Face of Nation : Thousands of undocumented immigrants were waiting in fear and uncertainty ahead of nationwide raids Sunday that President Donald Trump said would lead to a wave of expulsions.
Demonstrators in dozens of cities protested the planned raids, and local and state officials called for restraint, but to no effect.
The scope of the operation appears far more modest than the “millions” Trump had promised would be detained and expelled when he first mentioned the raids — and subsequently postponed — last month.
But that has not eased the anguish felt by those who fear they might be targeted.
Adding to their concerns are media reports that ICE agents are prepared to scoop up not just those targeted by removal orders but also other undocumented migrants that agents may come upon incidentally.
That, potentially, could include some migrants who have been in the country for years, with homes, jobs and children who are US citizens.Trump insisted on Friday that “most mayors” want the raids.
“Most mayors do. You know why? They don’t want to have crimes in their cities,” he said, repeating his frequent — and incorrect — assertion that migrants are more likely to be criminals than native-born Americans.Several mayors have expressed concern about the federal operation.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez pointed out that in 2018, his first year in office, his Florida city experienced its “lowest homicide rate in 51 years — so I don’t understand the rationale for choosing Miami.”
“It doesn’t make it easier for us, as mayors, to keep our citizens and those who are in our city … quiet and calm.”
Some city officials, as well as pro-migrant and civil rights groups, have sought to educate those who might be targeted on their rights in the event of a raid.
“We’re asking people, if you are in fear of deportation, to stay in on Sunday, to travel in groups,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms said on CNN. If “someone comes to your door, please don’t open the door unless they have a warrant.”
The United States has been struggling for more than a year with a migration crisis on its southern border, as thousands of people stream into the US each month, mostly from Central American countries riven by violence and poverty.
The number of undocumented arrivals totaled more than 100,000 last month — down 28 percent from May but still at a “critical” level, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
On Friday and Saturday, dozens of protests were organized across the country by groups demanding the closing of overcrowded detention centers and opposing the planned raids.
