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| For Immediate Release | |
| Nov 28, 2001 | Contact: Press Office 202-646-5172 |
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Press Conference Where: U.S. Federal Court House 301 N. Miami Street Miami, Florida When: 12:30 p.m.,Wednesday, Nov. 28 Despite Pleas, Ashcroft Failed To Correct Clinton INS Anti-Hispanic, Anti-Cuban Bias From Elian Episode (Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest law firm that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today announced the filing of a lawsuit in federal court in Miami. The lawsuit is being brought on behalf of INS Special Agent Ricardo Ramirez against Attorney General John Ashcroft and INS Commissioner James Zigler over discrimination against Ramirez and other Hispanic agents by INS officials in conjunction with the raid which led to the return of Elian Gonzalez to communist Cuba. A press conference announcing the lawsuit will take place on the steps of the Miami’s U.S. Courthouse at 301 N. Miami Street at 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 28. Mr. Ramirez will be present for the press conference. Mr. Rodriguez had complained of anti-Hispanic/anti-Cuban bias in the INS, which included jokes about shooting Elian, and several derogatory comments from INS Miami officials against the Cuban-American community. One poster in the INS Miami office called Cubans “lazy, loud-mouthed criminals.” Because the INS did not trust Hispanic agents to conduct the Elian raid, Mr. Ramirez and other agents were kept in the dark about the details of the raid until the last minute and then thrust into the raid with little preparation. After the raid, Mr. Ramirez learned the INS, based on orders from on high (i.e., Janet Reno and former Clinton INS Commissioner Doris Meissner), erased incriminating e-mail about the raid – despite Judicial Watch and other court cases concerning the raid. For coming forward with this information last year, Ramirez has been subjected to retaliation from the INS, including death threats from some of his fellow agents. “Mr. Ramirez implored John Ashcroft to help him with his case (which concerned actions by the Clinton Administration) when Ashcroft visited Miami a few months ago. Ashcroft and his Justice Department have done nothing to help Mr. Ramirez or fix the corruption in the Miami INS. The Attorney General is being sued in his official capacity for his inaction. It is now up to Judicial Watch to get Mr. Ramirez justice,” stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman. |
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