Just-In-Time for president Bush's State of the Union speech, ICE has conducted a week-long sweep in Southern California for more than 750 fugitive aliens who had either already been deported for crimes or who had been given a deportation order and were still here. Over 400 of them were already in jails.

Meanwhile, Tyche Hendricks describes the raids in the northern part of the state... in her own special way:

...Latino community advocates said the enforcement action has sown fear in East Bay immigrant communities.

The Concord chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens filed a compliant Monday with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

LULAC chapter President Jerry Okendo said agents were not properly identifying themselves and, armed with a warrant for an individual, they were sweeping through apartment complexes and picking up anyone who could not provide proof they were living in the United States legally.

"We understand that ICE has a job to do," said Okendo, "But we also understand that there are laws and guidelines they have to follow, and they are not. As a civil rights organization, we're infuriated."

Even if ICE had a team of lawyers along to make sure they followed every rule to the utmost degree, illegal immigration supporters like LULAC - assisted by people like Hendricks - would find something to whine about. In the past decade or so, has LULAC ever fully supported even one instance of immigration enforcement?

Richmond City Councilman John Marquez has a standard complaint which is basically just a dodge:

"We've worked a long time to develop a relationship between our Police Department and our Latino community so we can get control of the violence taking place in our city... Now when someone identifies themselves as police, people are afraid to cooperate."

Someone should publicly point out to him that his concerns could be answered if he'd support the enforcement of our immigration laws.