Last weekend, a series of raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained 41 people in West Michigan in what ICE officials are describing as a “cross-check” operation aimed at arresting the “worst of the worst” of immigrant “lawbreakers.” According to reporting in the Grand Rapids Press, ICE officials were targeting “illegal aliens” whom ICE claims committed crimes that make them a danger to the West Michigan community. Of the 41 detained, an ICE spokesperson named Greg Palmore said that one arrestee had previously been charged with murder and others have been convicted of sexually abusing children or assault. Thirty-one of the forty-one arrested were detained in Grand Rapids, with the rest being detained in Holland.
However, while the Press’ coverage highlighted the detainees alleged past crimes and the justifications for the raid offered by ICE officials, others have raised questions about both how the raids were conducted and the targets of the raid. In a story from WOOD TV 8, local attorney Richard Kessler is quoted as saying that the raids were part of a “get tough” media spin being conducted by ICE at the expense of immigrants and their families. This media effort associates immigrants with criminality while perpetuating the idea that harsh punitive measures are the only way to address immigration. Kessler highlighted a raid that in which a mother was taken from her 2-year old daughter on the morning of March 25. According to Kessler, ICE agents were “pretty physical” with the mother, who was handcuffed and put in foot chains after which she was “kind of dragged, pushed” out to a car driven by ICE officials. This treatment occurred even though the mother had no criminal record or convictions and has an issue with the immigration court that is a civil rather than a criminal matter. Kessler pointed out that her legal status was similar to that of many who were arrested over the weekend, with Kessler stating “I would say the majority of them are not felony convictions. A lot of them, particularly this weekend, don’t even have criminal records.”
Similar actions, which many have called heavy-handed on the part of ICE officials–including another series of raids in September of 2006 in Grand Rapids–have taken place across the country in recent years as part of an operation called Endgame that aims to “remove all removable aliens” from the United States by 2012. In addition to home raids, ICE officials have dramatically increased the number of workplace raids (http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/kutalik290107.html) that they conduct, with ICE claiming to have arrested more than 2,100 people from October 2005 to March 2006. These raids have been characterized by agents in riot gear storming workplaces, allegations of racism, and limited success in detaining “dangerous” criminals. Instead, the raids have the goal of advancing the idea that “immigrant” means “criminal” despite studies showing that there is no relationship between immigration and crime, building support for guest worker programs that would allow workers to “legally” come into the United States to be exploited by corporations, and undermining union organizing among immigrants. Some have highlighted the fact that raids–such as those at meatpacking plants in December of 2006—aside from seeking to advance the association of “immigrant” with “criminal,” also undermine union organizing in the United States, as undocumented immigrants make up a significant percentage of workers in industries such as cleaning, hotels, and meatpacking, all of which are targets for union organizing. The raids at the Swift & Co. meatpacking plants–undertaken due to claims of “identity theft” for which none of the 1,300 detained were guilty–serve the function of intimidating workers and putting them in a position of constant fear in which they are understandably hostile to and skeptical of union organizing efforts. In fact, the Swift detentions were due to warrants issued for ICE to check workers’ documents, not to conduct a criminal investigation into identity theft and only 65 of the workers apprehended were ultimately charged. As is the case in most of these raids, those detained as a result were detained for immigration violations, not because they are violent criminals.
Aside from the indignities that come from being forcibly and violently detained, there are numerous stories of mothers being separated from their children and held for days in ICE detention centers, including a raid earlier this year in Auburn, Washington. Immigrants have been detained in prisons with limited access to lawyers, healthcare, food, and other human rights, while prisons run by private corporations have provided even worse treatment. New Mexico ACLU Director Peter Simonson has asserted that, “Nationwide, the ICE raids exhibit a pattern of recklessness and disregard, not just for basic civil rights, but also for the fundamental welfare of families that are broken apart by these operations.” As indicated above, reports of abuses by ICE officials are widespread. ICE’s Assistant Secretary for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Julie L. Meyers, who oversees ICE, is currently facing a legal investigation for illegally shipping detained immigrants in Colorado out of state while ICE has received scrutiny from government agencies for the conditions in its prisons.
Around the country, the raids by ICE are increasingly becoming the target of protest and organizing. Protests have been held against ICE raids in Hartford, Houston, Boston, and Philadelphia, among other cities, since the start of the year. Additionally, numerous groups are offering legal assistance to immigrants detained in ICE raids.
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