Immigration Round-Up Deports Minors

Immigration Round-Up in San Diego Deports Minors to Mexico
Minors rights, documentation and protection

Wednesday, May 20th, 3 teens were headed to school as was their usual routine by way of the San Diego Trolley system. However, on this day, the Border Patrol and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) joined forces to conduct a raid at the Old Town Trolley Station. Some officers were reported to have been dressed in plain clothes to blend in with the daily commuters. The raid resulted in the arrest of 21 illegal immigrants, 3 of them being minors. What started out for them as a normal day attending a local high school resulted in their immediate deportation to Tijuana. Some of the deported immigrants have no family in Mexico to go to and await legal help from their families still in the United States.

This raid has left many with wondering why Border Patrol was involved in a raid that was not at the border and why TSA felt the raid needed to take place. This has left many in the Hispanic community afraid to use public transportation and many parents in fear of their children being deported.

Minors and Their Rights
(Eliana could talk about a minor’s rights such as written in: Juvenile Protocol Manual, published by the INS in March 1999 and the Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act (S. 121) and were these rights followed in the San Diego situation.)