Posted in Immigration
The Administration is once again terrorizing and separating immigrant families. This time, they’ve raided multiple food processing plants throughout Mississippi, arresting nearly 700 people. Once again, instead of following a policy of truth, effectiveness and humanity, the Administration has opted for cruelty and family separation.
While immigrant communities felt fresh fear after this past weekend’s white supremacist terror attack in El Paso, the Administration was hard at work worsening their terror as hundreds of children came home from their first day of school to empty houses and fearful hearts.
This Administration is robbing many of the latest generation of Americans of the security provided by mothers, fathers, caregivers, breadwinners and valued members of their communities. These policies affect everyone, regardless of citizenship status, and as a nation built by immigrants and loving families, these policies of separation should disgust and outrage all of us.
We shouldn’t have to cite professional child psychologists to know that separating children from parents, planting the seeds of fear in their hearts at an early age, is wrong in all places and all times. This is not who we are.
In fact, this is not how ICE normally operates. Under a previous Administration of the same political party, ICE developed guidelines for raids to minimize the harm worksite raids have on children. We saw no such guidelines followed in these raids, just reckless disregard for the consequences of cruelty.
South Carolina Appleseed condemns these raids and stands with immigrant families and communities. We will continue to fight for these communities, along with all impoverished, underrepresented and otherwise disadvantaged communities. We will continue to support common sense immigration solutions that protect the rights and dignities of all people. We will continue to oppose this cruelty and we will not be silent.
