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December 2, 2008 8:27:10 PM CST

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Texas Illegals Promised 'Hurricane Amnesty'

Posted Sep 12, 08 1:59 PM CDT in US 

(Newser) – The federal government has declared a “hurricane amnesty” in an attempt to get Texas’ illegal immigrants out of Hurricane Ike’s way, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Immigration officials will not attempt to arrest illegals in shelters or along common evacuation routes. The Red Cross has begun outreach programs informing undocumented residents of the amnesty today, the first day of mandatory evacuations.

But after several years of intensified immigration enforcement, officials worry that some of the state's estimated 1.6 million illegal immigrants will simply take their chances rather than risk arrest. “They want to enforce immigration laws, and another priority is to protect people and save lives,” one expert said. “It's not going to be an easy task to reconcile them.”

Source Christian Science Monitor

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People pull back as a wave crashes against the seawall as Hurricane Ike approaches Galveston, Texas, today.   (AP Photo)
"The government is between a rock and a hard spot," one expert says. "They want to enforce immigration laws, and another priority is to protect people and save lives."   (AP Photo)
The storm surge from Hurricane Ike and debris covers a street, Friday, Sept 12, 2008 in Seabrook Texas.   (AP Photo/Kim Christensen)
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Nobody has any interest in using this as a law enforcement roundup. This is an attempt to save lives and avoid catastrophe. - Joe Stinebaker, spokesman
for a Texas judge

I would hope very strongly, and I suspect, that all people are more interested in their family's safety than whether or not an ID might be checked somewhere along the line. - Joe Stinebaker, spokesman for Harris County Judge Ed Emmett

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Texas • disaster • hurricane • Hurricane Ike • storm • illegal immigrant • FEMA • amnesty • undocumented workers


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