Now-delayed nationwide immigration sweep brings anxiety, fear in Minnesota

KSTP.com ^ | 6/22/19 | Kirsten Swanson

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

In the Twin Cities, officials and immigrant advocates say they are hearing concerns over news of planned nationwide raids to deport immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. The operation, according to President Donald Trump's tweets, involves people with final orders of removal. They were expected to start Sunday, but the president announced Saturday that he'd asked Immigration and Customs Enforcement to delay it by two weeks.

"It's been a lot of fear and uncertainty," said Kerry McGuire, a staff attorney at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.

McGuire said her organization, as well as other nonprofits, noted an uptick in phone calls to attorneys this week.

"I think just hearing that something is going to be stepped up puts everyone on alert," she said. "It's hard for us as service providers because we are also trying to anticipate what is going to happen."

The headlines about the raids being carried out in 10 major U.S. cities have added uncertainty to what's to come.

"Minneapolis has not been on any of the lists that will be receiving ICE raids," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Saturday afternoon.

Responding to the news that the raids had been delayed, Frey reinforced that the police department won't help in any ICE-related activity.

"We're going to make sure our police and our public officials are not sharing any information, they are not collaborating, they are not working with ICE," Frey said. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter took a similar stance, tweeting early Saturday afternoon that the police department "will not cooperate nor facilitate any such action."

In response to the calls, the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota will open a help hotline on Monday afternoon.

[Kickass Conservative]

Deny, deny, deny, even if your Burka is wrapped around the Headboard.

[Tammy8]

ICE is constantly gathering up and deporting people, they use information gathered at processing like relatives and friend’s names, addresses, phone numbers. They knock on certain doors, looking for specific people that they have deportation orders for. Same way other LEOs gather criminals.

When they do big raids they plan ahead and have far more manpower and are able to gather more people. That level can’t be sustained 24/7 but it does serve to make illegals watch over their shoulder and be afraid to build a business, buy a house, avoid long term plans. Many even self deport when there are big raids.

[Candor7]

Maybe they will deport Congresswoman Omar?

Alahwahoo Whackbar!

[Buckeye McFrog]

I’m not up on the raids being delayed.
Did Trump run into another Obama judge?

Or is it tactical to give these people one last
chance to leave on their own?

[numberonepal]

Or is it tactical to give these people one last chance to leave on their own?

He's giving Democrats a third chance to come to the table, yes. Illegals leaving on their own, I don't know. The really big thing this feint accomplished was getting many folks on the record saying they would attempt to obstruct federal law enforcement action.

[GOPJ]

Offer a reward for turning in companies that hire illegals. A hundred bucks for every illegal found and a bonus of a thousand IF the company has more than 5 illegals working on the payroll...