Show rrrr-rr-r 810 MAI I ikiJ 113s411 Sunday 1r Sivirm NT 0200-- S Fugitive immigrant numbers overwhelm agents The mission is - 110MOMMIMIln staggering: i Squalls catch who they can but it hardy makes a dent in the backlog of cases ' eI If' ly It'a Iiii 01 1 LAritA ihrtvcolithvi rmoi 4 4""" SAN DIEGO Thirteen government agvnts pile into unmarked sport utility vehicles and dark sedans in the basement !arage of a federal building in San 4 k t 'SI t t t r e' Diego Their assignment: Crash the Iv Imes of hi illegal immigrants ard dert them It is an increasingly common scene across the nation The federal government W1111S tO catch the nearly half ' --- r 4-- I ' I' I ‘ I tti ' 1 111144 : I 't 441 I ! t It ) 4 0 t in immigrants who either have ducked deportation orders or are for removal because they were cony i( led if a crime The size and complexity of the rn ission is staggering Even as the government pg )111'S millions into enforcement each year the number of new fugitives far exceeds the number of immigrants removed The agents are eager to start knocking on doors: Each wears a bulletproof vest with "POLICE" emblazoned on back or a blue Department of I lomeland Scciwity jacket Hut only four are fullt ime agents with Fugit ive Opera ions a unit founded in 2002 to track these imthe other nine either work migrants days processing deportation orders or are Border Patrol agents on overtime The colibloll together teams have five hours to finish the it Ity night's end they've! apprehended six of' their lei targets with a seventh picked up the next morning Given that the teams fan out Just several titnes a week it's barely a dent In the region's I ' ' 11 - tar-vet- s I t 4 A '' ' -- - ' t I II NIS Ptroof i'AtovillitAssiongital Immigration and Naturalization agents search a San Diego home in March to serve a warrant on an immigrant who has been ordered deported by the immigration court apprehensions it ranks near the top of the 22 cities where I lomeland Security agents have caught fugitives since October Others include Los Angeles Boston Miami and Chicago In all Homeland Security wants to round up about 460M0 fugitive immigrants about MAO of whom have criminal records unrelated to) immigration Authorities hope to) eliminate their backlog by 2009 but it will be hard Federal agents will have detained nearly 10000 fugitives during the fiscal year that ends Sept 30 les impossible to knoIN how many of tho)se deported have already returned to the United States During the same period an estimated 40000 new fug it Ives W ere added so) the list has actually grown longer The explanation is straightforward Homeland Socurity only has abotut 19500 detention beds nat ionwide While local jails hoold some of the overflow overwhelmed immigratioon courts often backlog of 5000 cases Orde!rs from Washington DC are to pitrsue violent criminals a fraction of all the fugitives hut the San Diego agents catch who they can Four of their seven had convictions Unrelkit(41 to immigration including battery theft sex vilith a minor and drunken driving a 54 year-olAlvina Nlartinez homemaker whose husband works in construct ii in had no such record Martinez was deported in 19911 for being in the United States illegally a second offense would make her a felon Agents talked their way into her small singlesteiry home and deported her to Mexico the next day San Diego has one of 13 Fugitive Operations teams and with more than 550 release immigrants who are chalkmging their deportation and trust they'll show up for court Some do And many who are captured and threatened with deportation voluntarily return home But agents acknowledge it's not surprising many skip hearings that likely would lead to their removal In April the department expanded a Pilot program to Jail innnigrants while their cases wind their way through the courts That effort begun in Connecticut and expanded to Atlanta and Denver has drawn criticistn from immigration lawyers who say it punishes noncriminals who are simply exercising their legal rights Authorities also are experimenting with new ways to track people before they disappear In June Homeland Security began using electronic ankle bracelets in eight cities among them Denver San Francisco and Portland Ore The department also launched a the numbers By 460000-plu- s Estimated number United States of fugitives in the 40000 Estimated number of new fugitives each year 9571 Number of fugitive apprehensions between October 2003 and August 2004 3411 Number of fugitive apprehensions between October 2002 and October 2003 90 Approximate number of fugitive operation agents nationwide 8000 In dollars the estimated average cost of removing one fugitive 368 billion In all dollars the estimated cost of removing 460000 fugitives 168 million In dollars the budget for fugitive operations between Oct I 2003 and Sept 30 2004 Source: Immigration and Customs forcement statistics En- has been convicted of fighting in public and having sex with a minor was perhaps the biggest catch for the San Diego agents that evening While agents were chatting with someone who answered the door Garcia removed a screen and sneaked out the window of his first-floo- r apartment "We've got a runner!" one agent shouted Agents cornered Garcia in an alley where he surrendered The agents returned to their cars etill catching their breath -- one down more than 400000 to go :iT 'Agamemnon' in its natural state - I-- - limited program under which immigrants out on bail or parole check In by softtelephone with ware verifying they are who they say they are and that they're calling from home When immigrants do go on the lam Fugitive Operations agents must pursue "this population that has been out there flouting the law" said Victor Cerda who oversees detention and removals at Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division Agents spend hours staking out homes to determine when best to come knock lug apartment interviewing managers checking credit reports and loan applications Some agents rely on ruses to enter people's homes knowing they're unlikely to be let in if they explain their true intentions It's called "knock and talk" Homeland Security's $4 billion spending plan for 2005 asks for $69 million for Fugitive Operations a fourfold increase from $17 million this fiscal year The department wants to expand the number of squads each typically with five members from 18 to 40 nationally Homeland Security officials said that as a matter of policy they won't reveal where those squads are stationed Agents used to track the freshest cases first figuring they'd be easiest to find said Doris Meisner President Clinton's top immigration official "I think it is by and large a losing battle to go out and try to find people" said Meisner now senior fellow at the In Institute Migration Policy Washington The top priority is getting felons — not those with simple immigration law violations Homeland Security officials say felons represent 47 percent of the fugitives removed this year short of their goal of 70 percent About 11 percent of apprehended fugitives have committed sex offenses or other violent crimes and about 15 percent were drug offenders Some critics say the government relies too much on enforcement instead of addressing the fundamental reasons immigrants come In some other cases the critics say government is stoking sentiment "By trying to characterize undocumented immigrants as criminals it makes it easier to scapegoat them" said Gail Pendleton associate director of an Immigration project at the National Lawyer's Guild Jaime Garcia Zuniga is the kind of criminal Homeland Security wants to Mexican who deport The - - - By BRAN DON OMAN lhe Sidi in AT Tribune amemnon" which Saturday as part of the University of Utah's 31th Classic Greek Theatre Festival The play is staged in a grassy plaza on the U campus where performers must compete with Life Hight helicopters droning Overhead something ancient Greek actors never faced at festivals of Dionysus As classics majors surely know the story of "Agamemnon" goes like this: Agamemnon King of Argos is forced to sacrifice his virgin daughter lphigenia in his quest to topple Troy After conquering the city at the close of the 10 year Trojan War the victorious Agamemnon receives a concubine Cassandra as a prize Upon returning to Argos with Cassandra at his side Agamemnon encounters his queen Clytemnestra who has ruled the kingdom with an iron fist in his absence Upset at the sacrifice of her daughter and the arrival of Cassandra Clytemnestra hides her anger under a veneer of sweet talk She then coaxes Agamemnon and Cassandra into the palace and murders them opemNI both Commenting upon all this is a Greek chorus — 10 supporting actors who provide historical background serve as the voice of the people and often debate the central characters All the student actors inhabit their roles with gusto some more effectively than others As dresses the chorus in black Outfits accented by white masks and colorful accessories that lend the performers a primal tribal look "Agamemnon" The Classical Creck theater if staged tradilonally can be a tough sell Characters speak not to one but dim:fly to the audian ence often in long monirlogues Action is described but not seen The structure is formal the language archaic Tragedies have the body count of Shakespeare but without the sword fights And plays are often performed outdoors at sunrise Given these constraints an cast acquits itself well in AeschyIt IV lus - performances: The Univer- sity of Utah's 34th Classical Greek Vit h Theatre Festival When: 9 am today Where: Outdoors on the lawn by the "Rock Plaza" north of the Marriott library on the U campus In the event of rain the play will be moved indoors nearby on the U campus general admission or $6 for students They can be pur$12 chased at Kingsbury or through ArtTix Hall 355-278- Of note: There will be lectures at 8:30 am by and dramaturg of the the festival James Svendsen Eric McGraw appears a little unsure of Iles not helped by director SahO keeps rah Shippobotham him rooted stiffly in place for most of his 20 minutes onstage Nicole 'ernon appears a tad too hysterical as Cassandra who knows she is doomed hut follows commands Clytemnestra's anyway The play's strongest twrformance is given by Ashley Bryant who radiates both charisma and cunning as the treacherous Clytemnestra And the chorus which carries most of the play is animaINI and synchroniml In a clever bit of staging they beat sticks to punctuate their stories Costume designer Brenda Van Der Wiel Agamemnon ) ' 1 exposition-heav- story and grin subject matter "Agamemnon" is not for everyone especially children Niho may be bored But its language as translated by Tony I Jamison Is rich with dramatic imagery and visceral power Give credit to the energetic young cast for generating a sense of urgency despite having no lighting minimal sets and the distractions of joggers and cyclists passing behind them There's something cool about experiencing outdoor theater in its rawest form the way the Creeks did 25(t) years ago cum griggs(a Sept 25 and 26 Tickets: its t 441 TTt 1 - 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