Thread: 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 leave this country. We do not want them here.

Contact pages:

http://tenantsandworkers.org/index.php? ... 57&lang=en

http://vacolao.org/contact.html

http://carecendc.org/aboutus/contactus.php

http://lawofficeofamylong.com/6001.html

Really with all the troubles in the world this makes news how about this A o jumps on a plane and he can fly to messico and be a real humanitarian and take care of 35000 + familys who have had a loved one killed by the drug war messico is having! That's worse than being kicked out of some place you don't belong in the first place! I'm sure those families will really apreichate the support

ONCE AGAIN illegals being rewarded.

No status = DEPORTATION

Its the law , What part don't these cretins understand ?

What is this catch and release crap ? You got um , now kick um out

"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.

Any person or persons provides shelter, transportation's and performs actions of harboring or aiding illegal aliens, can be charged with a felony offense.

I'm passing this story around and asking a question. If we can target illegals, can we target organizations that help and support illegals? Perhaps if they get any Gov. funding we can try and get laws passed to defund them.

Ive already started to tell them off.these organizations are out of bounds they might not what i have to say to them i dont care i dont like what they are doing to me and my fellow americans.