Hodgson: Congressional Delegation Ordered Bianco Raid

Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson hasn't been shy about his tough stance on illegal immigration, but he wants it to be known that he's not the only one who has taken a hard line on the issue.

Hodgson appeared on Barry Richard's program on WBSM Friday afternoon, and when Richard mentioned that there hadn't been a major immigration raid on the SouthCoast since the Michael Bianco, Inc. raid back in March of 2007, Hodgson dropped a bit of a bombshell.

The Sheriff said it wasn't ICE that initiated the raid, but rather elected officials asking for it.

"Do you know who ordered the raid? Our legislative delegation," Hodgson said. "These are the kinds of things the public doesn't know."

Hodgson declined to identify exactly which congressional leaders pushed for the raid that rounded up 350 undocumented workers, but told Richard, "I wouldn't say it was all of them, but it was some" when Richard mentioned former U.S. Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, and former U.S. Representative Barney Frank.

He also expressed his disappointment that these same congressional delegates came to New Bedford days after the raid to meet with the families at a local church.

"These are the things that go on that I think are really, frankly, a slap in the face to the people," he said. "To play them to be ignorant, and to misrepresent."