3 arrested by Border Patrol in Sandusky

SANDUSKY — Individuals claiming to be Border Patrol agents arrested migrants outside of an ethnic grocery store in the 1100 block of Cleveland Road Monday evening. According to witnesses, two men in an unmarked vehicle detained three Hispanic individuals and "took them to Port Clinton detention." An employee of the store, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Lupe, over fears of retaliation, told the newspaper the three are regular customers whom she knows are here legally, a fact echoed by other witnesses in attendance who claim to know the arrested individuals. "They are not criminals, they are not violent," Lupe said. "They are here legally. It's a brother and sister and her friend." According to Lupe, who witnessed the episode and spoke with the agents, they were there "for the brother" and since he was with two other individuals, his sister and friend had to be detained as well. "They said they had a picture of the brother, that they saw the brother and so they could take them all," Lupe said. A bystander showed the newspaper a video of the agents and one appeared to have a partially covered badge on his tactical vest, and the others did not appear to have badges. From the video reviewed by the newspaper, the agents' attire did not appear to clarify who they worked for. The agents, while wearing tactical equipment, were dressed in plain clothes and did not have any "police" markings. A witness said one agent referred to himself as a member of Border Patrol. Another bystander who asked the newspaper not to print his name due to fear of retaliation told the newspaper the agents refused to produce a warrant. "I asked if they had a warrant and they just told me to be quiet," he said. Lupe expressed concern that agents "staking out her business" may cause harm to her store. "I don't know if I am jeopardizing my business by talking to the agents while they were doing the arrest," she said. "(The agents) said they knew there are a lot of people here, and that's why (the agents) are here." Witnesses stated that a marked Border Patrol unit, a pickup truck, did arrive on the scene later to transport one of the people arrested. More recent arrests Recent detentions within Sandusky during the past several weeks have brought the idea of habeas corpus to the forefront of local immigration discussions. Habeas corpus is a legal procedure invoking the jurisdiction of a court to review the unlawful detention or imprisonment of an individual, according to Black's Law Dictionary. Sandusky has seen several recent detentions with authorities refusing to identify the individuals arrested, the charges they are being held on, the location of detention or the arresting agency. Numerous calls and emails to Border Patrol, FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have gone unreturned. Sandusky police Chief Jared Oliver last week spoke to the newspaper about his agency's role in the detention of another man outside a convenience store on Washington Row. "We were there at the request of the FBI, and that is all I will release," Oliver said. Oliver did not confirm the man's identity, the reason for the arrest, the arresting agency or whether there was a warrant for the man's arrest.