AFRAID TO GO OUTSIDE ILLEGALS FRIGHTENED OF IMMIGRATION SWEEPS AND ARRESTS.

Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer

Fearful that Border Patrol sweeps in the Inland Empire and Escondido will spread to the San Fernando Valley, some undocumented residents are enlisting legal residents to help them carry out daily chores, immigrant advocates said Wednesday.

Latinas who used to shop at local supermarkets after walking their children to school are now relying on one or two women with green cards to run the errands for them.

``They are so scared, they don't want to leave their house,'' said Jessica Dominguez, an immigration attorney with an office in Van Nuys.

Maria, an undocumented immigrant who lives in Canoga Park, said her daily life has been turned upside down by the news that sweeps by the Mobile Patrol Group have resulted in 402 arrests since June 4. Of those, 208 were deported, nearly all to Mexico.

``You are not secure to go out. You are afraid to go to the grocery store, to the mall. The ones who drive their kids to school aren't because they are afraid to drop them off,'' said Maria, 27, who attends a local college.

Steve McPartland, senior patrol agent with the San Diego sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, said its been several years since such tactics have been employed so rigorously this far from the border. But he added that the approach, which immigration officials call ``consensual encounters'' are nothing new.

In these encounters border patrol agents approach and detain those suspected of living here illegally. Certain areas had been targeted based on intelligence.

McPartland declined to reveal the source of the intelligence, but added that future sweeps do not preclude the Los Angeles area. He stressed that none of those encounters have taken place near schools or places of worship.

Several immigrant rights groups challenge those assertions and have denounced the tactics. The Mexican American Legal Defense Fund last week launched an investigation into the constitutionality of the raids.

``It's not clear these stops were consensual. It's not clear that they were free to leave,'' said Maureen Guadalupe Tellez, an attorney for MALDEF. ``Many of these raids are taking place on street walks, in front of residential buildings and we have had reports of sweeps in front of ethnic-themed markets.''

Moreover, she added, there is concern that agents are going after people based solely on their race.

Spanish-language radio and television reports have further spurred fear in the community as rumors have flourished.

``If you go to the supermarkets in Pacoima, Canoga Park, the numbers are dwindling. It's having an impact on the economy,'' said Mario Fuentes, a community organizer who is planning an emergency meeting tonight to discuss the issue at a local church.

Rachel Uranga, [phone]

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com