Millions Of Immigrants Brace For ICE Raids This Weekend: ‘There Is A Lot Of Panic And A Lot Of Fear’
Advocates say they are getting calls from immigrants who don't want to leave their house even to go to the doctor with a sick child. "We keep getting calls and messages from folks, saying, 'We're scared. What should we do?'" said Melissa Taveras, a spokeswoman for the Florida Immigrant Coalition. Those mass arrests are expected to begin Sunday in nearly a dozen metro areas. The raids were initially delayed after disagreements within the Trump administration.
Politico:
Pelosi Urges Dems To Help Counter Trump’s Planned ICE Raids
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday warned her caucus about President Donald Trump’s planned immigration raids this weekend, urging members to spread information about undocumented immigrants' legal rights. Speaking to a closed-door whips meeting, Pelosi urged members to spread the party’s “know your rights” campaign, according to two people in the room. (Ferris and Hesson, 7/11)
Stateline:
Cities, States Brace For Immigration Raids
If the Trump administration follows through on its threat to deport thousands of immigrants living in the country illegally, it will start with migrants who are under removal orders signed by an immigration judge. A Stateline analysis of immigration court data suggests that of the 1.1 million removal orders on file last month, 60% were issued to migrants residing in California, New York, Texas, Florida and Arizona. Miami, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Houston and Florence, Arizona, have the most removal orders, based on addresses listed in court documents, which can easily change. Many immigrants use the addresses of temporary detention centers, like the one in Florence, or homes of friends. (Henderson, 7/11)
CNN:
ICE Raids Are Looming. Panicked Immigrants Are Skipping Work, Hiding Out And Bracing For The Worst
Weeks ago, as President Donald Trump warned that ICE agents were preparing raids across the country, a 41-year-old housekeeper and babysitter in Miami headed to the grocery store with her daughter. They knew they'd be staying inside and needed to stock up on supplies. "I felt that day like it was a hurricane coming," the undocumented immigrant from Nicaragua told CNN. (Schoichet, 7/12)
In other news on the immigration crisis —
Texas Tribune:
Migrant Children Are Still Being Separated From Parents, Data Shows
More than a year after the Trump administration ended a controversial policy that led to hundreds of family separations, as many as five migrant children per day continue to be separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to federal data gathered by an immigrant advocacy group. The data, which the American Immigration Council and other immigrant advocacy groups requested from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, shows that almost 400 children were separated from their parents between June 2018 — when the Trump administration ended its controversial zero tolerance policy — and March 2019. (Roldan, 7/12)
Reuters:
U.S. House Seeks Documents From Companies That Run Immigrant Detention Centers
Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Thursday they have sent letters seeking documents and information from three companies responsible for detaining illegal immigrants arrested by U.S. immigration agents. The House Oversight Committee and its House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties sent letters to CoreCivic Inc, Geo Group Inc and DC Capital Partners LLC seeking information about the facilities they operate under contract from the U.S. government. (7/11)
The Associated Press:
AOC, Other Liberal Dems In Spotlight At Immigration Hearing
Four Democratic freshmen who reported squalid conditions at migrant detention stations at the southern border are taking the spotlight at a House committee hearing, even as partisan and internal Democratic tensions near a boil over President Donald Trump's immigration policies. Friday's House Oversight and Reform Committee session comes as surging numbers of families, children and other migrants entering the U.S. from Mexico have overwhelmed the government's capacity to house them adequately. (Fram, 7/12)
The Associated Press:
A Year After Separation, Migrant Boy In Texas Waits For Dad
There were water balloons at Byron Xol's birthday party — bunches of them, filled a dozen at a time. He squeezed them with both hands, until the water burst on his face and chest. "Super good!" the 9-year-old yelled, again and again. It's a new catchphrase — but then, Byron spoke no English at all 15 months ago. (Merchant, 7/11)
Reuters:
When The U.S. Puts A Border Between Migrant Kids And Their Caretakers
On June 12, Gerardo, a 41-year-old indigenous bricklayer from Guatemala, appeared before a U.S. immigration judge in El Paso, Texas. Since crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally two months earlier with his 14-year-old son, he had been separated from the boy and forced to wait in Mexico for his hearing. Now, he had only one question for the judge: “Can you help me get my son back?” (Cooke, 7/11)
