Gutiérrez On Reports Of Increased Deportation, Raids & Round-Ups

Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) issued a statement in response to news that immigration enforcement operations have been stepped up around the country including home and workplace raids.  Reports from news media, attorneys and advocates in California, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, Georgia and other states indicate a new initiative is underway.  This could be a return to the failed raids and round-ups strategies of previous presidents, but based on reports (because official sources have not been forthcoming), it goes beyond targeting serious criminals who could pose a threat to public safety. 

The following is a statement from Rep. Gutiérrez who is beginning his 13th term representing the Fourth District of Illinois, who is a Member of the Judiciary Committee and is the Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus:

The President wants to show off and it appears he has unleashed the Department of Homeland Security to kick-out large numbers of immigrants and anyone they encounter, without much oversight, review or due process.  There is very little official information on what appears to be a new Trump deportation initiative.  Homeland Security is deporting moms, dads and working men and women under the smoke screen of criminal or anti-terror actions. 

Like so much the President says, the idea that mass deportation is a tool for crime reduction or national security is a straight up lie.  There is no law-enforcement or anti-terror motive for rounding up working-class immigrants in their homes, in the fields and workplaces, or taking random people off the street.  The President is lying when he says deporting immigrants is about fighting crime.

National attention has been on the Muslim Ban and the Wall of Hate, but sweeping, broad-based deportations of average people have begun.  We are getting reports about the targeting of people who are complying with the law when they report to immigration authorities, people who are long-term residents with deep ties to their communities and no criminal activity, and people authorities just encounter when they say they are looking for someone else.

The goal of such policies is to inject fear into immigrant communities, frighten families and children, and drive immigrants farther underground.  It damages public safety and the fabric of American communities while putting a burden on local social services and the foster-care system.  In cities, towns and states, we are organizing to fight back against the Trump deportation machine, slow the process so that every person’s due process rights are respected and make sure the summary deportations do not go unnoticed.  But this is a very grim new chapter in American immigration history and I fear this is only the beginning.

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