TAKE ACTION: Stop Obama's Immigration raids!

This past weekend, the Obama administration launched aggressive immigration raids targeting Central American families. Call the White House today to speak out against this outrageous attack on migrants and refugees!

TAKE ACTION TODAY:

1)    Call the White House at 888-907-2053 and leave a comment with staff. Sample comment: “I'm calling from [City, State.] I urge President Obama to immediately STOP the immigration raids being carried out in communities across the country and plans to deport Central American children and families. The United States bears responsibility for creating the conditions that many of these families are fleeing and we have a moral responsibility to protect them.” 

2)    Share this alert with friends and family. 

3)    Share United We Dream’s Know Your Rights graphics on Facebook (in Spanish and English)

4)    If you are interested in accompanying a family in your community that’s seeking asylum by helping them connect to social services, consider becoming a Refugee Family Advocate (find out more here from RAICES Texas). Volunteers are especially needed in Dallas, Houston, El Paso, Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Charlotte, Memphis, Orlando, Miami, New Orleans, NYC, Chicago, Arlington, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles.

Background:

Just before Christmas, reports surfaced about the Obama administration's aggressive plan to target Central American families who arrived in the United States since January 1, 2014, the vast majority from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, and have not been granted asylum, in many cases due to lack of representation.

Legal experts have consistently denounced the violation of due process under Obama’s “expedited deportation” proceedings that resulted in many of these deportation orders, of particular concern considering the very high number of recent arrivals who are fleeing threats of violence and thus qualify for international protections.

As RAICES Texas has emphasized, “The families that the Administration plans to raid and deport are those that are legitimate asylum seekers who have not had the legal means to proceed with their cases, and will surely be deported to the very violence that they escaped.”

Regarding the recent increase in homicides in El Salvador, CISPES’ Executive Director Alexis Stoumbelis told the Washington Post, “There is clearly a humanitarian crisis in El Salvador. It's unconscionable to send people back into the same situation."

Despite the outcry, ICE began raids over the weekend in Georgia, North Carolina, Texas and elsewhere. The sense of terror in many communities across the country has led to parents keeping their kids home from school and staying home from work. Immigrant rights organizations, faith groups, and legal advocates have set up rapid response teams to protect their communities. (Share these “Know Your Rights” graphics in Spanish and English)

The government of El Salvador responded immediately, disseminating information about what to do in the case of a raid and deploying Vice-Minister of Salvadorans in the Exterior and consular staff to the Dilley detention center in Texas, where families are being sent for deportation. As Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugo Martínez said pointedly, “These unfortunate actions do not contribute to a long-term solution, which has been stalled for years.”

The Obama administration’s inhumane decision also demonstrates the United States’ complete disregard for its own responsibility in creating the conditions causing massive displacement from Mexico and Central America, from corporate plunder under “free trade agreements” to violence fueled by the War on Drugs. The refugees of US foreign policy need our support and solidarity – join us to oppose ICE’s attacks today!

¡La solidaridad no tiene fronteras! (Solidarity has no borders!)

 

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