Multiple email exchanges
between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials earlier this
year have revealed that
former Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly
instructed immigration officials to portray immigrants swept up in mass
raids as criminals. Kelly evidently designed this directive to justify
the countless immigration raids that began taking place starting in February
2017. Students at Vanderbilt University Law School obtained the emails
through a Freedom of Information Act request. According to the emails,
Kelly wanted to highlight the apprehension of three immigrants who were
violent criminals. The goal was to prove to the public that the administration’s
mass raids were necessary for public safety. This is despite the fact
that the raids actually swept up hundreds of immigrants who had no criminal
history at all. The emails were remarkably detailed about spinning the
mass deportation raids to the public. In fact, one email instructed the
agency’s chiefs of staff nationwide that if one location didn’t
have three overly egregious cases, then they should include a case from
another location. Agency officials were to put the three selected cases
in a white paper for distribution to media outlets. In doing so, officials
hoped to swing public opinion in the agency’s favor as to the mass
immigration raids that were beginning to take place. When questioned about
the emails, however, the White House and the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) had no comment. In the state of Texas, at least, Kelly’s directives
largely failed. The attempts of field offices to show undocumented immigrants
detained in raids as hardened criminals just didn’t work. The failures
were largely due to the fact that most of the detained immigrants were
not criminals at all. When you or a loved one are detained and face deportation
for any reason,
Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C.
is here to help. We care about you, your family, and your ability to remain
in the U.S. As a result, our California deportation defense lawyers stand
ready to build the strongest possible deportation defense case on your
behalf. Contact your
Oakland immigration lawyer
today and learn how we can advocate for you and your family in your deportation
proceedings.
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