Boughton returned Sunday from a two-day conference on immigration in Brazil where he met representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, State Department, the Brazilian Federal Police and airline officials from America and Brazil. Consulates from Jamaica, Ecuador, Colombia, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Paraguay, Panama, Canada and El Salvador also were in attendance.
Through talks with these representatives and through presentations during the conference, Boughton is confident that Danbury is a part of federal investigations in the Northeast that will lead to more illegal immigration roundups.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "is going to do what it's going to do," Boughton said. The Department of Homeland Security "now is taking this seriously, and we likely will see that."
Is the mayor trying to imply that his visit to Brazil was the wake-up call the ICE and Homeland Security needed to know aboout the problems in Danbury? How was what Bouthgon did in Brazil any different than anything he did prior to his visit? Also, ICE came to Danbury several times before last week and it was known that they would be back again as it was reported on in several papers in the area.
Immigration has been a key topic for Boughton, a Republican in his third two-year term, since he began lobbying Congress for immigration reform in 2002.
Boughton also told conference participants about Mayors and County Executives for Immigration Reform, a lobbying group he co-founded that wants secure borders, enforced immigration laws and reimbursement to communities throughout the country for the cost of playing host to so many undocumented people.
Here lies the real issue. Boughton is going to be in a real tough re-election next year. There has been phone polling done in several wards already which people were questioned about several Democrats in a match-up against Boughton.
In short, immigration and fear are going to be used as a political issue which Boughton wants to use now for next year.
By far one of the most controversial presentations was from a gentleman named Eigel Hanson.
Mr. Hanson did an interesting presentation on Human Trafficking and Human Smuggling. He is a worldwide investigator who spends his time chasing the smugglers and traffickers around the globe. He works for the Department of Homeland Security. He first explained that there is a difference between trafficking and smuggling. Trafficking has to do with those individuals who are basically enslaved and brought against their will to another country. Smuggling has to do with “Coyotes” being paid to get people across the border and into the country illegally.
Both situations are tragic.
[...]
People from Brazil pay thousands of dollars to cross the border only to arrive in Mexico and be ripped off or worst. Coyotes peddle the American Dream, take money and don’t care who they hurt. Tragic for those who in many cases give up their entire wealth to come to America and never set foot in the U.S.Getting back to Mr. Hanson. Much of his work for the U.S. is centered around the Tri-Border area. This area is a region of South America that is bordered by Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. It is a hotbed for Islamic extremism and has been under intense scrutiny by United States intelligence since 9/11.
In fact, Eigel told us that it is rumored that Bin Laden visited this area of the world in 1995. This area also hosted the group the attacked the Israeli Embassy in Argentina in 1992. Hanson and the Department of Homeland Security are concerned that the terrorists could use the existing network of coyotes to cross the border and some day launch an attack on the U.S. It is a scary thought and illustrates how complex the issue of illegal immigration is.
The idea that a network that is used for people who will do anything to achieve the American Dream is the same network that could be used to smuggle terrorists into the U.S. is a sobering thought.
Get the picture. Using the Karl Rove playbook of 9-11 for a political advantage. Funny how I didn't see any of that inforamtion in the 9-11 commission report? Does the mayor know more than the 9-11 commission?
Again, I'll have more info later but there is more to this immigration story than what Boughton is telling the people. There is NO WAY a two day visit to Brazil resulted in the ICE cracking down in the area and the proof is in the details.
04.25.22 (RADIO): WSHU Latino group call on Connecticut lawmakers to open a Danbury charter school
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On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
