ICE RAID
IN GREENVILLE SC – Columbia Farms
– How you can help
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Federal
agents detained more than 300 people suspected of being illegal immigrants
in a raid Tuesday at a chicken-processing plant that has been under
investigation for months.
Police and agents during a
shift change ordered all workers at the House of Raeford's Columbia
Farms to show identification, according to officials and witnesses.
The business had been under scrutiny for months and the raid comes on
the heels of even larger roundups at plants across the country.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
- Call 1-800-417-7666
to Donate to the National Immigrant Bond Fund!
The National Immigrant Bond Fund seeks to reaffirm the values
of dignity and due process by assisting immigrants swept up in Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions to post bond quickly in order
to secure a fair hearing in America’s courts. www.immigrationbondfund.org.
- Volunteer your
time. Call McKinney & Justice and volunteer your time to help
the families of those detained in the raids. 910-509-7171. Please leave
a message if we cannot answer your call when you phone in.
- Make a donation
to AILF. The American Immigration Law Foundation (AILF) was established
in 1987 as a tax-exempt, not-for-profit educational, charitable organization.
The Foundation is dedicated to increasing public understanding of immigration
law and policy and the value of immigration to American society, and
to advancing fundamental fairness and due process under the law for
immigrants. www.ailf.org
The recent increase in raids
by immigration officers and other law enforcement agents have augmented
the urgency for comprehensive immigration reform. The almost daily occurrence
of "sweeps" and "roundups" has made clear the underlying
problem that America's current immigration system is severely broken.
Anybody living in North or
South Carolina knows that our nation's immigration policies have failed
miserably. By not having a reasonable immigration policy in place, we
have a system that practically begs people to break the law. As our
own labor force grows older and better educated, our economy is looking
for younger, less educated workers to replace the growing number of
American workers who are pursing other opportunities. Instead of providing
legal pathways for the workers our economy needs, and a modern system
for ensuring that employers follow the law, current immigration policies
our pouring millions of dollars into policies that are meant to send
a political message not solve the problem. .
Round-ups in small communities
won't stop the influx of immigrants from entering our country illegally.
And spending $50 billion for a 700 mile fence to nowhere is a colossal
waste of time and money. The truth is that we need 21st century solutions
to the problems we face at our border, and we need an immigration system
that can respond to the economic realities of today.. Our economy relies
heavily upon the contributions of these workers, many of whom are willing
take jobs Americans are less interested in.
The raids clearly point out
that our immigration system is broken, and that America needs comprehensive
immigration reform now. We just cannot allow these raids to go on and
disrupt not only our economy, but our local communities.
The increases in sweeps have
struck fear in immigrant communities everywhere, forcing people back
into the shadows and making them more vulnerable to crime and exploitation.
The most recent raid has torn
Greenville, SC and neighboring communities apart. It's not just the
300 workers in Greenville, but their families, the schools, other businesses
and agencies in the community that have suffered.
Immigration enforcement is
required of federal agents, this is true. But piecemeal enforcement
such as raids and other tactics that give the appearance of "cracking
down" on immigration don't address the deep problems plaguing our
immigration system.
What America needs is an immigration
policy that allows us to grow our economy with legal workers. A reasonable,
orderly, tightly controlled worker program would go far in helping to
eliminate the dangerous human smuggling and border crossings that currently
plague our system, and would also alleviate such related crimes as the
use of false documentation. In addition, such a policy would significantly
diminish illegal immigration by creating a legal avenue by which people
could enter the U.S.-something that barely exists today. In fact, current
U.S. immigration law provides just 5,000 annual permanent visas for
low-skilled "essential" workers, versus an estimated annual
demand for 500,000 such workers.
The time is ripe for Congress
and the Administration to step up and enact real reform legislation
that benefits the economy, by providing a legal path to match willing
employees with willing workers; that benefits national security, by
allowing law enforcement to go after real criminals and leave honest
working people alone; that benefits our country, by helping undocumented
immigrants come out of the shadows, earn legal status, and continue
to contribute to the economic and social wealth of the nation.