Many Florida immigrants say they get worried anytime there’s a knock on their doors, especially if it happens unexpectedly. It’s a feeling many immigrants throughout the nation say they relate to, because they never know if there may be ICE officials standing on their doorsteps, waiting to arrest them. Such incidents seem to be on the rise in many areas, such as a West Coast state where there were more than 200 people arrested in a recent U.S. immigration law raid.
Some say there would likely have been even more arrests made were it not for a particular mayor who tweeted that an ICE raid was slated to occur within the next 24 hours. It is thought that many immigrants who saw the mayor’s online posting were able to avoid arrest. ICE officials claim that more than 100 of the people they took into custody had criminal records.
Many times such raids result in families being separated when one or more members are handcuffed and taken to detention centers. Some never see their family members again. Others are sometimes able to reach out for support from experienced immigration law attorneys who successfully help them rectify their situations.
An ICE agency director accused the mayor of thwarting federal agents’ efforts. The mayor defended her own actions by issuing a public statement saying her city has the right to identify itself as an immigrant sanctuary location. She says doing so does not violate any U.S. immigration law. Florida residents facing immigration-related legal problems may seek guidance from an attorney in their area.
Source: ABC News, “232 people arrested during immigration sweep in California”, Elliot Spagat, March 1, 2018
