Washington, DC (August 12, 2019)—Communities across Mississippi are reeling from the fallout of the largest single-state worksite immigration raid in U.S. history that led to the arrest of nearly 700 people. As we mourn with the children left standing in parking lots and shelters crying for parents who were taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and with the families and neighbors left to carry on in the wake of the devastation, we know that the harm of such enforcement actions extends far beyond the families who are separated, to the loved ones, neighbors, teachers, and extended community members forced to pick up the pieces, and to the millions of others who now live in constant fear that this too may one day be their fate.
CSSP stands against this inhumane treatment of immigrant children, families, and communities. These raids directly threaten the security, stability, and well-being of children and families. They do not reflect who we aspire to be as a people, and have no place in the U.S.
The raid in Mississippi is just a part of this Administration’s larger and fundamentally racist immigration agenda aimed at excluding immigrants of color from the U.S., creating fear and confusion for immigrant families, and isolating entire communities across the states, and carried out through attacks on immigrant families who call this country home.
“Enough with policies that separate our families, harm our children, and divide our nation,” said Megan Martin, Vice President for Public Policy at the Center for the Study of Social Policy. Instead of traumatizing immigrant children, families, and communities, we must work harder and with conviction, as a nation, to protect and promote their safety and well-being.