President George Bush just returned from a trip to Latin America in which part of his mission was to convey the message that the United States is a compassionate country. But there is nothing compassionate about the way immigrants, mostly from Latin America, are being treated by immigration authorities.
The latest wave of immigration raids across the country has caused havoc and indignation among immigrants and those who defend their rights. Workers suspected of being in the country illegally are being targeted in their homes and workplaces by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who show up unannounced, round them up and put them in detention centers on their way to deportation.
As a result of these inhumane raids, hundreds of children are being separated from their parents -- in many instances, left alone without a guardian to protect them. Since operation “Return to Sender” was launched, more than 13,000 immigrants have been detained. One of the most dramatic cases was the raid in a New Bedford, Mass., leather-goods factory -- that makes, among other things, vests and backpacks for the military -- in early March, where some 360 workers were detained. ICE agents entered the premises, according to witnesses, with guns and barking dogs.
Most of the detainees were women from Central America, many of them single moms. The women were not given an opportunity to make arrangements to have their children taken care of. More than 140 kids were left behind in schools, day-care centers or with neighbors who were unprepared to support them. Some of the children had medical conditions that required special attention. A 7-month-old breast-feeding infant ended up in the hospital for dehydration because he refused to drink the formula that was given to him while his mother was in custody for two nights.
Some immigration advocates and local social services agents have expressed their outrage at the way the raids are being handled. There is even a list of recommendations circulating in a letter on the Internet that alerts immigrant workers to be prepared in the event that they become targets of indiscriminate raids. Among other things, it warns of the importance of carrying some type of valid identification in the workplace.
“If small children are left with a care-taker,” the letter states, “make sure they have your contact information and that of a close family member in case of an unfortunate incident.”
The letter continues: “If you are the victim of or know of a compatriot that is being rounded up in an immigration raid, contact the nearest consulate, church or community center.”
The federal government defends its right to conduct raids, claiming that it is going after criminals and those who have been under order of deportation. But that is just not true. Most of the workers in the New Bedford factory did not fall under that category. As it turns out, they actually were victims of exploitation by the management of Michael Bianco Inc., which recruited them for cheap labor, made them pay high prices for their jobs and fined them for talking on the job or taking too long in the bathroom.
Some of the immigrants detained in that raid have since been released for “humanitarian” considerations, although many of those families are still separated. Immigration officials argue that being a single parent or the main breadwinner for a family does not protect an immigrant from deportation. But it is about time that our broken immigration system begins to consider how to protect the rights of the children of immigrants, including some 3 million born in the U.S. who have at least one parent who is an undocumented immigrant. No child should be left behind.

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(Maria Elena Salinas is the author of “I AM MY FATHER’S DAUGHTER: LIVING A LIFE WITHOUT SECRETS.” Reach her at www
.mariaesalinas.com)
© 2007 by Maria Elena Salinas
Distributed by King Features Syndicate