The Obama administration on Thursday came under fire from Democratic presidential candidates and human rights groups for plans to escalate deportations of Central American migrants by rounding up undocumented families.
Amongst a surge in the arrival of unaccompanied children and families from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, U.S. government sources confirmed preparations to detain and deport, starting next month, families that already have been ordered to leave. The Washington Post first reported on Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security was considering launching the crackdown in January.
“I am very disturbed by reports that the government may commence raids to deport families who have fled here to escape violence in Central America,” said Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent and a 2016 Democratic presidential candidate. “As we spend time with our families this holiday season, we who are parents should ask ourselves what we would do if our children faced the danger and violence these children do. How far would we go to protect them?”
Martin O’Malley, another 2016 Democratic hopeful, also slammed the proposal, saying on Twitter that a “Christmas refugee roundup” sounds like “something [GOP candidate Donald Trump] would concoct.
At Mr. Obama’s direction, Mr. Johnson announced changes that would let most rank-and-file illegal immigrants off the hook and instead focus deportation efforts on serious criminals, gang members and other security threats, and only the most recent of illegal border crossers.
“Immigration and Customs Enforcement is doing what I told them to do — to reprioritize and focus on convicted criminals,” Mr. Johnson said this month as he took stock of the changes. “This is the general direction that the president and I want to go when it comes to how we enforce immigration law — focusing on threats to public safety and border security for the American public.”
The campaign by DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) marks an expansion from mostly targeting individuals to pursuing families with undocumented members. A spokesman for Hillary Clinton, who is leading among Democratic candidates seeking the presidency in next November’s elections, said she “has real concerns about these reports,” adding it is “critical that everyone has a full and fair hearing and that our country provides refuge to those that need it.”
“Our nation has always been a beacon of hope, a refuge for the oppressed … we need to take steps to protect children and families seeking refuge here, not cast them out.” Said Senator Bernie Sanders, who is the main rival to Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Support for the deportations came from Republican Senator Ron Johnson, who chairs the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. “The primary solution to reducing this ongoing crisis is to eliminate the incentive that results from allowing 95.6 percent of these illegal immigrants to stay – by humanely and expeditiously returning them to their home countries.”
Hispanic-Americans are a growing force in U.S. politics and Democrats hope a strong turnout in November could help them, especially with Republicans campaigning on a vow to seal U.S. borders from illegal immigrants.
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