In recent months, the Trump Administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policies have started targeting companies that provide employment opportunities to naturalized and undocumented immigrants. According to Jessie Hahn, a labor and employment lawyer with the National Immigration Law Center, “They focus on small employers in rural communities where they expected to encounter less resistance.” These raids have affected countless immigrant families.
This year, the following crackdowns have occurred:
- In April, Ice raided a meatpacking plant in Tennessee and arrested 97 people
- In June, Ice targeted a gardening business in Ohio and arrested 114 people
- In August, Ice agents arrested 159 people working at a trailer manufacturing company in Texas
The fallout of these crackdowns has spurred advocacy groups and immigration lawyers to take immediate action. Immigrant families often lack the funds and resources needed to retain adequate legal representation, and are therefore unable to effectively navigate immigration court. As a result, various crisis centers are being set up and immigration attorneys are providing pro bono legal services. However, each new raid heralds a tidal wave of new families who desperately require these limited resources.
Katrina W. Berger, a special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas office, announced during a news conference that the recent raid in Sumner, Texas is a warning to any employer who chooses to hire undocumented immigrants: “You may have gotten away with it, but we’re watching and we’re coming.”
The Trump Administration and its supporters are weaponizing hateful and intolerant rhetoric to create hostile living environments for immigrants living across the United States. In fact, many immigrants currently living in rural areas are terrified of even leaving their homes to go to work.
We Can Protect Your Legal Rights
At Gardiner Immigration P.A., we fight tirelessly to protect the legal rights of our clients. Our Tampa immigration lawyer, Grace Gardiner, is an immigrant with over 20 years of legal experience. Contact our firm if you have any concerns about the raids or require legal guidance and representation in an immigration matter.
We provide a multitude of immigration legal services. Call Gardiner Immigration P.A. at (813) 750-0079 to schedule a consultation.