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Immigrant Sweeps Trigger Fear and Damage Communities
In early June, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched a series of anti-immigrant sweeps in cities throughout Los Angeles County, the Inland Empire and San Diego County. The sweeps, which took place in many communities far from the border, sent shock waves of fear and anger through local immigrant communities. Non-immigrant Latinos also reported numerous instances of racial profiling, raising a red flag that the new strategy is resulting in civil rights violations for both immigrants and non-immigrants alike.
"There is no question that the raids spread fear and panic throughout the community," said Jim Mangia, director of St. John's Well Child and Family Center in Los Angeles. "People were afraid to go to work, send their children to school and even visit the doctor. Oftentimes, people don't realize that these sort of events have a ripple effect throughout the community."
Empty classrooms, empty markets, and empty clinics were reported throughout the Southland. But Mangia cited his own experience and observations in making the case that the effects are far more profound and deleterious than even this highly visible emptying of public places serving immigrant communities.
"Patients are afraid to leave their homes to pick up their diabetes medication. Parents are afraid to bring their children (many of whom are American citizens) into the clinic for immunizations. These are just two examples of the impact these raids have on public health. Diseases fester, health status diminishes, and people's health is put in jeopardy," said Mangia.
"If a diabetic does not have access to their medication or insulin, serious complications and even death can occur. What we saw during the month of June was that patients would wait until they or their children were very, very sick, before they would access health care. Basic primary and preventive care went by the wayside, and most of the patients who eventually did come in to our clinics were in advanced stages of bacterial infections, etc., because of their fear about leaving their homes to access health care services."
Mangia points out that the sweeps will also have an effect on overall public health. "Disease knows no borders," he said. "If we allow tuberculosis or other communicable or infectious diseases to fester, it affects the health of the whole Los Angeles community. Widespread bacterial infections will not stop at the border of Beverly Hills."
"Public health is just one example of the profoundly disruptive and negative effect of the sweeps," said Elvia Meza, Public Policy Advocate at the ACLU of Southern California. "In education, public safety, and small business, fear is tearing at the fabric of the affected communities, and this inevitably affects the entire region."
Like thousands of workers throughout Southern California, Esperanza H., an immigrant from Mexico who has been a garment worker for 15 years, lives each day in fear of raids such as the one that took place a few days ago in a garment factory near her job site in downtown Los Angeles.
"All of the garment workers were taken, regardless of their medical condition. Some were cancer patients and some of the women were pregnant," said Esperanza. "When I found out that this raid took place, I felt afraid, frustrated and angry because I realized that I could have been one of the workers that were taken. With so many thoughts of fear on my mind, I was too afraid to leave my house. I thought that no place was safe for the immigrant community, because they know exactly where to find us. They know where we live and work, the schools our children attend, the stores where we buy our food and the clinics where we get medical assistance."
"I am bothered that most of the detainees are Latino workers of low-income, who may not know that they have rights. For me, the worst part of these sweeps is that they affect our tranquility and emotions. I want our leaders to put a stop to these acts of injustice toward the immigrant community. We are tired of being persecuted, cornered and deported."
The CBP has released no information to the public about how or why the raids were conducted, except to state that they were based on "intelligence" and that they targeted people based on nationality.
"The information provided by CBP has been limited at best and contradictory at worst," said Ranjana Natarajan, staff attorney with the ACLU/SC. "Given the confusion and fear surrounding the CBP's actions it is critical that the community have a clear understanding of what exactly took place. The community has been kept in the dark, which has only heightened the sense of anxiety throughout the community."
The ACLU/SC filed a request with the CBP July 20, 2004 under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) seeking information about the recent immigration raids across Southern California. The FOIA request seeks an explanation as to whom the CBP questioned, detained and deported. The ACLU/SC is also giving Know Your Rights presentations in communities across Southern California and is gathering information from the community on the Border Patrol raids through a hotline at (213) 977-5218. B
AUGUST 2004
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