According to media reports, 107 people from Santa Cruz, Watsonville and Hollister have been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in a sweep over September 7th and 8th. Of the immigrants, mostly from Mexico, but also from El Salvador, Guatemala and India, 44 have already been deported without prior access to lawyers. The rest are currently being held in custody at an undisclosed location. Many of those arrested in "Operation Return to Sender" have lived in the United States for the majority of their lives, and have homes and US-born children.

The Diocese of Monterey held a press conference on September 13th at the Resurrection Church in Aptos. The Santa Cruz Anti-Imperialist League called for an emergency protest in response to the raids which took place on September 15th at the government building on the corner of Water and Ocean Streets in Santa Cruz. Also on September 15th, there was an emergency response Reclaim The Streets in Santa Cruz. In 2006, tens of thousands of people have been arrested, and hundreds have been deported by I.C.E.

Amelia McDonald comments: The INS continues its harassment of our local Central Coast Community. Reports from fellow comrades have placed INS or ICE officials outside of Cost-co on Saturday and outside of the Flea Market on Sunday. These immigration officials were clearly seen using racial profiling to apprehend and question specific members of our community. This must stop.

Audio: Faith Community responds to recent Immigration Sweep || Indynewswire: Doug Keegan on ICE Raids || FSRN: ICE Raids Shake Up Central Coast

Photos: Religious Leaders Speak Out For Immigrant Rights || Speak Out Against Immigration Raids in Santa Cruz || Reclaiming The Streets of Santa Cruz for Immigrant Rights

see also: A letter condemning the Sentinel lack of coverage || Solidarity with Watsonville

Previous coverage: Rally to Say: No Use of Immigration Status to Abuse Workers || 1,187 Undocumented Workers Detained, 275 Deported || Local Man Returns from ICE Detention and Tells of Horrors He Witnessed || Expecting Couple is Split Up by US Immigration Officers || Pakistani Man Charged With Making False Claim on Loan Application || Haitian Priest Dies in US Custody || Farouk Abdel-Muhti, recently freed Palestinian activist, dies of heart attack || Bay Area Defends Local Family Facing Deportation || Demonstrations Continue Outside INS Offices || San Francisco INS Protest || Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in California || First National Day of Solidarity with Muslim, Arab, and South Asian Immigrants