Arrest of family in Geneseo, New York by US Border Patrol draws protest

 

Arrest of family in Geneseo, New York by US Border Patrol draws protest

By
our reporters

25 March 2017

Border Patrol officers arrested an extended family of mixed citizenship status Thursday, March 23 in Geneseo, New York. The family was on their way to church when a Geneseo Police Department (GPD) officer pulled them over for a traffic violation on the campus of the State University of New York College at Geneseo (SUNY Geneseo). Much of the evening’s proceedings were captured on video.

According to the Rochester-based Democrat & Chronicle, the minivan contained two adults, both sisters from Guatemala, and six children. Reports indicate that five of the children are US citizens, including an infant born in the United States in January.

Border Patrol officer discusses details of detention with mother and child [Photo credit: Evan Goldstein]

Although the Village of Geneseo does not require that their officers call Border Patrol if they suspect an immigration violation, the officer who initiated the traffic stop did so, supposedly “to confirm the identity of the person driving,” according to Geneseo Police Chief Eric Osganian, after the driver could not produce a valid driver’s license.

New York state does not permit undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, although twelve states do, including California and Vermont.

Mary Rutigliano, a village trustee and SUNY Geneseo student, confirmed to the World Socialist Web Site that GPD officers are not required to call immigration authorities. “The village does not have a specific policy against it, but ICE is a federal obligation, the village does not have an obligation to complete their work for them, or even start it for that matter.”

Over the course of the three-hour traffic stop, a crowd of…

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