What Trump’s ICE Raids Really Mean: Yet Another Attack on the Latino Community

WASHINGTON, D.C.—This Sunday, the Trump administration is expected to unleash ICE agents in cities across the country in planned raids to break up families and terrorize immigrant communities. The raids will also unnecessarily disrupt cities, communities and schools, while causing irreparable harm to American children.

Janet Murguía, President and CEO of UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization formerly known as National Council of La Raza (NCLR), issued the following statement:

“President Trump claims that he plans only to legally deport those who are here illegally. That is false. These raids are a pretext for what he is actually doing: once again directly, inhumanely, and deliberately attacking our community. There is a better and more humane way to deal with the asylum crisis and our outdated immigration system, but the Trump administration seems to relish the cruelty and brutality of their failed policies. It’s disgusting.

“We can’t underscore enough the consequences these raids will have on families, and particularly children, who will suffer long-term impacts to their health and well-being, both physically and emotionally. As noted in our recent UnidosUS report, Beyond The Border: Family Separation in the Trump Era, the tragic situation of thousands of children at the border is the tip of the iceberg. Current immigration policies and actions hurt the future prospects of six million U.S.-citizen children who live with one or two undocumented parents. And it is not just Latinos and immigrants who pay a price. As families stay home to protect their loved ones, businesses in Americans cities also get hit. Raids hurt families, communities, our economy, and our country.

“Finally, President Trump is also right on schedule. Every time scandal engulfs him and his administration, the president goes after our community. What’s unconscionable is that he’s putting real lives, families, children, and communities in danger for a blatant effort to distract the media and the American public.”

Additional Resources:

The New York Times op-ed by Janet Murguía: “The American Family Makes this Country Great, and It’s in Danger”
White Paper: Beyond The Border: Family Separation in the Trump Era