ).__ RAtnos.luc.,fl
Lucia Altai Ramos
DECLARATION
I, Edwin David Perera, do hereby declare the following:
1. I am a 33-year old man, and an electrician by trade. I am presently in detention
in the INS detention center at Terminal Island, San Pedro, California.
2. On Sunday, May 3, 1992, at about 4:30 in the afternoon, I was standing at the corner
of Fedora and 9th Street, waiting for a friend to pick me up. There was a group of
young men standing near me whom I believe to have been gang members, or
"cholos." All of a sudden, two unmarked vehicles pulled up and about five men in
civilian clothes, two of them wearing jackets identifying them as immigration officials,
jumped out and interrogated me and the other young men. I had no immigration
documents in my possession at the time. The officers arrested me and three of the
other young men on the spot.
3. I was taken by the agents to the corner of Vermont and 3rd Streets, near a Thrifty
drug store, where an INS bus was waiting. My hands were tightly lashed behind my
back with a plastic strip. I was placed in the bus, and from there was driven, along
with several of the "cholos," as well as other arrestees, to the INS office downtown.
4. For the next three days, I was detained in the basement of the Federal Building
downtown during the days, and bussed out to the detention center at Terminal Island
every night, leaving at about 10:00 p.m., and brought back each morning at about
5:00 a.m. While I was held in the Federal Building, I was given hardly any food at
all. A typical meal was a couple of tortillas with a cold egg in between. On the
fourth day, I was taken to Terminal Island to stay, and I have remained there ever
since.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct, to the best
of my knowledge and belief.
~--YID PERE~
CERTIFICATE OF TRANSLATOR
I, Edward J. Flynn, hereby certify that I am fluent in both English and
Spanish, that I translated the foregoing Declaration of Edwin David Perera
in its entirety to the Declarant in Spanish, and that he signed the Declaration
after affirming that he understood it.
DECLARATION
DRAFT
I, Ana Iris Ramirez Diaz, do hereby declare the following:
1. I am a 33-year old woman. I am currently being held in detention in the INS detention
center at Terminal Island, San Pedro, California.
2. On Monday, May fourth, at approximately 1:00 a.m., I was waiting outside the Milltown
Motel, located on Alvarado Street between 7th and 8th Streets, for a friend who was staying
as a guest there. Without warning, two lAPD patrol cars pulled up to the curb and began
rounding up all the people who were waiting in front of the motel.
3. The police officer who apprehended me never searched me; he merely demanded to see
my papers and to know my country of origin. When I relinquished this information he said
in Spanish, "You're going to be visiting your family very soon". He was very rude and tied
my hands very tightly behind my back.
4. Five minutes after the arrival of the lAPD, an INS bus pulled up to the motel and
officers began loading the twenty or so people who had been arrested into the bus.
5. That night I was given a voluntary departure form. I was told that if I didn't sign it I
would be forced to pay $20,000 in bond.
~------ ----------------------------
6. Oo May fourth, I was taken to the San Pedro Detention Center on Terminal Island. For
the next five days and nights, I, along with several detainees, was shuttled between the
Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles and the San Pedro Detention Center. At the
Federal Building we were forced to sleep on concrete benches without pillows or blankets.
At one or two a.m., we would be awakened from sleep and placed on a bus to San Pedro.
We would arrive at San Pedro early in the morning where we would finish the night in cots
or benches located on the first floor. We were then woken up around 5 a.m. to be returned
to the Federal Building.
7. The food I received, both at the Federal Building as well as at the San Pedro Detention
Center was often dry or spoiled. I have not been permitted to bathe on a regular basis, and
have been given a clean set of clothing, including undergarments, only once each week.
8. I am sharing a cell with many women who are pregnant. These women have received no
special care. They have been forced to sleep on tables and benches and have been sent to
the doctor only when they experienced extreme pain.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and
correct, to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Date Ana Iris Ramirez Diaz
------ ---------------
r-
DECLARATION
I, Jaime Antonio Hernandez, do hereby declare the following:
1. I am an 18-year old man. I am presently in detention in the INS detention center
at Terminal Island, San Pedro, California.
2. On Saturday, May 2, 1992, at about 5:00 in the afternoon, I was walking down
Kenmore Street, near the corner of 9th, where I was going to buy some mangoes
from a street vendor. All of a sudden, three Los Angeles Police Department squad
cars pulled up and six officers jumped out and started to interrogate me, demanding
to know my age and where I was from. I had no immigration documents in my
possession at the time. The officers arrested me and took me in one of the squad
cars to the LAPD Rampart station.
3. After only about ten minutes at the Rampart station, I was taken into custody by
Immigration officials and driven along with many other arrested persons to the main
Immigration office downtown. I informed an immigration official at the main office
that I am a lawful permanent resident in the United States, and the official began
to look for records of my status. The official then indicated to me that it appeared
I was correct, that he had confirmed I am in fact a permanent resident. However,
rather than being released, I was taken to a holding cell in the basement of the
Federal Building.
4. I spent several nights in the basement of the Federal Building, and on two occasions
was transported to the INS detention center at San Pedro to spend the night.
Finally, after about a week, I was taken to the San Pedro detention center, where
I have been detained ever since. As far as I know, I have no bond. In addition, I
have not had a court hearing since being taken into custody by the INS.
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct, to the best
of my knowledge and belief.
Date JAIME ANTONIO HERNANDEZ
'-' I \. .., oI~ a - u~ Ve;'-'~
Arrested in Riots
Turned Over to INS
Police: Immigrant
advocates say action
inflamed situation and
violated LAPD policy.
By PATRICK McOONNELL
TIMES STAFF WRITER
In the midst of the city's unrest,
Los Angeles police turned over
scores of foreign-born suspects to
U.S. immigration authorities, who
have targeted illegal immigrants
among them for repatriation to
their homelands, officials con
flI'llled Tuesday.
The action-which immigrant
advocates say served to inflame an
already volatile situation in Latino
enclaves hard hit during the dis
turbances-was in direct contra
vention of Los Angeles police poli
cy to not turn over people to the
U.S. Immigration and Naturali1.a
tion Service.
"This was a departure from our
normal policy, but this was not a
normal situation," said Lt. John
Dunkin, a police spokesman.
~rlier, Dunkin had denied to a
Times reporter that police had
handed suspects over to immigra
tion officfafs. But he later tele
phoned back to correct the state
ment and confirm that police did
hand over at least 100 suspects to
the Immigration Service.
Among the . riot-related arrests
in Los Angeles were 1,044 illegal
immigrants, according to an INS
official who declined to be identi
fied. Of thooe, the official said, 781
remained in the County Jail as of
Monday and were to be turned
over to the INS once their criminal
cases were disposed of, the official
said. Another 263 were turned over
to the service for return to their
native countries, according to the
official, who said he believed those
263 were turned over by Los
Angeles police.
Los Angeles police could not
provide a precise number, other
than to say that about 80 suspects
were handed over to U.S. immigra
tion authorities on Saturday alone.
About 400 agents of the U.S.
Border Patrol-an armed agency
of the Immigration and Naturaliza
tion Service-were among the
1,000 federal law enforcement au
thorities .d~ployed to Los Angeles
in an effort to quell the disturbanc
es. The fll'St Border Patrol contin
gents arrived Friday and had left ·
by late Monday, federal officials
said. '
M~y Border Patrol units were
. _ deployed jn the Pico Union area ·
1
and other Latino immigrant neigh -: -
.. - borhoods, raising alarm among
residents who have long feared la
migra-as U.S. immigration offi
cials are widely known. · .. · . ·
"This was basically throwing
gasoline onto a fire," said Madeline
Janis, executive director of the
Central American Refugee Center
( CARECEN), the nonprofit social
service and legal assistance organ
ization. "There was almost a feel
ing that someone was exacting
vengeance against the communi
ty."
The high-proflle Border Patrol
presence-some patrc?lled the city
in their distinctive green and white
vehicles· while others accompanied
Los Angeles police officers-raised
fears that new Latino immigrants
were being used as scapegoats for
the violence, advocates said. Police
Chief _ Daryl F. Gates has already
publicly blamed "illegal aliens" for
much of the pillage.· · ::
"It's part of a· pattern we've seen
, fOl' at least a year, where immig
rants are- targeted for a lot of
society's problems," Janis said.
·Authorities insisted that all ap
prehensions by immigration per
sonnel were initially for looting
and other riot-related offenses, and
that any immigration charges were
only discovered afterward.
Los Angeles police officers did
not direct immigration agents to
arrest undocumented immigrants,
LAPD Lt. Ounkin said. "I can ·state
unequivocally," he said, "that we
did not give them a mission to go
out and round up illegal immig
rants."
r, · ·
.· .- LOS ANGELES TIMES
According to Dunkin, suspects
turned over to the INS by city
police officers tended to be those
for w~om there was no "probable
cause of prosecution for riot-re
lated of{enses.
· U.S. Justice Department officials
defended the deployment of the
Border Patrol agents. "At the re
quest of California authorities we
took the necessary steps to re;tore
law and order, which required us to
use all available resources," re
spo~ed a Justice Department offi
cial m Washington, who declined
to ~ identified. ·
It appears that about 10% of
those arrested during the Los An_
g~Ies disturbances were illegal im
f!1Igrants, the official said. An_ ear
her, widely repeated estimate that
one-third of those apprehended
were undocumented was in error.
The Border Patrol detachment
sen~ to- Loa Angeles came from
stations throughout California and
fro~ -. Y~a, Ariz., said an official
famtJ1ar with the assignment.
* WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1992 83
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Criticism Grows Over Aliens Seized During Riots
SETH MYDANS
Special to The New Yorit Times
LOS ANGELES, May 28 - Lucia
Artal Ramos is a trophy of the Los
~nge_ les riots, one of hundreds of illegal
immigrants who were swept off the
streets as the Immigration and Natu
ralization Service took advantage of
the city's recent chaos.
By her own account, police officers
stopped her on the evening of May -4
told her she was going to get "a fr~
ride back to your country," and handed
her over to immigration agents who
held her without charges for 18 days
before a lawyer obtained her release.
I
Mrs. Ramos, who is from Guatema
!a, is p~rt o~ one of the biggest hauls of
illegal immigrants in the history of the
city, where thousands of newcomers
live and work without documents
among the legal Hispanic residents. In
the weeks since the riots, criticism has
grown t_hat the police and immigration
agents improperly detained people.
~!though the officials deny it, the
cn~ics say that hundreds of Hispanic
residents were interrogated about
their immigration status on the basis of
their race alone.
i "We were out there doing our job,"
Ro~rt M. ~oschorak, the Los Angeles
reg1~nal d1~ec~or of the immigration
service, said m a recent interview.
"I'm very proud of the job we did!'
781 Illegal Allens Deported
He denied that his agents had over
stepped the law, and he said many of
the looters and lawbreakers had been
illegal aliens.
As of last weekend, his office said,
944 people, most of them from Mexico
~ad ~n. taken into custody by th~
immigration service. Of these 781
waiv~d their right to a deportation
hearing and were immediately sent
back across the Mexican border.
~ritics ?f the roundup, including im
m1grant-nghts group and civil liberties
or~a~izations as well as local Hispanic
officials, say that rather than helping
to restore order, as it had been asked to
do, the immigration service saw a
chance to pursue its own agenda.
"_ ~e. were a city in crisis, and our
pol1t1c1ans and Police Commission
should not have allowed the enforce
ment of civil immigration violations to
go hand in hand with attempts to calm
d~wn and defuse the situation," said
Nils W. Frenzen, directing attorney of
Public Council, a legal aid group.
These complaints were aired at a
hearing last week of the Police Com
mission, a civilian body that oversees
the police force. The commission presi
dent, Stanley K. Sheinbaum, said the
compla ints would be investigated by a
special commission studying police
conduct during the r ioting that began
Apr il 29, the day that four Los Angeles
police off ice rs were acquitted of se
verely beating a black motorist, Rod
ney G. King.
As l~ters rampaged through stores,
t~e cnucs say, the police and immigra-
1 t1on offlc1al_ ~ we_re _ loadin~ their vehi-
des with illegal aliens they had de- g~age, wearing clothing that would ba
tained in a variety of improper ways. sacally be of _ foreign origin, or foreign
In some cases, like that of Mrs. Ramos, appearance 1f coupled with some of
the critics say the police violated long- these other things. "
standing procedures by detaining peo- He agreed that such a description
pie solely because they did not have c~uld apply to vast portions of the
documents to prove they were .in the c1tts population, in which 40 percent of
country legally. The police denied this residents _ are of Hispanic origin and
accusation. ho!d a ~3:~1~ty of_ immi_ gration statuses.
Immigrant rights groups have gath-
ered numerous examples of men and ln aaa1t1on, the critics say United
women who say they were arrested ~t~tes Border Patrol agents, who
without criminal charges for failing to J~med the peacekeeping efforts in the
produce immigration documents while city along with a number of other Fed shopping or waiting at bus stops or e~al ag~ncles, were assigned to patrol
during searches for looted goods in Hispamc neighborhoods where the ef
their homes. Such police detentions on feet of their presence was less to re
Federal statutes would only be legal in store order than to sow fear.
rare circumstances. "Federal law-enforcement forces
In other cases, as the police them- have been deployed in our city to ap
selves confirm, they handed over to the prehend looters, arsonists and murder
immigration service people who had ers who have terrorized our communi
been detained for looting or curfew ty," said City Councilman Mike Her
violations but who normally would nandez, one of several political leaders
have been released for lack of strong who spoke out against the activities of
evidence. the Immigration Service. "They should
"We had a large number, about 100 no~ '?e here to arrest and detain law abidmg bystanders, who may happen
Hundreds of
immigrants in
Los Angeles have
been deported.
to be undocumented.~ •
Mr. Moschorak said about � 00 agents
of th~ Border ~atrol were deployed in
the city to assist in keeping order but
that ' '.there is nothing to indicate that
~hey arrested aliens who were illegalJy
m the country only because they were
illegally in the country."
Stopped In the Street
When police officers turned their
searchlight on Mrs. Ramos and her
out of 363 arrested for curfew viola- husband as they were walking to a
tions and looted goods, with status de- restaurant late at night in the after
termined to be undocumented ,, said math of the rioting, she said, she did not
Capt. Dennis Conti, the comma~der of know why they were stopping her.
Newton Police Station in a heavily His- "The pol~cewoman said, 'What are
panic area. " Those were turned over you, a_ prostitute? How would you like a
directly to I.N.S. It speeds up the sys- free ride back to your country? ' .. Mrs.
tem." Ramos said.
Agents Accompanied Officers
Such action violates a long-standing
department policy of working hand in
hand with immigration agents. In still
other cases, the police said that immi
gration agents accompanied them in
Hispanic neighborhoods as interpret
ers. Critics say the agents took advan
tage _ of the situation to interrogate and
detam people on the basis of their im
migration status.
. In one case, E. J. Flynn, the legal
director of the Central American Refu
gee Center, said a Guatemalan he
w_o~l_d ide~tify only as Miguel R., was
vis1tmg his girlfriend when the police
and immigration agents knocked on
the door to search her apartment for
looted goods. He was detained when he
was unable to prove that he was in the
country legally.
Using the required technical legal
terms, Mr. Moschorak said people
were asked to prove their immigration
status only when " specific articulable
facts" would lead an agent to believe
that they were undocumented.
He said such facts could include
"things like speaking a foreign Ian-
When she and her husband, who
wo~ked as a security guard, told the
officers that they ~id not have immi
gration papers, they were taken to a
police station and turned over to the
immigration service without being
charged with any crime, she said.
Last weekend she was released
pending a hearing because sl1e is four •
m?nths pregnant and was becoming ill,
said Mr. Flynn, who is representing
her. As for her husband, Mrs. Ramos
said she had not seen him since the
night of their arrest and had been told
by immigration officials that they had
no record of him.
"I assume he is still in prison here
somewhere," she said.
,-------- - ---------------------------
THE NEW YORK TIMES NATiONAL FRIDAY, MAY 29, 1992
After the rioting in Los Angeles, Lucia Artal
Ramos, an i1legal immigrant from Guatemala, was
stopped by the police and handed over to immigra-
tion officials, in one of the biggest detentions of
illegal aliens in the city's history. Critics say the
police violated procedure in interrogations.

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Description

CARECEN "Central American Refugee Center" of Los Angeles has denounced widespread civil and human rights violatiuons in post-riot Los Angeles, 1992 June.

Asset Metadata

Core Title Carecen, article, 1992-06

Tag OAI-PMH Harvest

Format 30 p. (format), application/pdf (imt), articles (aat)

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/webster-c100-32562

Unique identifier UC11449690

Identifier box 20 (box),web-box20-089-03.pdf (filename),folder 89 (folder),webster-c100-32562 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier web-box20-089/web-box20-089-03.pdf

Dmrecord 32562

Format 30 p. (format),application/pdf (imt),articles (aat)

Type texts