LOS ANGELES – Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are expected to carry out raids across the country, beginning Sunday, July 14, targeting an estimated 2,000 people who have been ordered deported; and Los Angeles County is expected to be included in the raids.
“They’re going to take criminals out and put them in prison or put them in prison in the countries they came from,” President Donald Trump told reporters Friday morning. “We’re focused on criminals as much as we can.”
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, whose 23rd congressional includes parts of Lancaster, echoed Trump’s sentiment, saying ICE actions are aimed at people who have been ordered out of the country.
“If you have come to this position, you’ve been here years, you’ve gone through the court system, you’ve been found that you have to be deported,” he said. “You have to follow the rule of law.”
But Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he is strongly opposed to the raids.
“The presence of undocumented residents in our communities calls for compassion, not threats of deportation and family separation,” Villanueva said. “As your Los Angeles County sheriff, I stand for everyone’s public safety and understand a basic principle of law enforcement, which is that we cannot ensure public safety if residents are afraid to contact law enforcement to report a crime.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis held a news conference Friday morning to spread word of the possible raids. She said immigrants have the right to refuse to open the door if ICE agents show up at their homes.
“If they don’t have a warrant with your name on it, you don’t have to answer,” she said.
Solis issued a statement saying Los Angeles County “will do everything in its power to ensure that no child regardless of citizenship status will be left alone or abandoned.”
“Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect,” she said. “Forcibly separating children from their parents is traumatizing and inhumane. Children and their families enduring this type of trauma suffer from lifelong emotional wounds. To rip a child from the warm and loving embrace of their family is an unspeakable crime against humanity. The United States has been and will always be a nation of immigrants. I call on all Americans to reject the politics of division, hate, and fear.”
A lawsuit filed Thursday in New York by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California and other groups alleges that constitutional due process requires the government to bring arrested families and children before an immigration judge so they can have a day in court before facing deportation.
ACLU officials said the suit aims to protect refugee families and children who fled widespread violence in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and other countries at the hands of their governments and murderous gangs. For many of these migrants, obtaining asylum in the U.S. “could be a matter of life and death,” according to the ACLU.
ICE spokesman Matt Bourke said the agency “prioritizes the arrest and removal of unlawfully present aliens who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security.”
He added that 90% of those arrested by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division last year had either a criminal conviction, pending criminal charges or had illegally re-entered the country after previously being removed.
“However, all of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and — if found removable by final order — removal from the United States,” he said.
Solis said L.A. County “stands strong and unified in opposition to federal immigration enforcement that separates families and instills fear in our residents.”
Los Angeles County is home to 3.5 million immigrants, “and our immigrant population makes significant contributions to the economy and diverse culture of our county,” she said.
ICE raids are also anticipated in San Francisco, Denver, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Chicago, Baltimore and Atlanta.
Previous related story: ACLU SoCal sues to protect immigrants threatened by ICE sweep
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B.O.B says
And still no talk about all the people living in the desert and on the streets.
What about the American People ?
RusT says
“The presence of undocumented residents in our communities calls for compassion, not threats of deportation and family separation,” Villanueva said.
What is an honest and fair to Americans translation:
“The presence of illegal alien criminals (undocumented residents) in our communities calls for corrective action (compassion), and immediate (not threats of) deportation of individuals no matter if their part of a family(and family separation),” Villanueva said.
RussT says
The number of people ICE is planing on sending back home is so low with this plan it won’t even put a dent into the massive flood of people pouring into our country. This is a joke and won’t help to start with. More smoke and mirrors and a fancy dog and pony show for those that want their country protected from this invasion.
Ron says
Praise the Lord. About time. LET THE RAIDS BEGIN!!! BUILD THE WALL!!!
Alex needs to be removed says
Alex’s isn’t upholding the law so I say remove his [removed]
He also rehires criminal Sheriff’s
Jason Zink says
Only 2,000 it should be 2 Million.
Deport Deport Deport Criminals!
Ron says
I agree. Should be 20 million.
RussT says
20 million? The real number of illegals in our country is over 60 million. A little secret, the media and our great politicians love to lie about the real number and the real damage this is causing to our country.
Laughing says
About 1 out of every 5 people? Interesting
AV Illegal says
Once again, a lot of people in this state do not seem to comprehend criminal actions and the word illegal. Even when speaking in this article, Solis refers to them only as immigrants. Deporting criminals should be applauded, except for those trying to build their voting base. And before you say they can’t vote, keep in mind it is a long range plan. It is all their offspring that will become the voting base. Much like communism, it is the long range plan that is being chipped away at.
Read up on the communist goals as described waaaaay back in 1958. See how things are progressing. Same idea here. http://www.returnofkings.com/123828/a-1958-list-of-communist-objectives-for-america-is-now-nearly-complete
Tim Scott says
Actually, a lot of people just think it is a mind boggling waste of resources to have an entire department of the federal government, to the tune of almost six billion per year, dedicated to the prosecution of cold case misdemeanors.
Haven’t YOU noticed that there are plenty of felonies going on RIGHT NOW?
All in all I think we’d be better off if they just shot you the next time you J walk.
Tim Scott says
Thanks. Citing facts seldom gets me such praise.
Colin B. says
Well, you just made up so-called facts, which aren’t facts at all. You can fool some of the people. No, I am not a supporter of the way the ICE raids are carried out. There is no such thing as a cold case misdemeanor.
Tim Scott says
No such thing? Illegal entry is a misdemeanor. When ICE goes hunting for people who committed that crime five, ten, fifteen years ago would you not call that a cold case?
Trumpist#1 says
Courts ordered them out. Where and what would we be without the rule of law?
Doesn’t the incident where they replaced our flag with Mexican flag at ICE facility (and defaced ours) tweak your nose??
Warm regards, Tim my “great” friend.
RussT says
Tim, what terrible things you say. Horrible you should wish harm so someone like this guy #Trumpist on here voicing his opinion.
You think crossing our sovereign border which is a Federal Offense is not a crime since they classify it as a misdemeanor and not a felony? If you still don’t know that illegals cost the US as much as they do you need to get educated on the subject. The savings for following the law and removing them and building a wall will ba a massive saving in tax money.
You’re ill wishes on this other guy here and you believing that braking the law by braking into our country is ok would be enough for many people to consider you very evil.