The Obama administration and some Democratic leaders stepped up in defense of the federal government's controversial deportation raids, which critics say are unfairly targeting Central American families.

As previously reported, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has apprehended 121 undocumented mothers and children in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas since Jan. 2. As a result, these raids have fueled pandemic fear within Latino communities and sparked nationwide protests.

On Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden defended the White House deportation policies during the Democrats' annual issues retreat in Baltimore, Maryland, reports The Hill. He also told House Democrats at the convention that the administration did not conduct widespread raids on undocumented Central Americans, according to Democrats in attendance.

"What was being reported was there were widespread raids. There weren't raids," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi while relaying Biden's message.

"They were individuals who had broken the law in other than ways - other than [legal] status -- or were newcomers to the country," the Democratic leader told reporters.

Pelosi also said she empathizes with the concerns of her fellow lawmakers.

"I associate myself with my colleagues who have expressed concern about this," she said.

Still, she echoed the administration's position and noted that less than 100 of those detained have been deported.

"It's also a message to Central America that it's better if we could adjudicate these cases [so] these people can have their due process there," Pelosi said.

Rep. Xavier Becerra, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, also sympathized with the administration's tough position.

"What the vice president made clear is that they're trying to do this in not just a constructive and legal way, but they're trying to do it in a humane way," said the California rep.

"He did stress the administration's position, that they feel that they have an obligation to carry out the laws, even within a broken immigration system, as best they can. And while there may be some differences exactly how it'd be best to do that, I think he was very passionate, and very constructive in explaining what the administration is trying to do given the constraints they have with a rebellious Congress."

According to immigrant rights advocates, the government is targeting immigrants who illegally crossed the border in a desperate attempt to escape ongoing violence in Central American countries like El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

Following the raids, over 140 House Democrats wrote a letter urging President Barack Obama to stop detaining and deportation these immigrants. They say that sending them back to their home countries -- which are riddled with government corruption and drug violence -- would put their lives at risk. Senate Democrats and all three 2016 Democratic candidates have also pushed the Obama administration to halt the arrests and scheduled deportations.

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