Ice frees mother and three kids after protests in US ‘border czar’s’ home town

Earlier this month, a mother and her three children were released from ICE’s custody after they were detained following entry into their home without a judicial warrant. 

The family was seized by ICE during a raid on a dairy farm in a small Northwest New York village conducted on March 27th. After their brutish seizure, the family was moved to Karnes immigration processing center in Texas by March 30th.

Karmes is one of several controversial centers in the US which were previously shuttered due to their unlawful activities and egregious human rights violations.  Whilst ICE likes to pretend the center is part of a “reform program that is sensible, sustainable and attentive to the unique needs of individuals,” the reality of such places is far different. 

A previous health report published by Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital Asylum Clinic, and the Refugee and Immigration Center for Education and Legal Services, found ample violations of rights of the children detained at Karnes.

Analysis of medical records of 165 children forcibly held at Karnes between June 2018 and October 2020 found that 88% of children were detained longer than the maximum allowed time of 20 days with a median detention time of 43 days.

The report revealed systemic inappropriate health screening and follow-up for existing chronic conditions, as well as malnutrition, tuberculosis, and inappropriate mental health screenings. 

It was to this facility, which has been found time and time again to be in violation of basic human rights and of the law, that the New York based family was sent.

The power of protests was on clear display though after the family was released following more than 1000 people marching outside the border czar, Tom Homan’s home, in New York.

Organized with the help of the Jefferson county committee of the Democratic party, the community’s mobilization shows that people are showing up to support their neighbors who are being unjustly targeted by the Trump administration. 

As the Trump administration continues to pursue its morally bankrupt plans to cruelly detain migrant families in abusive conditions, let’s continue to remember the power of our collective action.

Let’s not allow a single person to fall into the system, forgotten. We need to continue calling out these injustices so we can bring our community members safely home where they belong.