VA Organizations seek to aid families affected by ICE raids
March 30, 2011
Organizations seek to aid families affected by recent ICE roundup
by Gregg MacDonald | Staff Writer
Some immigration rights advocates are organizing to aid the families of immigrants inadvertently caught up in a three-day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Northern Virginia last week.
Law enforcement officials from seven local municipalities and counties, including Fairfax County, aided ICE in the raids, which netted 163 arrests.
Although ICE targeted illegal immigrants who had criminal charges pending, 22 non-criminals who were not targeted but who were discovered during the enforcement campaign were run through the ICE immigration data base and issued a notice to appear in immigration court because of their immigration status, according to ICE.
"While Immigration and Customs Enforcement touts the effort as a search for criminal aliens, many immigrant bystanders who were not targets of the raids were apprehended in the process," said Esteban Garces of the organization Tenants and Workers United.
"How can Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun, Manassas City, Manassas Park and Prince William effectively protect and serve the immigrant communities with whom they will need to cooperate during law enforcement operations while at the same time splitting families and spreading fear?" said Edgar Aranda of the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations.
"The wake of a raid like this is devastating," Garces said. "Mixed-status families get torn apart when non-criminal members are detained simply because of their immigration status."
Tenants and Workers United, the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations, the Central American Resource Center and the Law Offices of Amy A. Long, PLLC, are coordinating a response to the surge, and are asking affected community members to call a hotline if they are in need of help.
"We want to ensure that those caught in this crossfire can receive adequate representation should they qualify for relief," said Amy Long.
"Of the more than 160 criminals and fugitives arrested in last week's targeted enforcement operation, 22 of those encountered were non-criminals arrested for immigration violations. Seven have been released on humanitarian grounds. Those who remain in ICE custody can be located through the online detainee locator at www.ice.gov," said Cori W. Bassett, ICE spokeswoman.
Affected family members also can call 571-449-7236 for help, Garces said.
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/cms/story.php?id=3250
illegals must be deported now
Illegals must leave this country. We do not want them here.
