The New York Times reported that the massive raids ordered by President Donald Trump will begin this Sunday and that “in those deportations, the authorities might detain immigrants who happened to be on the scene, even though they were not targets of the raid”.
According to the Big Apple newspaper “when possible, family members arrested together will be held in family detention centers in Texas and Pennsylvania. But because of space limitations, some might end up staying in hotel rooms until their travel documents can be prepared.
The New York Times attributed its information to unidentified government officials, yet the newspaper’s prestige puts civil rights activists on guard.
Officials consulted said ICE will first seek out some 2,000 immigrants who have already received deportation orders and, in some cases, failed to appear at immigration court hearings.
In at least ten cities across the country, it will begin the capture of undocumented immigrants and their families. Operations will be conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) staff.
Cities where such raids could occur include Chicago, Baltimore, New York, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami.
The tweet of fear
In mid-June, Trump said on Twitter that ICE would initiate a process to deport “millions” of undocumented immigrants.
Soon after, it became known that ICE was planning mass raids beginning June 23 to increase deportations of undocumented families who have received expulsion orders.
Trump then decided to suspend the raids for two weeks – which ended last Sunday – to give Democrats and Republicans time to reach an immigration agreement in Congress, but to date, no agreement has been reached.
In previous notes, Guillermo Torres, Organizer for Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice has declared that” these inhumane and atrocious policies of keeping us scared have also made us unite more, and that we learn more and more about our rights and how to defend ourselves, we are ready to respond to this offensive.”
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said his state “will continue to stand with all immigrants to ensure they have the full protections afforded under the law.”
Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, also told local media that city residents should know that the “Sanctuary State Laws” will be enforced and that they prevent local police from collaborating with ICE on federal immigration issues.
Translated by: José Espinoza