By Isaac J. De Luna
Pro-immigrant groups, activists and community organizers held a vigil Friday night to denounce the recent arrests carried out by immigration agencies in the city of Albuquerque.
The crowd, mostly made up by families united under their chant “Here To Stay!,” were finding refuge and peace after a week filled with anxiety and uncertainty for many who were present.
Since the beginning of the week, social media platforms were flooded with unconfirmed accounts and reports of raids being carried by ICE around the city. The widespread fear and commotion were sparked after immigration authorities confirmed an operation carried out in Chaparral, NM last Wednesday.
“We have been receiving a great number of unconfirmed reports of immigration raids and checkpoints around the city through social media,” said Felipe Rodriguez, field coordinator for the UNM Dream Team and NM Dream Team. He also advised the community that “sharing everything that is on social media isn’t’ always helpful. This might create more confusion and fear,” he said.
The wave of uncertainty made itself present in Albuquerque after stories spread of individuals being detained and arrested by immigration agents outside of District Court downtown. One of these stories is being corroborated by attorney and public defender, Craig Acorn, who was representing one of the individuals picked up by immigration agents.
Acorn recounts his client “had just appeared in District Court for his final setting before a trial, as mandated by the court.” As his client made his way out of court, “he was detained by ICE agents and taken away,” he said.
In a recent interview by the local Telemundo affiliate regarding the possibility of ICE arrests in Albuquerque, Efrén Leyba Acevedo, the Mexican consul general in Albuquerque, confirmed ICE arrested five unidentified people on Thursday, Feb. 16.
For Sugey Hernandez, and immigrant worker and mother to U.S. citizen children, the idea of having any interaction with immigration authorities “terrorizes” her. “For the first time In my 12 years of living and working in the U.S., I feel scared,” she said.
Her biggest fear comes from “not knowing what could happen to me everytime I go to work,” she said. “My 9 year old tells me everyday before going to school: ‘Mom please be careful and go straight from work to the house, I really don’t want something to happen to you’.”
Across the nation, ICE has undertaken large scale operatives that have detained and processed over 600 immigrants nationwide. These operations gained national attention not only due to their abruptness but also because of activists around the nation claiming immigration officials were no longer following priority enforcement guidelines.
On Nov. 20, 2014, former DHS’ Secretary. Jeh Johnson, signed a memorandum creating the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP). This program “narrows the category of individuals for whom DHS will seek transfer from Local Enforcement Agencies custody and prioritizes individuals who pose a threat to public safety,” according to the document. The memorandum guided ICE’s efforts into detaining an “individual [that] has been convicted of specifically enumerated crimes, has intentionally participated in criminal gang activity, or poses a danger to national security.”
In the years following the implementation of PEP, the number of removals by ICE agents has dropped. In 2014, according to the FY 2014 report by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a total of 315,943 removals. In FY 2015, the total number of removals was 235,413; a 24.5 percent decrease compared to the previous year. Most recently in their FY 2016, the number of removals totaled 240,255; a slight increase of 3 percent compared to FY 2015 but a 24 percent reduction in removals compared to FY 2014.
For Sugey Hernandez, and immigrant worker and mother to U.S. citizen children, the idea of having any interaction with immigration authorities “terrorizes” her. “For the first time In my 12 years of living and working in the U.S., I feel scared,” she said.
Her biggest fear comes from “not knowing what could happen to me everytime I go to work,” she said. “My 9 year old tells me everyday before going to school: ‘Mom please be careful and go straight from work to the house, I really don’t want something to happen to you’.”
Across the nation, ICE has undertaken large scale operatives that have detained and processed over 600 immigrants nationwide. These operations gained national attention not only due to their abruptness but also because of activists around the nation claiming immigration officials were no longer following priority enforcement guidelines.
On Nov. 20, 2014, former DHS’ Secretary. Jeh Johnson, signed a memorandum creating the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP). This program “narrows the category of individuals for whom DHS will seek transfer from Local Enforcement Agencies custody and prioritizes individuals who pose a threat to public safety,” according to the document. The memorandum guided ICE’s efforts into detaining an “individual [that] has been convicted of specifically enumerated crimes, has intentionally participated in criminal gang activity, or poses a danger to national security.”
In the years following the implementation of PEP, the number of removals by ICE agents has dropped. In 2014, according to the FY 2014 report by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a total of 315,943 removals. In FY 2015, the total number of removals was 235,413; a 24.5 percent decrease compared to the previous year. Most recently in their FY 2016, the number of removals totaled 240,255; a slight increase of 3 percent compared to FY 2015 but a 24 percent reduction in removals compared to FY 2014.
MORE IMAGES FROM FRIDAY NIGHT’S VIGIL:
ABQ Immigration News 