Washington, DC — Two deeply troubling new stories capture how the real lives of countless young people growing up in America are being devastated by this administration’s anti-immigrant, mass deportation crusade.
- A New York Times story highlights the case of Annie Ramos, a 22-year old college student and newlywed who has lived in this nation since before age 2, was detained by ICE after accompanying her U.S. Army staff sergeant husband to his base in Louisiana, where he is preparing to deploy (see more details below).
- An Associated Press story details that a 3-year old girl was allegedly sexually abused while in federal custody after being separated from her detained mother (details below).
Meanwhile, two of the leading architects behind the Trump administration’s mass deportation push – Stephen Miller and Tom Homan – are making clear that the mass deportation agenda is proceeding unabated despite evolving administration leadership and messaging pivots. Read the New York Times, “Stephen Miller Is Still Pursuing His Immigration Agenda, but More Quietly,” and note that on Fox News, Tom Homan said of immigration enforcement after the departure of Attorney General Pam Bondi: it “won’t skip a beat,” instead saying, “You’re [going to] see arrests go up. You’re [going to] see more worksite enforcement operations coming. So you’re [going to] see a ramp-up in immigration enforcement in this country.”
According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
“The unchecked brutality and cruelty of mass deportation is not going away. Trump, Miller and Homan have made it very clear: nothing has changed and recent horrific incidents underscore this harsh reality. Toddlers being abused as a result of detention. Military families – at a time of war – being targeted. These are more awful reminders why a majority of Americans are rejecting the Trump/Miller anti-immigrant agenda. The brutality will not stop as long as Miller/Trump continue their mass deportation fever dream.
All Americans and our elected officials must do more than voice concern. We must hold the line, demand real accountability, and force structural change. The question isn’t whether we oppose these abuses—it’s whether we’ll fight hard enough to stop them.”
See below for more details
- New York Times, “ICE Agents Detain Newlywed Spouse of Soldier Training to Deploy,” noting, “A U.S. Army staff sergeant and his wife arrived at his base in Louisiana last week, expecting to begin their life together as newlyweds … Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered the base and detained his wife, an undocumented Honduran immigrant who was brought to the U.S. as a toddler … The detention came just days after Annie Ramos, 22, a college student with no criminal record, and Matthew Blank, 23, celebrated their marriage with family and friends. Sergeant Blank, who enlisted more than five years ago, is assigned to a brigade at Fort Polk, La. that is set to begin training at the end of the month for deployment.”
- Associated Press: “3-year-old immigrant suffered alleged sexual abuse during months in federal custody, family says,” noting, “For five months, the young father waited for his 3-year-old daughter’s release from federal custody after she crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her mother, hoping through delays for their safe reunion. Only when he turned to the courts as a last resort did he learn that the girl had suffered alleged sexual abuse at the foster home where she’d been placed after immigration officials separated her from her mother … President Donald Trump’s administration began targeting detained immigrant children, like the man’s daughter, last year when it implemented new rules and procedures, which were immediately followed by a dramatic jump in detention times. The federal government intensified efforts to expand family detention indefinitely by motioning to terminate a cornerstone policy ensuring the protection of immigrant children in federal custody. For months after the girl was placed in foster care, her father’s attempts to be reunited stalled…”
- New York Times, “Stephen Miller Is Still Pursuing His Immigration Agenda, but More Quietly,” noting that after the blowback in Minneapolis, “there is little sense inside the administration that Mr. Miller has lost his standing with Mr. Trump. Far from acknowledging defeat, Mr. Miller appears to have simply adjusted his strategy in an effort to minimize political fallout.”
