Published: August 6, 2008
NORRISTOWN - Community activists gathered Tuesday in front of St. Patrick's Church on Dekalb Street to protest last weekend's round-up of illegal immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The immigrants were employed by a King of Prussia company, ABM Industries, which recently signed a contract with the county to handle janitorial services for the county courthouse and One Montgomery Plaza.
ABM has not yet made any public announcement regarding their collaboration with ICE.
However, The Times Herald has confirmed, through a memo sent to ABM employees, mandatory training was scheduled, and employees were threatened with disciplinary actions, including termination, if they did not attend.
The employees that attended the meeting were promised one hour of overtime. They also were informed that they would get their weekly paychecks at the beginning of the training; otherwise their checks would be withheld.
When the employees arrived for their "mandatory training," they were greeted by immigration officials and taken into custody; deportation proceedings began immediately. Approximately 50 laborers were taken into custody after confirming they were undocumented immigrants.
Eugenio H. Villasantes and Roberto Ortiz as well as other union leaders of Local 32BJ SEIU, the union for building janitorial services, were at St. Patrick's supporting the employees affected by the raid. The union condemned the actions of ICE and the tactics of ABM.
A spokesperson for the union said ABM was working in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security (ICE) to ambush the employees. While ABM services more than 30 sites, the spokesperson continued, ICE raided only three. One of these was the Montgomery County Court House; another was 351 Sumneytown Pike; and the last was a building that houses Quest Diagnostic in Collegeville. Union officials are also coordinating efforts to facilitate legal aide at little or no cost to the laborers affected.
The arrested laborers have been separated into two groups. The male detainees have been taken to York. They are: Ramón de la Cruz León, Daniel Días Bustamante, Rodrigo Gonzáles Apolinar, Carlos Miranda, José Luna Alvarado, Juan Leal Hernández, Apolinar Saldaño Muños, José Rosas Romero, Ilario Apolinar Venancio, Casimiro Ramos Vega, Adolfo Vera García, Gregorio Alavés Leiva and Constantino Lugo Ortiz. The female laborers taken to a facility in Clinton, Pa., are: Maria Orea Rodríguez, Valeria Valdés Carrión, Socorro Flores Rodríguez, Diana Paola Villegas Tavera and Irma Sánchez Díaz.
Other people were detained, processed and tagged with an electronic ankle bracelet so they can be monitored by ICE. After their first appearance in court, the illegal aliens were visited in their homes by Homeland Security agents to continue the monitoring.
Jazmín Zaval, a 22-year-old mother of two, whose children were both born in the U.S., was also released with the electronic device.
ICE also confiscated documents issued by the Mexican government, including passports. This action makes matters worse, according to the laborers released.
A woman who had her Mexican passport confiscated, who wished to remain anonymous, said she wants to process her children's documents for her family's imminent departure from this country and now has no legal documentation to prove her identity.
A rally has been planned for 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the steps of the Montgomery County Court House. A march will follow to St. Patrick's.
