Press Release: ACLU Denounces Immigration Raids in Milford

Sweep tears apart families and communities

Worcester- The Worcester County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts today urged federal immigration officials to comply with humanitarian and due process standards when enforcing immigration law following reports of an early morning raid in Milford last Friday.
 
During the raid, officials from the Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) and local law enforcement officials reportedly detained 14 Ecuadorian immigrants and arrested the owner of a local contracting company.  Daniel Tacuri, owner of Same Day Roofing and Construction in Milford, faces charges of hiring illegal immigrants. The other 14 people arrested in the raid, 12 men and two women, will go before a civil immigration judge to determine whether they will be deported.
 
“The US Constitution says that everyone's fundamental due process rights must be respected while it is being determined whether or not they have a right to be here,” said Ronal C. Madnick, director of The Worcester County Chapter of the ACLU of Massachusetts. “Most US citizens could not prove their citizenship on demand. Most people don't carry documents such as a passport or birth certificate with them at all times. And in a free society, you shouldn't have to.”
 
“People detained by ICE deserve basic human rights protections, such as the right to a hearing before an immigration judge, legal representation, and, when necessary, interpretive services,” said Madnick.  “They need time and a fair chance to prove their case. It's also critical to make provisions for the children and other dependents of those arrested.”
 
Throughout Massachusetts, ICE-led immigration sweeps have been tearing apart families and communities.  A recent study, released by the National Council of Law Raza shows that this approach is especially destructive to young children of people who are detained.
 
“We are concerned about the way these sweeps are being conducted,” said Madnick.  “People often are detained and deported quickly without having the opportunity to exercise their rights to call family members or a lawyer.  We urge ICE officials to give the people they detain an opportunity to exercise their rights to speak to an attorney and call their family members, and that they be allowed to remain in Massachusetts where their lawyers, families and community can have access to them.”
 
The Worcester County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts will meet with immigration organizations at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
 
For more information on the ACLU of Massachusetts Immigrants Rights work, go to:  http://www.aclum.org/issues/immigrant.html