While rallies in streets across the country condemn the house-to-house raids made by ICE – Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, U.S. Senate and House staffers were meeting to discuss those raids and to examine legislation that would give immigrant children who are unaccompanied legal assistance.
Nevada Democratic Senator Harry Reid and Zoe Lofgren and Linda Sanchez two California Representatives who are Democrats as well introduced the measure.
The raids had been ordered by the President with undocumented immigrants who entered the U.S. over the last year as the targets. The end result has been nothing short of terrifying said legal counsel for the immigrants.
The Executive Director from the National Immigration Law Center told staffers on Capitol Hill that she did not think she would be there fight the Administration for ordering the raids on immigrants’ homes.
She said that ICE agents raid homes often times during the middle of the night. She added that at times they would grab a mother from her bed.
ICE is part of the DHS or Department of Homeland Security. She explained ICE is carrying out the raids even though the families that are being raided do not pose any threat to the country nor are they flight risks.
She added that the majority of the people are victims of great trauma suffered in their countries of origin especially El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Most had been complying with a number of restrictions that DHS had already imposed such as check-in visits on a regular basis.
From the start of the raids by ICE in January, a number of different protesters have taken to the street to support the immigrants.
Staffers from the House and Senate also discussed how the ongoing crisis impacts the children involved.
Over 100,000 kids who were unaccompanied sought refuge since 2014 in the U.S.
People wonder how bad were conditions at home, if parents would allow their 12-year old to make a 1,000-mile dangerous trip to the United States.
It has been reported by a Los Angeles daily that since 2014 over 7,000 unaccompanied children have been ordered deported without ever making an appearance in court.
The newspaper also reported that from January of 2014 to October of 2015, up to 83 people deported back to Central America were killed.
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