During Trump’s first year as president, ICE arrests have increased by 30% often by utilizing tactics like raids, home invasions warrentless entries into homes, and use of force.
A new interactive map called ICEwatch created by the Immigrant Defense Project in partnership with the Center for Constitutional Rights highlights the nearly 700 arrests that have occurred not just under Trump’s administration but the preceding 5 years under Obama as well.
Almost 100 of these arrests have occurred in The Bronx and although many have occured at the courts, most of them happened at the undocumented immigrant’s place of residence.
7 of these were classified as warrantless entries.
Some of the stories documented by IDE are disturbing such as:
Bronx, NY 10451, USA
July 11, 2017
In July 2017, five ICE agents knocked on AS’s door in the Bronx at 7am, without identifying who they were, claiming that a neighbor had called the local precinct to report an incident in the home. AS and his wife explained that there was nothing happening in the home. The ICE agents then asked AS for his name and arrested him once he told them. Five months later, in December 2017, multiple ICE agents raided AS’s home again at 6am, even though AS remained detained by ICE. Five different ICE agents, both plain-clothes and in “police” vests, entered through an unlocked door with their guns drawn. Once they entered the home, they didn’t identify themselves, only telling AS’s wife they were looking for a “fugitive” as they walked through the different rooms of the house. AS’s wife repeatedly asked the agents to see a warrant and asked them to leave. The agents came upon AS’s 9-year-old who was sleeping in bed and aggressively began questioning him about who lived in the home. Once they stopped, AS’s wife told the agents to leave their family alone and took out a cell phone to begin filming. As AS’s wife repeatedly asked the agents to see a warrant and to leave, the ICE agents ignored her request until AS’s 13-year-old daughter repeated what her mother said in English.
Meanwhile over in Parkchester:
Bronx, NY 10462, USA
April 4, 2017
8 ICE agents knocked on the door to MOA’s apartment. When MOA answered it, the agents pushed their way inside, forcibly detaining MOA in the bedroom of his apartment. His children were present in the apartment but in a separate room. MOA’s wife had left the apartment to run an errand and when she came back, she found MOA detained in his room by agents. She asked the agents who they were and what they were doing there, but agents refused to answer any questions until after MOA was handcuffed.
In a press release, IDP wrote:
“ICE relies on fear-mongering, secrecy, deceit, manipulation, and force to enact its devastating deportation mandate to deport as many people as possible,” said Genia Blaser, IDP Senior Staff Attorney.
“By making the reports of their dehumanizing tactics widely available through ICEwatch, we aim to inform the public and community members around the escalation of ‘unshackled’ ICE policing. We also continue to work with allies to challenge the demonization and criminalization that ICE relies on to enact its mass deportation agenda, and to support efforts to defund and abolish this agency.”“ICEwatch shines a light on ICE’s program of terrorizing communities through raids, ruses, home invasions, courthouse arrests, and other forms of coercion,” said Ghita Schwarz, Center for Constitutional Rights Senior Attorney. “By demonstrating the wide reach of ICE’s destructive and unlawful tactics, we hope to educate and empower immigrants and allies.”
ICEwatch allows users to filter summaries of ICE raids by location* and type of arrest tactic. Six types of enforcement tactics have been highlighted in the map as they are increasingly prevalent under the Trump administration, and underscore egregious and inhumane ICE practices and the agency’s disregard for fundamental rights. These include: (1) warrantless entry into a home; (2) the use of ruses to enter a home; (3) use of force; (4) the use of surveillance; (5) a significant increase in courthouse raids; and (6) an increase in collateral arrests.
IDP stresses that the map isn’t a comprehensive report on tactics or raid activity and is only a reflection of raids and trends as seen by them.
It’s also important to note that the locations are NOT precise but approximate based on zip code or county.
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