US plan to deport undocumented families angers Democratic candidates 

 

Hundreds of undocumented families in the US could be rounded up and deported as soon as January, according to a report that has shocked immigrants rights’ advocates and provoked condemnation from Democratic presidential hopefuls.
The Department of Homeland Security is preparing for raids that would see hundreds of recently arrived immigrants deported, according to a report in the Washington Post.
Citing anonymous sources, the report said that adults and children “would be detained wherever they can be found and immediately deported”.
The operation would focus on people who entered the US from its south-west border since the start of 2014, many of whom are assumed to be escaping gang violence and institutional collapse in Central America. It would also focus on people who have already been ordered to leave by an immigration judge, according to the Post.
A Guardian investigation in October found that people deported by the US government back to Central America often face an imminent threat of violence, and in some cases have been murdered soon after their return.

Immigrant rights’ advocates also condemned the plan.
Michelle Brané, director of the Migrant Rights and Justice Program of the Women’s Refugee Commission, said she was disappointed to learn about the Obama administration’s plan.
“To me, the image of pulling women and children and sending them back to one of the most dangerous places in the world over the Christmas holiday is extremely disappointing and does not show the kind of leadership that this administration has been saying they want to take on migration and refugees,” Brané said.


The nationwide campaign would be led by US immigration customs and enforcement (ICE) agents and could begin in early January, the Post said.
ICE press secretary Gillian Christensen said in an email that the agency focuses “on individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security”, following immigration enforcement priorities set out by the Department of Homeland Security in November 2014.
“These include individuals, whether alone or with family members, who have been apprehended while attempting to unlawfully enter the United States, recent border crossers, and individuals who have received a final order of removal on or after January 1, 2014,” Christensen said.
Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders roundly denounced the plan.
Sanders said in a statement that he was “very disturbed” by the report.
“Our nation has always been a beacon of hope, a refuge for the oppressed,” Sanders said. “We cannot turn our backs on that essential element of who we are as a nation. We need to take steps to protect children and families seeking refuge here, not cast them out.”


O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland, said that the plan “is completely at odds with our character as a nation”.
A spokeswoman for Hillary Clinton said the Democratic frontrunner had “real concerns” about the report.
“She believes it is critical that everyone has a full and fair hearing, and that our country provides refuge to those that need it,” said Clinton spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa. “And we should be guided by a spirit of humanity and generosity as we approach these issues.”
Jonathan Ryan, executive director of the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, said that the lack of legal resources available to Central American families seeking refuge in the US is a humanitarian crisis.
Ryan said in a statement: “The Obama Administration is seriously misguided in its approach to this humanitarian crisis if it believes the solution is to round up refugee families at their schools, their churches and homes, in an effort appear tough on immigration.”