Deported mom spurred changes in arrest guidelines for immigrant families

[peejay 327]

Deported mom spurred changes in arrest guidelines for immigrant families

Outcry erupted after nursing baby was taken away

By ROBERT L. SMITH

Newhouse News Service

CLEVELAND — Sayda Umanzor was powerless to prevent her deportation, but the shy and illiterate mother from Honduras has had a forceful impact on how federal agents enforce U.S. immigration laws.

Umanzor, an illegal immigrant who garnered international attention when she was separated from her breastfeeding baby, left Wednesday on an early flight from Hopkins International Airport. She left the country with her husband, Marcus Antonio Bejarano, also an illegal immigrant from Honduras, and the couple's three young children, two of whom are U.S.-born citizens.

The couple headed back to the slums of Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, which they left about five years ago.

In a few brief weeks, the family came to illustrate the complexity of immigration arrests and the traumatic role that children often play during an era of stepped-up enforcement.

On Oct. 26, Sayda Umanzor — who sometimes spells her first name Saida — was arrested at home in Conneaut, northeast of Cleveland. Immigration agents, working in conjunction with Ashtabula County Sheriff's deputies, came with a warrant for her brother-in law, who also lived in the house.

The federal agents determined that Umanzor, 27, had been ordered deported in July 2006, after missing an immigration court hearing. They arrested her as a federal fugitive.

Caseworkers for the Ashtabula County Children Services Board arrived to take custody of Umanzor's two children at home, as well as the three children of her sister, also an illegal immigrant, who was at work. A crying Umanzor handed over her 9-month-old baby, Brittany.

At Bedford Heights Jail, Umanzor said her breasts became painfully engorged with milk. Brittany, suddenly without mother's milk, cried incessantly and refused baby formula for days, Dahlberg said.

Dahlberg, the executive director of Hispanic Organizations of Lake and Ashtabula, notified the La Leche League and other women's health groups of the family's plight. More than two dozen women put their names on a letter to Julie Myers, the chief of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguing it was inhumane to separate a nursing mother from her baby.

The letter coincided with local and worldwide media coverage. Myers acted swiftly. Umanzor came home Nov. 6, after 11 days in jail, wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. That same day, immigration agents and field supervisors nationwide received guidelines instructing them to show greater consideration when arresting parents of young children and to avoid jailing nursing mothers unless they pose a serious risk to society.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headli...on/5321585.html

[Sofiyya 1,687]

I wonder if they intend to do the same for any arrested nursing mother - suspected murder suspects, prostitutes, drug dealers, etc. - and not just illegal alien nursing mothers?

Edited November 22, 2007 by Green-eyed girl

[Ban Hammer 14,269]

I wonder if they intend to do the same for any arrested nursing mother - suspected murder suspects, prostitutes, drug dealers, etc. - and not just illegal alien nursing mothers?

anything for the emotional appeal angle, geg, you know how the cheerleaders play. good to see you in vj

[Peikko 1,575]

guidelines instructing them to show greater consideration when arresting parents of young children and to avoid jailing nursing mothers unless they pose a serious risk to society.

Seems quite clear that illegal aliens do not routinely pose a serious risk to society so they shouldn't be treated as if they do.

[Ban Hammer 14,269]

guidelines instructing them to show greater consideration when arresting parents of young children and to avoid jailing nursing mothers unless they pose a serious risk to society.

Seems quite clear that illegal aliens do not routinely pose a serious risk to society so they shouldn't be treated as if they do.

oh yeah, that's why they don't show up for their hearing either - can you say flight risk?

[Sofiyya 1,687]

guidelines instructing them to show greater consideration when arresting parents of young children and to avoid jailing nursing mothers unless they pose a serious risk to society.

Seems quite clear that illegal aliens do not routinely pose a serious risk to society so they shouldn't be treated as if they do.

You have asserted that an entire class of people are to be treated differently from legals who commit a crime. That is part of the problem with illegal lovers; they have created a two-tier justice system that coddles illegals as non-criminals. and reserves punishment for legals. This woman committed a crime and the punishment was meted out. The same rules should apply to all, or you have no credibility to complain about any other class - the rich, for example - getting better justice than everyone else.

Hey, Charles! I come by when I can.

Edited November 22, 2007 by Green-eyed girl

[Peikko 1,575]

"Illegal lovers" Is this an insult? What's it meant to be?

No matter justice should be meted with humanity (this is after all the US and not Saudi Arabia). It's unduly harsh to seperate a new born from it's mother under the circumstances given. Why anyone would wish someone else to be treated in a more harsh manner than is either necessary or reasonable is totally beyond me.

[Peikko 1,575]

As for the rest of your statement. It's hogwash. There isn't a two tier legal system that treats illegal aliens with kid gloves at the expense of 'legal' criminals. Of course, it's useful to you to a) try to create the impression that there is and b ) that this is created by people who are 'illegal lovers', whatever that term is meant to mean. I guess this distortion of reality might be an inevitable result of holding 'strong' views?

Edited November 22, 2007 by Purple_Hibiscus

[peejay 327]

"Illegal lovers" Is this an insult? What's it meant to be?

No matter justice should be meted with humanity (this is after all the US and not Saudi Arabia)..

And we ain't Mexico either.

I wonder if Mexico, the loudest whiner about how its deported illegal citizens are treated, treats the illegal aliens they apprehend with as much compassion? We all know the answer to that one. And the answer is.......NO!

[Sofiyya 1,687]

"Illegal lovers" Is this an insult? What's it meant to be?

No matter justice should be meted with humanity (this is after all the US and not Saudi Arabia). It's unduly harsh to seperate a new born from it's mother under the circumstances given. Why anyone would wish someone else to be treated in a more harsh manner than is either necessary or reasonable is totally beyond me.

Illegal lovers is a descriptive term for those who find no harm in entering a country illegally and demanding to be excused for it. If you don't promote that kind of thinking, then the term doesn't apply to you.

If it's unduly harsh and inhumane to separate a baby from its mother, then there was nothing wrong with my asking if the policy will be applied across the board to other criminals and not just illegal aliens. It should apply unless the mother is a threat to the baby, not because of the crime she commits.

As for the rest of your statement. It's hogwash. There isn't a two tier legal system that treats illegal aliens with kid gloves at the expense of 'legal' criminals. Of course, it's useful to you to a) try to create the impression that there is and b ) that this is created by people who are 'illegal lovers', whatever that term is meant to mean. I guess this distortion of reality might be an inevitable result of holding 'strong' views?

There is clearly a two-tiered justice system that treats illegals differently than legals. If you don't know that, you need to be educated. Try being "open-minded" about the fact that you miss a lot re this issue and "compassionate" toward your fellow legals. You may learn something critical to your understanding of this topic. There is much more to it than how you "feel" about it. There's logic and reason, for example.

Edited November 22, 2007 by Green-eyed girl

[Saddle Bronc 124]

The mistake in US immigration laws is that it considers a first-time illegal entry (actually, first-time catch by authorities) as misdemeanour and an entry by one already deported as felony (remember hide-in-church Elvira Arellano? she was caught in US after already being deported once--and was also stupid enough to join a protest after which she got the boot as she deserved).

IMO, they should consider the first-time of illegal entry as felony.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

The second catch is supposed to constitute a felony, but at some ports of entry, an illegal has to be caught 15 times before they're punished and jailed. Tell me, what felony could a legal commit 14 times before they're punished. Don't try to tell me there's not a separate justice system for illegals. There undoubtedly is. How often do we get to choose what crime is a real crime and which is not, based on your nationality?

Anyone who thinks that women with children shouldn't be separated from their children naturally applauds when the children, American born or not, are sent back to the old country along with mom, no?

[Heracles 417]

As for the rest of your statement. It's hogwash. There isn't a two tier legal system that treats illegal aliens with kid gloves at the expense of 'legal' criminals. Of course, it's useful to you to a) try to create the impression that there is and b ) that this is created by people who are 'illegal lovers', whatever that term is meant to mean. I guess this distortion of reality might be an inevitable result of holding 'strong' views?

There must be a lot of countries out there with a "Distortion of reality" considering how firm their stance is on illegal immigration.

Anyone who cannot see what is wrong with 12,000,000 plus people living in another 'sovereign' nation, undocumented and roaming freely seriously needs to get an MRI. This has nothing to do with compassion but rather a blatant disrespect of a nation by the perpetrator.

PS Like this person didn't not know what she was doing when she had 2 kids here in order for them to automatically become US citizens.

Edited November 24, 2007 by Boo-Yah!

[Peikko 1,575]

The distortion appears to extend to reading what isn't there too.

What I said: Seems quite clear that illegal aliens do not routinely pose a serious risk to society so they shouldn't be treated as if they do.

and some supportive statements.

What you seem to see instead:

Illegal aliens should be treated with kid gloves and favoured above US citizens.

Seriously distorted, but if that's what you want it to say, go ahead and think that. However, I am not going to start trying to defend a position I don't hold...again.

[Heracles 417]

What I said: Seems quite clear that illegal aliens do not routinely pose a serious risk to society so they shouldn't be treated as if they do.

Whether they are nice people or not is irrelevant to law and order.

The pendulum swings both ways. A lot of vicious criminals are also using the same avenue to enter America. Why should Americans be forced to basically become collateral damage while we slowly weed out the good from the bad. The governments responsibility is to protect its people. There are clearly more than enough examples, daily, to indicate that illegal immigrants committing crime is a problem for the United States.