Immigration Arrests Affect Community
Reported by: Colleen O'Shaughnessy
Last Update: 7/23 8:51 pm


HAMPTON, IA - In a town of about four-thousand people, gossip spreads quickly. So you can imagine how fast word of immigration arrests traveled within Hampton's small latino community.

"The lady called my mom and said that immigration came, and they took a whole bunch of people," recalled Jose Victor.

Victor's mother runs a small grocery store downtown. Most of the products they sell are Mexican, as are the majority of Victor's customers - including the seven men and women arrested by immigration workers this week.

Victor said, "my mom knew each and every one of them. They're good people."

According to U.S. law, they're also criminals.

Tim Counts, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, explained, "instead of surrendering for deportation, or leaving the country when they were supposed to, they obsconded."

But that's not how Victor sees it. To him, the undocumented workers are just trying to give their family a better life.

"They get money, you know? Over there in Mexico, they work all day for like, three dollars. And over here it's like, whoa, big difference," he commented.

Now those families are left without their main provider.

Victor said, "man it's just hard. Families get separated, and it's really hard on everybody else because they're all scared."

"We certainly make sure the children are cared for," said Counts. "Whether it's by another family member, another parent, another relative, or if the person wants to take their children home with them to their home country, we can certainly help make arrangements for that as well."

Either way, getting caught by Immigrations is devastating for parents and children. But Victor said deportation is a risk illegal immigrants are willing to take... for life in the land of the free.

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