Immigration Reform Now: ICE to Conduct Mass Deportation Raids of Central American Women, Children
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing for a month-long raid of Central American women and children destined for deportation.
The orders include unaccompanied children who have since turned 18 years of age and any undocumented individuals who crossed into the U.S. since 2014. The only locations ICE is barred from raiding are courtrooms, schools and hospitals, according to a government source who spoke with ABC News.
Reuters, who first obtained the report, states that this would be the largest deportation sweep in President Obama's tenure.
"Current operations are a continuation of operations Secretary (Jeh) Johnson announced in January and March," ICE Spokesman Jennifer Elzea said in a statement. "We stress that these operations are limited to those who were apprehended at the border after January 1, 2014, have been ordered removed by an immigration court, and have no pending appeal or pending claim for asylum or other humanitarian relief under our laws."
More Raids, More Crossings
Operation Guardian began the New Year with weekend arrests of 121 people, primarily in southern states of Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. The Obama administration surreptitiously ordered sweeping immigration raids citing a need to maintain border security and curb illegal crossings.
As arrests rose through March, the number of children attempting to cross skyrocketed. U.S. Customs and Border Protection data suggests nearly 60,000 undocumented children -- either unaccompanied or with a guardian -- were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border in a six-month span beginning last October.
"Families and unaccompanied children apprehensions spiked in December 2015, and in January 2016 the Department of Homeland Security launched immigration raids targeting families. Since then, monthly border apprehensions have dropped below 2014 levels," Pew Research Center researcher Jens Manuel Krogstad wrote in study released last week.
Democrats Denounce Obama's Actions
Hundreds of senators and House members called on Obama to end the raids as soon as they began. Democratic Presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., led the way, wowing to end the practice if elected in November.
"I am concerned about recent news reports, and believe we should not be taking kids and families from their homes in the middle of the night," Clinton said in a statement late Thursday. "Large scale raids are not productive and do not reflect who we are as a country."
Sanders echoed the sentiment, urging Obama to grant Temporary Protective Status for targeted immigrants, many who fled amid increased violence in their homeland.
The grassroots candidate said he opposes the operation because it condones "the painful and inhumane business of locking up and deporting families who have fled horrendous violence in Central America and other countries."
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