February 11, 2017

Image by: Karl-Ludwig Poggemann (CC BY 2.0)

Each week now, Americans are witnessing the ugly realities of Donald Trump’s presidency and his unjust policies. In just two weeks, executive orders were signed to target specific ethnic or religious groups, including Muslims. Today, the next victim of his attacks are the undocumented.

Over the last five days, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have carried out what they call an “enforcement surge” in Los Angeles, where over 160 undocumented immigrants have been arrested. More raids have been carried out in cities across the country, including Phoenix, Atlanta, Charlotte and Austin. Raids and deportations, which took place at their highest levels under the Obama Administration, have been proven to be unjust, unfair and immoral.

The Immigrant Defense Project is providing an ICE Raids Toolkit to give lawyers, advocates and communities information on how to prepare for the ICE raids, including who the ICE is targeting, research and analysis, and training documents.

These raids underscore the need for immediate and comprehensive immigration reform. Immigrants come to America seeking a life of stability away from the dictatorial and tyrannical life they escaped. Prioritizing America’s national security should not come at the cost of human dignity. America must recognize the sanctity of all people, above all, those that are running away from war and famine. These deportations are a manifestation of the ongoing criminalization of certain communities.

Separating parents from their children and tearing families apart does nothing to increase our public safety. It only harms communities and our country’s morale. Humane and just treatment of these individuals is necessary in order to fully achieve a successful immigration system in America.