Operation Safe Travel

By Author: sdfsd
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In a country that defines itself by ideals, not by shared blood, who should be allowed to come work and live here? In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks these questions have never seemed more pressing.

On Dec. 11, 2001, as part of the effort to increase homeland security, federal and local authorities in 14 states staged "Operation Safe Travel" raids on airports to arrest employees with false identification. In Salt Lake City there were 69 arrests. But those captured were anything but terrorists, most of them illegal immigrants from Central or South America. Authorities said the undocumented workers' illegal status made them open to blackmail by terrorists.Many immigrants in Salt Lake City were angered by the arrests and said they felt as if they were being treated like disposable goods.And talk like this.

Mayor Anderson said those feelings were justified to a certain extent. "We're saying we want you to work in these places, we're going to look the other way in terms of what our laws are, and then when it's convenient for us. or when we can try to make a point in terms of national security, especially after Sept.11, ...
... then you're disposable. There are whole families being uprooted for all of If Sept. 11 had never happened, the airport workers would not have been arrested and could have gone on quietly living in America, probably indefinitely. Ana Castro, a manager at a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop at the airport had been working 10 years with the same false Social Security card when she was arrested in the December airport raid. Now she and her family arc living under the threat of deportation Castro's case is currently wailing to he settled. While she awaits the outcome, the government has granted her permission to work here and she has returned to her job at Ben & Jerry's.

There are two types of people in the world. They have equal degrees of health and wealth and the other comforts of life, one becomes happy, the other becomes miserable. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, and events, and the resulting effects upon their minds. The people who are to be happy fix their attention on the conveniences of things, the pleasant parts of conversation, the well-prepared dishes, the goodness of the wines, the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the contrary things. Therefore, they are continually discontented. By their remarks, they sour the pleasures of society, offend many people, and make themselves
disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind were founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be more to be pitied. The tendency to criticize and be disgusted is perhaps taken up originally by imitation. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it are convinced of its bad effects on their interests and tastes.