Yesterday, ICE conducted a massive worksite raid at seven locations in six cities in Mississippi, leading to the arrest of 680 immigrants and the largest single-state worksite enforcement action in our nation’s history.
During the raids, family members and supporters surrounded the buses that had been organized to take workers away, shouting “let them go!” At least one U.S. citizen was tased and handcuffed before ICE acknowledged that he had papers.
Hundreds of those arrested were parents who had just dropped their children off for the first day of school. Many children were left stranded at school without anyone to pick them up, while others were found on the street and had to be taken by strangers to a local gym that was offering shelter for the night. ICE is supposed to make plans to “reduce” harm to children in raids like this one, but it appears that they did not do so.
Below are some of the images from the aftermath of the raid, as well as important tweets.
Massive ICE raids that take away parents, make communities afraid, and empty out neighborhoods can have consequences for years to come. Children who are separated from their families often suffer mental health consequences and show signs of anxiety, withdrawal, and PTSD. The Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, which saw a large-scale ICE raid last April, put out a guide to how responders can best assist their communities. And, if you see ICE, know your rights.
HAPPENING NOW: inside Trinity Church in Forest, #Mississippi community members set up a food bank to help those affected by the #ICEraids #ICEraidsMS next door, immigration experts are answering any ??s ppl have about their loved ones who are still detained @NBCLatino @TODAYshow pic.twitter.com/hF2eWe4fpd
— Annie Rose Ramos (@AnnieRoseNews) August 9, 2019
Children are sharing their emotions and fears after their parents were detained during an ICE raid this week in Mississippi https://t.co/2UENHW8BGe pic.twitter.com/8njPU5x4lA
— CNN (@CNN) August 9, 2019
This is Forest, Mississippi where one of the ICE raids happened today children of those arrested are left relying on neighbors and strangers taking them to a local gym. This breaks my heart. pic.twitter.com/2IrgHyNgdk
— Irvin Camacho (@IrvinCamachoAR) August 8, 2019
ICE officials raided several Mississippi food processing plants today, resulting in at least 680 arrests.
Undocumented workers were loaded into buses as family and friends shouted, "Let them go! Let them go!" pic.twitter.com/PTKwpf7JZ0
— AJ+ (@ajplus) August 7, 2019
https://t.co/ZkmyJC4vzu Forest, Mississippi is coming together Wednesday night to provide food and shelter for dozens of children of Undocumented Immigrants arrested in #ICE raids at a nearby Mississippi Food Plant. They all cry for their parents to be released. #FocusedOnYou
— Alex Love (@AlexKCTV5) August 8, 2019
THIS IS NOT AMERICA. THIS IS NOT WHO WE ARE. These are children of the 680 people arrested today by ICE in Mississippi. They are crying, because their parents are gone. And they were left by themselves. Don’t look away. Make this viral now. Shame on Trump https://t.co/g69PuGDeGZ
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) August 8, 2019
In Mississippi today, ICE carried out the "largest single-state worksite enforcement action in nation's history."
“Children finished their first day of school with no parents to go home to tonight.”
The cruelty has always been intentional.https://t.co/ZI2XZpobwl
— Gabe Ortíz (@TUSK81) August 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/AlexLoveWJTV/status/1159264049105973248
Worksite immigration raids terrorize workers and communities, and their devastating consequences are long-term: https://t.co/mtzeis30Vh #ICERaids pic.twitter.com/GQC33biF9Q
— National Immigration Law Center (@NILC) August 8, 2019
"A tearful 13-year-old boy… waved goodbye to his mother, a Koch worker, as he stood beside his father."
While the Trump admin does nothing about the racist rhetoric against our community, they continue to separate families.https://t.co/HL7okU542p
— RAICES (@RAICESTEXAS) August 7, 2019
Children returned from school today to find their parents gone. What more is there to say? The #ICEraids in Mississippi are a moral travesty. Detention and deportation of immigrants must end. This is no way to run a country. https://t.co/4tNUfAAwfB
— Rabbi Jonah Pesner (@JonahPesner) August 7, 2019
Luis Cartagena, a pastor in Morton, Mississippi, said he witnessed ICE agents surround the local chicken processing plant. “It looked like an invasion in a war,” he said.
Cartegna said the operation had already traumatized the Latino community.
“People are terrified,” he said.
— Hamed Aleaziz (@Haleaziz) August 7, 2019
Trump’s war on immigrants is escalating.
Days after the deadly attack on Latinos in El Paso, hours before ‘offering condolences’ to the people he helped target, Trump gave the OK to carry out the largest single-state raid in our nation’s history. [1/x]https://t.co/atnjXmtxHJ
— Mijente 🐜🐜🐜 (@ConMijente) August 7, 2019
In light of ICE's horrifying massive #ICEraids of 680 immigrant workers in Mississippi, we want to continue sharing #KnowYourRights resources for our communities, including what to do if ICE comes to a workplace.
See our Deportation Defense Manual here: https://t.co/AfcqNVqUWe pic.twitter.com/l11ggJkQMz
— Make the Road NY 🦋 (@MaketheRoadNY) August 7, 2019
Workers here at Peco’s in Canton are being escorted inside buses in an immigration raid. This one guy was allowed to leave. I witnessed the tears in his eyes as he walked out of the gates. @WJTV pic.twitter.com/pNGHk5HfOI
— Shay O'Connor (@SHAYOCONNORWDSU) August 7, 2019
"And they tased him, knocked him to the ground, and put handcuffs on him before they finally figured out that he was an American citizen." https://t.co/huoXbkMA3c
— Juan Escalante (@JuanSaaa) August 7, 2019
JUST NOW: ICE raided several Mississippi food processing plants and arrested 680 people. The largest ICE raid in 10 years!! This is outrageous, these are our neighbors, friends, and loved ones!!!! #AbolishICE https://t.co/Z0vT5JKbm5
— United We Dream 🍊 (@UNITEDWEDREAM) August 7, 2019
From the @tnimmigrant and @NILC toolkit: the first ten things first responders can do after a worksite raid. pic.twitter.com/OZuSBppHs9
— Stephanie Teatro (@StephanieTeatro) August 7, 2019
