WASHINGTON, DC — In response to the confirmed reports of a 30 day “surge” of raids to take place across the country, Danny Cendejas, Organizing Director at Detention Watch Network made the following statement:
“With this latest announcement President Obama is cementing his legacy as a fallible leader who did not uphold the basic rights of society’s most vulnerable populations - asylum seeking women and children. Primarily targeted at Central American families, President Obama continues to deny the United States’ direct hand in creating violent and unstable conditions prevailing in the region causing people to flee. Rather, he chooses to lead through fear, retraumatizing women and children with aggressive and unconstitutional raids that funnel people into the inhumane detention system and tears families apart.
We demand President Obama stop these attacks on immigrant communities before the cement dries on his legacy and women and children are deported back to danger and possibly even death.”
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Detention Watch Network works through the collective strength and diversity of its members to expose and challenge the injustices of the U.S. immigration detention and deportation system and advocate for profound change that promotes the rights and dignity of all persons.