`speechless' Brings One Word To Mind: Cute

At Least 4,200 Fans A Game Is Team's Goal 
A National Consultant Outlines The Economics Of Putting A Team In The 
Projected Arena

Friday, December 16, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





'Stormtroopers?' INS, advocate differ on &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 immigrants' treatment &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Roundup of 137 at Scranton meat-packing plant was `outlandish,' volunteer
says. Not so, &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 says an INS directorDetainees' rights were fully &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 explained. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By DAWN SHURMAITIS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader Staff Writer &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 SCRANTON -- Imagine rising one morning, reporting to work at 6 a.m. and
within two hours finding yourself in handcuffs and on your way to Mexico --
all without speaking to a lawyer or saying goodbye to loved ones. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's what happened to the majority of the immigrants detained Wednesday
by the federal government, according to an advocate who tried unsuccessfully
to get the men legal help and bond money. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It was the most outlandish thing I've ever seen in my life. The INS came
through like stormtroopers," said Rod Gereda, a volunteer advocate for 123
immigrant workers, all men, rounded up Wednesday by the federal Immigration
and Naturalization Service. Gereda was not present during the raid. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Whether they were here legally or not, no one on this earth deserves
that," Gereda said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A translator who lives in Kingston, Gereda was contacted by Robzens' Inc.
meat-packing plant, which also retained Wilkes-Barre attorney Charles Gelso
and other area lawyers to try to help the detained workers. The immigrants
worked at the plant slaughtering and butchering animals. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 INS district director J. Scott Blackman rebutted Gereda's charges. He said
the immigrants were notified orally and on paper, in both English and Spanish,
that they had a right to an attorney, if they could pay for one. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 None of the men requested legal representation, Blackman said, and the INS
did not tell the immigrants attorneys were waiting outside the Hanover
Township processing center with money for their release. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I wasn't there, but I am confident their rights were fully explained,"
Blackman said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They very, very clearly said they did not want lawyers." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The immigrants were handcuffed but were not charged with any crimes. The
INS suspected they violated civil laws regarding their entry into this
country. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The men were given a choice of either leaving voluntarily on government
airplanes or requesting deportation hearings. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The immigrants were held in a detention center by armed men who were
telling them they were getting a free ride home," Gereda said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fourteen Mexican women also were detained at the plant Wednesday, in
addition to the 123 men. The women were given a choice, too: leave immediately
for Mexico without facing legal or civil repercussions or go home to take care
of their children and face deportation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All 14 chose their children. The deportation proceedings commenced
immediately, Blackman said. The women can still request a hearing, but it is
unlikely they will be allowed to stay in this country, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the meantime, the women cannot work or apply for welfare. Blackman said
it's likely relatives will take care of them. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I don't know what their individual plans are," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gereda said he wasn't surprised the women chose deportation hearings. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When you're scared to death and don't understand what's going on and
somebody gives you a chance to take care of your children, you're going to
take it," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Some people had been here for years. They were an integral part of our
community. Their kids were in school." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Representatives from Catholic Social Services in Scranton spent Thursday
trying to help women and children left behind by the men shipped to Mexico,
Gereda said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Of the 123 male immigrants detained Wednesday, 85 elected to return
voluntarily to Mexico, Blackman said. Five Mexicans and 20 Hondurans were
taken to a federal jail in Texas to await deportation hearings, which could
take three months to schedule. Thirteen others were released Thursday on their
own recognizance from a county prison in Reading to await hearings. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The 13 -- eight from Mexico, one from Honduras and four from El Salvador --
were planning to marry U.S. citizens, already were married or otherwise
related to legal residents. A judge will decide whether to deport them or let
them stay here and work. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Blackman said it is rare for judges to allow Mexicans to stay, but each
case is considered separately. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Four men from El Salvador will undergo a different set of hearings, but the
outcome likely will be the same, Blackman said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Immigrants have few rights. Unlike indigent Americans charged with crimes,
the immigrants do not have a right to a public defender. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When Gereda and the attorneys tried to find out where the men were taken on
Wednesday, the INS refused to say. Blackman said the government did not have
to release any information. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Friends and family members had an equally trying time. More than 24 hours
after the detention, women were still scrambling to find out where their
friends were. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The company also had trouble, Gereda said. The INS confiscated all
employment records, which meant not even Robzens' could say with any certainty
who was taken. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "(Robzens') bent over backward to try to get information for family members
left behind," Gereda said. "They tried everything possible to help them out." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Members of the Robzen family -- Kingston residents who own the Scranton
plant -- have declined comment for two days. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The INS will determine within the next few weeks whether the company
knowingly hired illegal immigrants. The company might face fines of up to
$307,500. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Between October 1993 and September 1994, the Philadelphia INS district,
which covers three states, fined 118 employers -- the vast majority in
Pennsylvania. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Those fined represented an array of employers, both major manufacturers and
small companies, Blackman said. The companies were fined a total of $558,279
for either hiring unauthorized individuals or improperly preparing paperwork. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Enforcement is a large part of INS duties. Asked if raids would be
conducted in the Northeast, Blackman said, "We'll be back. This is ongoing." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Gereda said he has visited Robzens' on many occasions to help translate for
new workers and that company officials always requested the proper documents.
He described the immigrants' jobs as highly skilled, very dangerous and
unwanted by Americans. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The majority of the workers use saws and sharp knives to slaughter and
butcher animals, usually in freezers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Americans go on the interview, take one look at what they have to do and
say `No thank you,' " Gereda said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The immigrants who worked at Robzens' averaged $8-$10 per hour, once
overtime was factored in. Most worked 60-hour weeks, Gereda said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While the workers paid taxes, they did not qualify for unemployment
benefits, welfare, food stamps or education grants. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Women search for loved ones &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 -- Page 20A &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

'stormtroopers?' Ins, Advocate Differ On 
Immigrants' Treatment 
Roundup Of 137 At Scranton Meat-packing 
Plant Was `outlandish,' Volunteer Says. Not So, 
Says An Ins Director.

'stormtroopers?' Ins, Advocate Differ On Immigrants' Treatment Roundup Of 137 At Scranton Meat-packing Plant Was `outlandish,' Volunteer Says. Not So, Says An Ins Director.