Here in North Carolina and across the United States, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detains and deports those seeking asylum from the gang violence that plagues their homes throughout Central America. Minors are arrested at school, many times crossing state borders with no word sent to their families about their whereabouts or detainment. Many families have inconsistent US citizenship statuses, and pending deportation orders send fathers and mothers right back into the violence of their home countries. Largely, this is a human rights issue, concerning both the dangers of returning home to countries like El Salvador or Honduras, as well as the mental abuse and grief with which ICE greets asylum seekers. Children and families who have the right to live in safety, who have found that safety in the US, are being arbitrarily picked up and flippantly sent back into gang and criminal violence.
Learn more about the human rights issues impacting your local immigrant community! For more on Durham cases, please browse these links:
Durham commission urges end of ICE raids following arrest of Honduran teen
Durham City Council Asks ICE to Back Off Deportation Raids
ICE agents arrest Riverside High student for possible deportation