In a pattern of disturbing abuse, U.S. immigration agents have recently torn apart families while conducting enforcement actions in California and Massachusetts. Immigrant rights advocates are rightfully alarmed at the effects of these moves. They fear for the vulnerable undocumented children who are abandoned in the wake of such raids.
In Waltham, Massachusetts, a 13-year-old girl was left to wander the streets after she was picked up by masked agents who had arrested her father. Witnesses reported that agents violently yanked the father from the ground. Then they took him away, abandoning his scared daughter to fend for herself. This recent incident underscores the deeply troubling reality that children live through when ICE conducts enforcement actions in our communities.
Meanwhile, in southern California, a 32-year-old U.S. citizen was arrested at a gas station, leaving behind a 19-year-old and a minor child. The father, who had been picked up in a large-scale operation targeting enforcement, was charged with assault. Coloring the situation with even more urgency, authorities found a stolen pistol in his car. The police carried out the arrest in the parking lot of a Home Depot store in Cypress Park. Witnesses looked on in horror as the nightmare played out.
Maria Avalos, the grandmother of one of the left-behind children, is inconsolable. Second, she deeply grieves the physical separation from her son and granddaughter. She spent 4 hours sitting in an immigration office in downtown Los Angeles. She had to retake custody of her granddaughter — who was found unattended in the backseat of her father’s car at the time of arrest. The process forced Avalos to obtain a birth certificate to establish her relationship to the child.
“I am devastated by what has happened to my son and demand an explanation,” – Maria Avalos.
Avalos has been worried sick about what’s going on with her son. She shared her concerns on how emotionally damaging these violent outbursts are to families.
“My granddaughter didn’t even know what was happening. She’s too small,” – Maria Avalos.
Renee Garcia, communications director of the legal aid nonprofit ImmDef, with implications for all communities. Allison thinks these persuasive techniques are deeply invasive and manipulative and that’s exactly why they should be used. She once again challenged the need for these types of actions that cause family separations and put children in dangerous circumstances.
“Surely there is a better way of enforcing their policies in a way that does not separate families or place tender aged children like this child in questionable circumstances,” – Renee Garcia.
Garcia expanded on the emotional trauma inflicted on young kids trapped in these types of situations.
“I think that it’s absolutely traumatizing for a child to be placed in that situation,” – Renee Garcia.
The operations have become a flashpoint for immigrant advocates, who say that these enforcement actions are targeting communities with high numbers of families. This practice of splitting up families during an arrest is beyond appalling, said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, director of public policy for the immigrant rights group, We Are All Michigan.
“This is insane, what we are witnessing in this country,” – Jorge-Mario Cabrera.
In Avalos’ case, she painted the picture of her son as a loving father, who put his family first, above all.
“My son is a good, quiet, hard-working person. He works in the restaurant industry and just got his new job. And his family is everything to him,” – Maria Avalos.
At one point, she remembered her son trying to push back on the agents’ efforts to protect his baby with a statement of refusal.
“I was sad to see my son throw himself on the floor to stop them from taking his daughter,” – Maria Avalos.
As families continue to navigate these traumatic experiences, questions linger about the methods used by immigration authorities and their implications for children left behind. Maria Avalos has two concerns: she wishes for a quick agreement that brings her family back together as soon as possible.
“He is the best dad. And his little girl follows him wherever he goes. She is safe now, though. She needs her father. And I need my son back,” – Maria Avalos.