As immigration protests erupt across the country – ICE detainments continue outside immigration court downtown.
SAN ANTONIO — Tuesday morning, a Bolivian woman and her children were taken into custody. Her Cuban husband told reporters his wife and two children were taken. He also said the youngest who is over a year old is American. The family had a preliminary court date for next year but it was moved suddenly to today. After the hearing, ICE agents appeared holding a photo of his wife.
“We called various times, asking them to please tell us what we need to legally do,” the man said. “We entered the country legally. We don’t have problems. We are not delinquents. We work and we just want to do this legally so we can become residents.”
He’s vowing to get an attorney and fight for their release. And what he wants is support.
“I want the Latin community to see this and give their support or help us,” he said.
As migrants are detained, St. Mary’s University student Raquel Christopherson is doing what she can to inform those entering immigration court of their rights.
“My mom had orders of deportation and she finally was granted her residency last year,” Christopherson said. “And as an adult, I was scared, I didn’t know what was going to happen with my mom’s case. Because one day we’re being told she has a small chance of staying in the country, and the next day we’re told she has a bigger chance of staying.”
An ICE spokesperson sent us this statement:
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is in a unique position to enforce immigration laws of the United States in the nation’s interior with its broad investigatory authorities and law enforcement capabilities. As part of its routine operations, ICE arrests aliens who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws. All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and if found removable by final order, removed from the U.S., regardless of nationality.
U.S. immigration laws allow aliens to pursue relief from removal; however, once they have exhausted all due process and appeals, the aliens remain subject to a final order of removal from an immigration judge and ICE must carry out that order.
ICE respects the constitutional right of people to peacefully protest; however, assaulting, resisting, impeding or harassing ICE officers and special agents or interfering in any way as they are executing their official duty is against the law. If any person assaults a federal law enforcement officer, they risk being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”