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| For Immediate Release | |
| Apr 23, 2001 | Contact: Press Office 202-646-5172 |
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Miami INS Agent Comes Forward to Reveal Anti-Hispanic Prejudice in Illegal Elian Raid Judicial Watch to Ask Attorney General Ashcroft to Immediately Suspend Involved INS Agents and Order Criminal Investigation (Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest law firm that investigates and prosecutes government abuse and corruption, and which is prosecuting a $100 million-plus civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Miami’s Cuban-American Little Havana community, has learned, through a recent INS whistleblower, Special Agent Rick Ramirez, that Janet Reno’s “storm troopers” harbored racial anti-Hispanic animus against Elian Gonzales and the other Hispanic citizens of Little Havana who were attacked, gassed and beaten during the April 22, 2000 raid. Specifically, Ramirez in an interview given to Miami’s New Times and appearing in the April 19-25, 2001 issue, reveals that former District Director Robert Wallis, who has received a promotion and is now in the Dallas field office, stated after the raid that it was the “proudest moment of his life when one of his supervisors pointed a shotgun at the head of Mario Miranda,” the Gonzalez’s family security person. Miguel Domingo, Supervising Special Agent in the Fraud Unit, sent an e-mail referring to Elian as a “little creep.” Another non-Hispanic agent on the Elian team stated, “Who is going to be the first one up in a tree to shoot Elian?” and former Assistant District Director (and now Acting District Director) John Bulger mocked the attack on Elian and Donato Dalrymple by opening a closet during a meeting with INS agents and stating, “And now a special guest.” He then went over to the closet and opened the door saying, “Come out, Mr. Dalrymple.” Mr. Ramirez also recalls a box on the floor outside of the door of Section Chief John Woods’ office which contained a picture of Elian and the proclamation, “KICK ME.” In addition to other comments, Mr. Ramirez is aware of paraphernalia in the Miami INS Office mocking the Miami Cuban-American community as a “Banana Republic” as well as soft drink holders that contain slash marks through a Cuban flag. If this was not enough, Mr. Ramirez states that Section Chief Mario Cavallo told a group of agents, “Listen up, I need you to delete everything possible from your computers, including e-mails, concerning the Elian Gonzalez raid.” “It is apparent that the vicious and illegal attack on Elian Gonzalez, his family, Donato Dalrymple, and other Hispanics in the Miami Little Havana neighborhood was not only the result of unconstitutional Gestapo-type tactics, but also racism. Judicial Watch will be sending a letter today to Attorney General John Ashcroft asking for the immediate suspension of the involved INS agents and officials, as well as order a criminal investigation. The public interest group will also be amending its complaint against former Attorney General Janet Reno, Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, and former INS Commissioner Doris Meissner to include charges of racial discrimination, and will also add the involved agents as defendants,” stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman. |
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