Central American migrants. Peter Haden/Demotix. All rights reserved.
As
revealed in a recent Washington Post article, the Department of Homeland
Security plans to begin targeted raids in
the New Year:
"The nation-wide campaign, to be carried out by US 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."
The
article states that the plan would concentrate on adults and children who have
already been ordered to repatriate by an immigration judge, while admitting
that due to disorganization, many were unaware of the orders.
A
leader who has emerged in the struggle against deportation is Gustavo Torres,
executive director of CASA de Maryland, an
organization that has been helping Central American refugees since 1985.
Speaking at the protest, Torres said:
"We
want to tell the Department of Security and President Obama that if they go
ahead with this plan, those families, those children are going to be murdered
in their countries of origin."
Torres
emphasized that these Central American migrants should qualify as refugees
because Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, the three countries that are the
subject of the deportations, are experiencing their worst levels of violence
over the last 30 years.
"We
want them to give these refugees a TPS (temporary protection status) and stop
the deportations. That's why we are here."
CASA
de Maryland and other like-minded organizations have put out a proposal that
includes the creation of a nationwide network of lawyers, social workers,
community organizations and volunteers to ensure the refugees' protection.
"Remember,
it doesn't matter if you are documented. You have rights in this country. To
begin with, if Immigration comes to your home or your door, please do not open
it. Ask them to slip any papers, including the deportation order, under the
door…. If they ask you what country are you from or what is your name, tell
them you do not want to give that information and you want a lawyer."
Central
America has been experiencing extreme levels of violence, with young people
being targeted by gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, and Barrio 18,
originally known as the 18th Street Gang, due to its origins on the streets of
Los Angeles. In fact, both gangs, or "pandillas" as they are called
in El Salvador, owe their existence to expedited deportation policy under the
administration of former US President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, implemented at
a time the country was emerging from civil war and had disbanded its police
force. Gang members formed on the streets of Los Angeles with nominal ties to
their places of birth were deported and, coupled with the lack of an
extradition policy, other criminals took to Central America to hide out.
According
to a New York Times article from the period:
"The
situation may be especially serious here, but El Salvador is by no means alone
in its alarm at Washington's policy on deportees. Throughout Central America
and the Caribbean, from Guatemala east to Guyana, government officials have
expressed anger and frustration at a crisis they regard as foisted on them by
the United States and beyond their ability to control."
Of the
almost 70,000 children apprehended as they tried to cross the US border in
2014, 73% were from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Despite recent US
legislation such as the DREAM Act (whose acronym stands for Development, Relief
and Education for Alien Minors), DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)
and DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans), Central Americans are considered a priority for deportation under
the new Department of Homeland Security guidelines, which target the recently
arrived and those lacking ties to anyone in the United States.
They
are also putting out an educational campaign to inform the community of their
rights in case migration authorites come to their homes. Over the weekend, Torres appeared on Spanish-language television and
on CASA's Facebook page with
advice for families under threat.
This article
was previously published by Global Voices.