DHS Enforcement Priorities Have Violated Human Rights

America's Voice Blog

Posted 07/30/09 at 12:33pm

Today, we released a new video calling on DHS secretary Napolitano to investigate Bush-era home raids and focus on real, comprehensive immigration reform-- instead of half-baked enforcement measures that are only making communities less safe.

Check out the video, based on a new report by the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law:

Raise your voice - Sign the Petition to Secretary Napolitano today!

The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law recently found that immigration agents engaged in widespread abuse during "home raids" over the last few years. Some of the agents' most egregious violations include entering and searching homes without legal authority, seizing people without any basis other than their racial or ethnic appearance, or limited English proficiency. DHS's response, from an e-mail to the New York Times:

"The men and women of I.C.E. are sworn to uphold the laws of our nation. We do so professionally, humanely and with an acute awareness with the impact enforcement has on the individuals we encounter. While I.C.E. prioritizes our efforts by targeting fugitives who have demonstrated a threat to national security or public safety, we have a clear mandate to pursue all immigration fugitives."

Americans are expressing their outrage at these questionable, ramped-up immigration enforcement operations, which are taking place in the absence of real immigration reform. Community organizations have kicked off several weeks of action to put pressure on Secretary Napolitano to do more to overturn misplaced enforcement priorities from the Bush era and get to work on real, comprehensive immigration reform.

Raise your voice - Sign the Petition to Secretary Napolitano today!