ICE throws working moms in jail


Author: James Thompson
People's Weekly World Newspaper, 07/10/08 14:10


‘How does this keep this country safe?’ asks labor leader

HOUSTON — 200 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swept up and arrested 166 workers at Action Rags,U.S.A., June 25, just north of the Houston Ship Channel here. Seventy were detained and the rest had to be released because they were U.S. citizens. Reports indicate that as many as 70 percent of those detained were women, 10 of whom were pregnant and most of whom were working to feed families.

Most of those arrested were from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

The women rounded up in the raid were rag sorters earning extremely low pay and contending daily with dangerous working conditions including excessive heat.

Maria Lopez, a friend of some of those at the plant, told KHOU TV that “they didn’t have fans, they didn’t have AC. You could say it’s an oven in there.â€