ICE poised to invade more cities that don't want them
Welcome to our news segment: TL;DR of Immigration News, for when the news is Too Long and you Didn’t Read it.
This is a weekly collection of immigration-related news stories. These bite-size summaries will keep you up to date without overwhelming your inbox.
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ICE raid at Hyundai plant rife with abuse
ICE raided a Hyundai plant in Georgia last Thursday, arresting over 450 workers, with over 300 of them being Korean citizens. Democracy Now reports the perspective of Meredyth Yoon of Asian Americans Advancing Justice: “‘The circumstances of the raid were just absolutely abusive, not only in their scope and just the sheer size of it, but the way that the folks at the Hyundai plant were treated by law enforcement’… Witnesses describe heavily armed federal agents who threatened and even tear-gassed workers. ‘It is disturbing to see hundreds of people arrested, shackled at their waist and ankles, and loaded into buses and taken to an abusive detention center.’”
An ICE spokesperson claimed this was not an “operation where agents went into the premises, rounded up folks and put them on buses. This has been a multimonth criminal investigation." A coalition of Southern immigrant groups said in a statement, "Hundreds of people abducted in the raids are now at the Folkston ICE Processing Center (FIPC) located in Charlton County. FIPC has a well-documented history of inhumane conditions and violations found by federal inspectors."
While reports indicate that Hyundai may have itself been abusive toward its workers, ICE and the federal regime are clearly most interested in continuing what Tim Shorrock calls “political warfare” against immigrants and workers. Shorrock, a long-time labor reporter and union organizer, continues, “I think American and Korean unions should be standing in solidarity against this kind of raid… it affects all workers, Korean, Latino, everybody.”
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Supreme Court lifts restrictions on LA immigration stops
The assault on our rights continues.
This week, SCOTUS lifted a restraining order halting federal authorities from stopping people in 48% Latinx Los Angeles based on their racial appearance, accent, or occupation. Nothing to see here, move along, or they’ll arrest you, too. There have been 5,210 arrests in LA since June, and counting, as the numbers are sure to rise with this nod from the highest court in the land.
We can hold onto the hope that this is a preliminary decision lifting a temporary, local injunction. As the federal occupations of DC and LA continue, and as this fascist train rolls on into Chicago and other places, there are sure to be more lawsuits and more injunctions.
The question is whether SCOTUS has any interest in deterring the ongoing violation of due process and constitutional liberties perpetrated by ICE and other federal agencies.
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What To Know About ICE's Operation Midway Blitz In Chicago
In short: it’s horrific.
The people of Illinois don’t want the feds there. The Governor, the Mayor, and a number of other civil society groups have spoken out in opposition to Trump’s invasion and occupation plans.
And yet here they are, camped out at the Great Lakes Naval base, likely to be in the city for a month, terrorizing residents, bashing in windows and separating families. The presence of federal agents and national guard have led to an increase in arrests, from a vendor selling flowers, to folks just waiting at a bus stop.
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling that racial profiling is now explicitly acceptable, as well as Trump’s focus on ‘Democrat-run’ cities makes clear that the flimsy pretext of fighting crime isn’t worthy of comment. This is about punishing political opponents and engaging in ethnic cleansing, a grotesque centerpiece to the fascist onslaught that threatens us all.
Action items: Neighbors can report ICE activity by calling the Illinois Family Support Network Hotline at 855-435-7693.
Neighbors can also share video of ICE agents and the National Guard in Chicago with a coalition of newsrooms, including Block Club Chicago, at tinyurl.com/chicagojournalists and chicagojournalists@protonmail.com. Video won’t be shared publicly without your permission.
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Trump administration begins new ICE operation in Massachusetts
The federal regime has authorized DHS and ICE to commence the obnoxiously named “Operation Patriot 2.0” in Massachusetts. This is the latest in the escalation between the president and Boston mayor Michelle Wu, whose defense of her city’s sanctuary laws (aka her refusal to assist ICE in separating families) has drawn the fascists’ ire.
Acting ICE director Todd Lyons is making his message clear: ICE intends to “flood the zone, especially in sanctuary cities.” Wu and her administration are preparing for the possibility of national guard deployment, and working with community members to “ensure people know what’s happening and that this is not something that is needed or wanted or legally sound.”
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URGENT action item:
Our friend, Cata “Xóchitl” Santiago, was abducted by ICE on August 3rd in the El Paso airport. Recently, a judge ruled in Xóchitl’s favor and dismissed her deportation proceedings.
But the fight is not over. ICE has 30 days to appeal the ruling and could try to keep Xóchitl in detention for that entire time even though her case has been dismissed.
Join Xóchitl’s support team for a call TOMORROW night at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific to learn about additional action steps at: bit.ly/unidos4xoch
Please note the call was rescheduled, as it was originally scheduled for tonight.
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