In US, panic amid raids on immigrants
Migrants without criminal records also being targeted
Washington, Feb. 12: US authorities arrested hundreds of undocumented migrants this week in the first largescale raids under President Donald Trump, triggering panic in immigrant communities nationwide.
The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency rounded up undocumented individuals living in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and other cities two weeks after Mr Trump signed an executive order that broadened which undocumented immigrants would be targeted for deportation.
According to the Washington Post, while the raids targeted known criminals they also netted some immigrants without criminal records, an apparent departure from similar enforcement waves during the Obama administration.
According to ICE, however, the operations were “routine.” “The focus of these operations is no different than the routine, targeted arrests carried out by ICE’s Fugitive Operations Teams on a daily basis,” said agency spokeswoman Jennifer Elzea.
David Marin, head of ICE’s removal operations in Los Angeles, told reporters that approximately 160 people had been arrested in the California metropolis.
Some 75 per cent of them had prior felony convictions, he said, adding that some people had been nabbed solely because they were undocumented.
That undocumented immigrants with no criminal records were arrested and could potentially be deported sent a shock wave through immigrant communities nationwide amid concerns the US government could start going after law-abiding people.
Mr Trump has pledged to deport as many as three million undocumented immigrants.