Thursday
Apr012010
Immigration Scandals Anger Advocates
Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 5:23PM
A number of media reports this week, including a New York Times article detailing Haitian citizens who were taken to the U.S. following the country's massive earthquake and then detained for reportedly not having Visas, have angered immigration activists.
"It seems remarkable that we would have a country that's mobilized to help Haiti, but we seem to have an immigration enforcement agency that's mobilized to make sure some of those rescued are contained," said Frank Sharry, the director of the immigration advocacy group America's Voice during a conference call with reporters Thursday.
The revelation of the Haitian detainees was not the only setback for immigration advocates this week. Earlier, the Washington Post published a story detailing a memo from a high-ranking Immigrations and Customs Enforcement official that referenced an agency "goal" of 400,000 deportations by September 2010.
"There seems to be deportation quotas," said Sharry. "It tells me first and foremost that ICE continues to be a rogue agency. It acts with impunity and seemingly without much supervision."
Sharry added that immediate changes need to take place within ICE following both scandals.
"If ICE doesn't change its practices, then we believe the Obama administration should change it's leadership," Sharry explained.
"It seems remarkable that we would have a country that's mobilized to help Haiti, but we seem to have an immigration enforcement agency that's mobilized to make sure some of those rescued are contained," said Frank Sharry, the director of the immigration advocacy group America's Voice during a conference call with reporters Thursday.
The revelation of the Haitian detainees was not the only setback for immigration advocates this week. Earlier, the Washington Post published a story detailing a memo from a high-ranking Immigrations and Customs Enforcement official that referenced an agency "goal" of 400,000 deportations by September 2010.
"There seems to be deportation quotas," said Sharry. "It tells me first and foremost that ICE continues to be a rogue agency. It acts with impunity and seemingly without much supervision."
Sharry added that immediate changes need to take place within ICE following both scandals.
"If ICE doesn't change its practices, then we believe the Obama administration should change it's leadership," Sharry explained.
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