FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 7, 2019
CONTACT: Sara Spain, [email protected], 202.864.0267

BEND THE ARC: LIKE EL PASO SHOOTING, MISSISSIPPI ICE RAIDS TERRORIZE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES

New York — Following news of large-scale raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorized by the Trump administration targeting immigrant workers in Mississippi today, Ginna Green, Chief Strategy Officer of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, released the following statement:

“The largest single-state raids in U.S. history in Mississippi this afternoon are a reminder that even as our nation mourns the victims of white nationalist terror in El Paso, inspired by the anti-immigrant rhetoric of President Trump and his allies, his administration is continuing the assault on immigrant communities with white nationalist policies. These raids underscore the emptiness of Trump's words this week: you can't condemn the shooter and then enact the same goals of terrorizing immigrants and creating a culture of violence that force communities to live in fear.

“ICE also chose to conduct these raids during the first week of school, leaving local children separated from their families, schools thrown into chaos as teachers try to make sure children have someone to care for them. Just one more horrifying, inhumane way this administration perpetuates family separations.

“We will not be silent in the face of white nationalism — no matter the targets, no matter the perpetrators, no matter the form of its violence. We express our continued solidarity with immigrant communities in Mississippi, in El Paso and nationwide. Jewish Americans demand that our lawmakers cut the funding of the agencies responsible for these dangerous raids and put forward comprehensive plans to address the growing threat of white nationalism in our communities and in our government, and we commit ourselves to the struggle for safety and freedom for all people, including immigrants.”