U.S. plans raids to deport families who surged across border

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Washington Post

U.S. plans raids to deport families who surged across border
By Jerry Markon and David Nakamura December 23 at 9:06 PM 


The Department of Homeland Security has begun preparing for a series of raids that would target for deportation hundreds of families who have flocked to the United States since the start of last year, according to people familiar with the operation.

The nationwide campaign, to be carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as soon as early January, would be the first large-scale effort to deport families who have fled violence in Central America, those familiar with the plan said. More than 100,000 families with both adults and children have made the journey across the southwest border since last year, though this migration has largely been overshadowed by a related surge of unaccompanied minors.

The ICE operation would target only adults and children who have already been ordered removed from the United States by an immigration judge, according to officials familiar with the undertaking, who spoke on condition of anonymity because planning is ongoing and the operation has not been given final approval by DHS. The adults and children would be detained wherever they can be found and immediately deported. The number targeted is expected to be in the hundreds and possibly greater.

The proposed deportations have been controversial inside the Obama administration, which has been discussing them for several months. DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson has been pushing for the moves, according to those with knowledge of the debate, in part because of a new spike in the number of illegal immigrants in recent months. Experts say that the violence that was a key factor in driving people to flee Central America last year has surged again, with the homicide rate in El Salvador reaching its highest level in a generation. A drought in the region has also prompted departures.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-plans-raids-to-deport-families-who-surged-across-border/2015/12/23/034fc954-a9bd-11e5-8058-480b572b4aae_story.html

[bhikkhu]

1. Interesting footnote: "A drought in the region has also prompted departures"

Leads to this: "500,000 people in the Central American “Dry Corridor”, covering El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, are estimated to be facing severe food insecurity, while around 1.3 million are facing moderate food insecurity. An El Niño related dry spell has resulted in significant crop losses during the primera season in all four affected countries for the second consecutive year, severely limiting food reserves in affected areas."

http://reliefweb.int/report/el-salvador/central-america-drought-el-salvador-guatemala-honduras-nicaragua-briefing-note-29

Having read recently how climate change was a factor in the Syrian civil war ( http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/03/02/study_climate_change_helped_spark_syrian_civil_war.html ), its hard not to imagine that this is part of a new chapter of history, just beginning.

If my own neck of the woods withered up, I'd move to my old stomping grounds where I have family, one state over. But if that went too? Where would I go if I was one of millions looking for a place to go? Or, if I lived in a small country where there was no longer food to eat, jobs, or prospects, and the only option was to venture off to unknown countries where I wasn't wanted, an "illegal"?

Not that we can fix the problem, but hopefully some understanding of what many people are up against (as we live in our nice houses, surrounded by good things, enjoying a generally fine and peaceful Christmas).

[riversedge]

2. The drought in parts of Central America has been going on for a couple of

years now.

[KingCharlemagne]

3. Merry fucking Christmas! - nt

Last edited Thu Dec 24, 2015, 12:11 PM - Edit history (2)

[Sunlei]

4. can't imagine how terrifying it must be to know if authorities find you, you'll be deported.

How terrifying it must be to not even be able to call the police for help when random Americans exploit your fear of capture.

[KingCharlemagne]

5. +Infinity! - nt

[Eugene]

6. Sanders, O'Malley rip report on deportation plan

Source: CNN

Sanders, O'Malley rip report on deportation plan

By Theodore Schleifer, CNN
Updated 1914 GMT (0314 HKT) December 24, 2015 | Video Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) - Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley on Thursday blasted a report that said the Department of Homeland Security is planning raids that would target for deportation families of undocumented immigrants from Central American countries.

The Washington Post reported late Wednesday that the nationwide raids will focus on hundreds of families that have entered the U.S. since early last year. The plan is the first large-scale effort to deport families that have fled violence in Central America, the Post reported.

Sanders said in a statement he was "disappointed" by the plan.

"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?" he said. "We need to take steps to protect children and families seeking refuge here, not cast them out."

O'Malley, who is running well behind Sanders and Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, said the plan is "completely at odds with our character as a nation."

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/24/politics/sanders-omalley-dhs-deportations/

[Judi Lynn]

7. Central American Migrants Deported by U.S. Sent to Their Deaths

Central American Migrants Deported by U.S. Sent to Their Deaths

Brendan O'Connor
24 minutes ago

Since January 2014, as many as 83 undocumented immigrants, having fled violence in their homes countries (only to be deported by the United States), have been murdered upon their return to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. A Guardian investigation identified three separate Honduran men killed in their hometowns.

Last year saw a “surge” in arrivals at the border between U.S. and Mexico, especially of unaccompanied children—66,000 at its peak, in the summer—which has since declined. However, the Guardian reports, while the number of immigrants has decreased, the death rate among those still attempting the journey has risen:

Clara Long, an immigration researcher for Human Rights Watch, said that in the wake of the 2014 surge there had been a “generalized crackdown” across the immigration service. “Detention has been expanded and people are increasingly being put into fast-track deportation procedures in which their claims for asylum are not being properly considered.”

A recent Human Rights Watch report concluded that the increasing use of so-called “expedited removals” of people picked up by US officials along the Mexican border was returning many to potential danger even though they had expressed fears of returning home. “This comes down to our regard for the dignity and lives of others,” Long said. “Part of the identity of the US is that we adhere to international law, and that says that when people flee for their lives, states are obligated to provide them with protection. We are putting people through an increasingly criminalized detention-based system that risks returning people to their deaths.”

More:
http://gawker.com/central-american-migrants-deported-by-u-s-sent-to-thei-1749648043

[hopemountain]

8. jeh johnson is a cold, cruel, hateful, hateful

excuse for a human.