ICE heating things up

Not too long ago, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 99 employees of a meatpacking plant in Marshalltown, Iowa after an immigration raid on December 16. This was part of ICE’s largest-ever operation raiding six other states’ Swift & Co. slaughterhouses, in total arresting 1,297 workers, 649 of which have been deported as of March 1. More recently, on March 6, federal officials raided Michael Bianco INC. leather goods factory in New Bedford, MA, arresting 360 workers and flying them off to Texas to be detained for possible deportation. Immigration raids similar to what occurred at New Bedford and Marshalltown have continued to increase in recent months. There has been a 750 percent increase in arrest of undocumented immigrants since 2002, growing from 485 to 3,667.

Families are being ripped apart by these raids. In New Bedford, dozens of children were left uncared for while their parents were transported to ANOTHER STATE to await bond hearings and deportation. Social workers were sent down to Texas to investigate the situation of the children. It was only after public pressure, did the ICE allow for some single parents and, if both parents were incarcerated, one parent to return to their children. Even though they are released, these parents are not off the hook yet: they still need to stand trial. The sad thing is, when these parents are forced to leave the United States must CHOOSE to either take their children with them or leave them behind for better opportunities.

The Bush Administration has made some effort for immigration reform with guest worker programs and citizenship for undocumented immigrants. They admit though, that they need to be tougher on enforcement to gain the vote of congressmen. Senator Ted Kennedy has even promised an immigration reform bill that includes citizenship for undocumented workers which will reach the senate by June. The reality is that these proposals for immigration reform will probably be used to sway votes in the 2008 presidential candidates as opposed to helping the 12 million undocumented immigrants in the US.