New Facts on New Bedford Raid: “Infuriated” Boston Financier Bailed Immigrants Out — Reason: DHS Conduct was “Extremely Un-American”

We have blogged previously about a 2007 immigration raid in a factory in New Bedford, Massachusetts.  The raid resulted in children at school coming home to homes to which immigrant parents did not return.  The federal government also transferred many of the immigrants arrested out of the jurisdiction.  Now, the Wall Street Journal has uncovered some fascinating new facts wbout the case:

“One frigid March morning last year, federal agents raided a factory in this old whaling town, arresting hundreds of illegal immigrants as they sewed vests and backpacks for U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Most were shackled and sent to a detention center in Texas, where they faced rapid deportation unless they could post thousands of dollars in bail — money they didn’t have — to buy time to mount a defense. Then, a mystery benefactor appeared. The anonymous donor ponied up more than $200,000 to spring 40 people from detention.

The payments, which until now haven’t become public despite extensive news coverage of the raid itself, came from Bob Hildreth, a Boston financier who made his millions trading Latin American debt. He was “infuriated” at the televised images of workers being shipped to Texas, he says. Helping them make bail is “payback.”

The raid broke families apart,” says the diminutive 57-year-old, who once taught high-school history. “This was extremely un-American.” “ (emphasis added).

It is nice to know that at at least one American would do what was right.

KJ