After last week’s raids that saw more than 600 Latino workers in the state of Mississippi rounded up, more action is set to be taken against undocumented immigrants
According to a report by CNN, the White House has ordered US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) agents to identify more targets across the country. Earlier this year, raids that had been prematurely announced on a number of cities including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, New York and Denver were subsequently postponed after protests were made by migrant advocacy groups and members of the US Senate. The policy appears to have been revived last week with the detention of more than 600 Latino workers at poultry plants in the state of Mississippi.
The president has stated that he is keen to target migrants’ places of work as this tactic is a “good deterrent”. The Mississippi raids triggered widespread condemnation as images of children who had been separated from parents and guardians were collected from local schools and taken to makeshift shelters where they were looked after by volunteers.
Unlike the earlier announcements, last week’s raids were shrouded in secrecy. The action has been met with mixed reviews with some Mississippi state legislators expressing their support. There has also been anger and disappointment that the Department of Justice and ICE do not appear to be targeting the companies that employ illegal immigrants just the immigrants themselves.
