Wider Arrests Of Immigrants

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

The acting chief of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) confirmed to the Hispanic Caucus that the recent arrests of undocumented immigrants are part of a "broader effort" against undocumented immigrants with criminal records or suspected criminal activities.

Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham told NBC that she spoke to the ICE official after members of the Hispanic Caucus were not allowed to attend an agency meeting with members of Congress.

"I am very concerned [about the raids] because they mean a turnaround," said Lujan Grisham.

Democratic lawmakers accused President Donald Trump's government and Republicans of keeping the caucus out of the meeting.

Caucus members had requested the meeting to obtain information on who was the target of the raids and whether the framework was broader than that applied during the Barack Obama presidency.

After being scheduled Tuesday, the meeting was abruptly canceled by ICE. A Republican leadership adviser said ICE then approached House of Representatives Paul Ryan's office to organize a bipartisan meeting, which they scheduled for Thursday.

CHC members had tried to attend Thursday's meeting on Capitol Hill despite not being on the guest list, but were asked to leave, leading to a press conference in protest.

While ICE insists that it will continue to carry out immigration operations as it has to date, fear has grown among the Hispanic immigrant community in the United States.