Arrested

workers processed Wednesday



By ERIC MULLENS

ALAMOSA — With 19 people from the Valley arrested Tuesday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at a Rio Grande County potato farm, immigrant rights groups from Alamosa and Durango have teamed up to provide services for family members and detainees.

Flora Archuleta of the Immigrant Resource Center, 225 6th St., Alamosa, said Wednesday that she has met with individuals affected by the workplace raid.

She said one of the people she has met with was a father with three small children whose wife was arrested Tuesday during the morning raid at Worley and McCullouch Inc., outside of Monte Vista. The other person who had come to the IRC for advice was described by Archuleta as a girlfriend of one of the men arrested.

Initially 18 individuals were arrested at the potato farm and processing plant Tuesday morning. ICE spokesman Carl Rusnok said Wednesday that number has grown by one, with one individual detained Tuesday originally claiming he was a United States citizen. “It is not uncommon for the numbers in these types of operations to change a little as the investigation plays out,” Rusnok said. The individual in question was found, according to Rusnok, not to be a U.S. citizen and was detained on the same administrative immigration violations facing the others.

Those detained in the raid were processed at the ICE facility in Aurora, Colo. Wednesday.

Immigrant supporters wasted no time in responding to the arrests. Tuesday night members of IRC in Alamosa held a meeting at Valley Wide Health Services which was followed by a candlelight vigil.

An informational meeting for those family members and others affected by the immigration raid was scheduled to be held Wednesday night as well at St. Frances Jerome Church in Center, Colo. Eddie Soto of Campaneros Inc., of Durango, Colo., an organization similar in mission to the Immigrant Resource Center (IRC), said he contacted Archuleta and has come to the Center area to assist with the detainees’ families. He said another candlelight vigil was held Wednesday evening at the church.

Soto has been joined in Center by Shea Fitzekam, an immigration attorney from Durango who he said will most likely end up representing all of those arrested by ICE agents this week. Soto said the hearing process could last from nine months to about one year.

Soto said by midday Wednesday that he and Fitzkeam had met with nine families.

Archuleta said some of the other things the groups have done include delivering food to the Center meeting sight and beginning preliminary work on setting up bank accounts to aid the families of those arrested.

Soto said he and Fitzekam will be in the Valley at least through today and will be back to assist Archuleta as requested.

Family members in need of assistance may call the Immigrant Resource Center at 587-3225, Companeros at 970-375-9406 or immigration attorney Shea Fitzekam at 970-403-0036.