More than 100 protest Border Patrol roadblocks
By Tom Callis, Peninsula Daily News
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Nearly 140 people gathered outside the Richard B. Anderson Federal Building on Front Street and marched to Rep. Norm Dicks' office on 332 E. First St.
Most were from across the North Olympic Peninsula — Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks and Port Townsend — while others came from as far away as Seattle, and even Victoria, across the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Canada.
The demonstration was organized by a newly formed group, Stop the Checkpoints Committee, in response to a recent surge in the number of Border Patrol roadblocks on the Peninsula.
The group formed during a meeting organized by Lois Danks of Radical Women and attended by 30 people about two weeks ago.
"This is not the way our country is meant to be," Danks told the crowd.
"We've got to stop the checkpoints."
Border Patrol roadblocks on U.S. Highway 101 north of Forks and on state Highway 104 near the Hood Canal Bridge have netted 25 arrests — 15 for immigration violations and 10 for minor drug violations — since they began more than a month ago, Joe Guiliano, Border Patrol spokesman, told KOMO TV.
Michael Bermudez, Border Patrol spokesperson, has said the checkpoints are part of a larger effort to secure the borders by apprehending terrorists, detering illegal entries through enforcing immigration laws, and catching drug smugglers.
Danks described it as a "drive to criminalize immigrants."
Port Townsend attorney Paul Richmond encouraged protesters to write to 6th Congressional representative Dicks, D-Belfair, and demand that the checkpoints to stop.
"Dicks is known for bringing home the bacon, and this is what we get," said Richmond, who challenged Dicks in the primary election, but didn't get enough votes to move on to the Nov. 4 general election.
Dicks is on the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Erick Schester of Port Townsend said everyone should be worried about the Border Patrol roadblocks.
"These checkpoints affect everyone across the board," he said.
Schester, who was one of the organizers of the demonstration, said the committee will determine what to do next at its next meeting.
That will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Port Angeles Senior Center.
Calls for referendum
Schester said he would like to see the committee support a referendum on the ballot next year, so that voters in Clallam and Jefferson counties can decide on whether the federal checkpoints should be held.
"If we're a democracy, we would have it done with a vote," he said.
A similar demonstration was held in Forks on Tuesday.
About 100 people there gathered at the Forks Transit Center and marched to Tillicum Park.
Rena Roldan, 20, was one of them.
She traveled from Forks to the Port Angeles demonstration, bringing her 3-year-old daughter and 7-month-old son.
She said their father is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico.
"He said he can't go anywhere," she said.
"He's afraid."
Roldan said he lacked the money to hire an immigration lawyer to get her husband citizenship.
The fees can be between $1,000 and $5,000, she said.
She said four of his relatives have been detained from the Forks area.
Suzi Morris of Sequim joined the march out of concern for her adopted son, who is from Thailand.
"Are they going to believe he is a citizen if he doesn't have any ID?" Morris said.
"We shouldn't have to put up with this."
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-352 or tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
Last modified: September 20. 2008 9:00PM