GA. Immigration arrests target Somalis in Clarkston, elsewhere
Immigration arrests target Somalis in Clarkston, elsewhere
3:15 p.m Thursday, April 13, 2017 AJC Homepage
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Foreign nationals were arrested the week of Feb. 5, 2017, during a targeted enforcement operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and aimed at immigration fugitives, re-entrants and at-large criminal aliens. (Charles Reed/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Federal immigration authorities have started arresting Somali immigrants and refugees in parts of DeKalb and Gwinnett counties that have long been havens for newcomers, including in Clarkston, according to African advocacy groups.
The arrests come after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained more than 680 unauthorized immigrants – including 87 in Georgia – as part of a nationwide operation in February.
ICE’s latest moves also follow President Donald Trump’s attempts to temporarily ban visitors from Somalia and five other Muslim-majority countries as well as refugees from around the world. Trump says his executive order – now on hold in federal courts amid constitutional challenges – is needed so his administration can boost its security screening process for visitors.
Omar Shekhey, the executive director for the Somali America Community Center in Clarkston, said as many as 10 Somalis have been arrested in Clarkston, Stone Mountain and in Gwinnett this week alone. He worries they could be deported to Somalia, which is now in the grips of a deadly drought and persistent violence. Those who have been arrested have been in the U.S. for many years, Shekhey said.
The executive order signed by President Trump calls for suspension of immigration from Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Libya. www.accessatlanta.com
“They don’t know anything about Somalia,” he said. “They don’t even speak the language, most of them. So it is going to be very difficult for them to go there.”
Glory Kilanko, director and CEO of Women Watch Afrika, said she is aware of eight Somalis who have been arrested in ICE “raids” in Clarkston since last week.
“Everybody is feeling insecure,” she said. “People are beginning to hide and be afraid of law enforcement. They are saying they feel terrorized by ICE’s presence.”
ICE spokesman Bryan Cox pushed back against Kilanko’s use of the term “raids.”
“ICE makes arrests every day in the course of its ordinary, routine targeted enforcement operations,” he said. “There is no special operation taking place in Clarkston. As I’ve said repeatedly, ICE only conducts targeted immigration enforcement in compliance with federal law and agency policy. ICE does not conduct checkpoints nor sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately. Any claims to the contrary are simply false.”
Clarkston Mayor Ted Terry said he is looking into the matter, saying he is worried how the arrests could impact the relationships between immigrants and refugees and local police.
“Basically, you are pushing an entire group of people underground,” he said. “And that is definitely not going to make Clarkston safer.”
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