Speech #1100173942

Women marched to the polls. People came from all over the world to become full members of our society because of the promise that our country held and the guarantees that our Government made. But when agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcementalso known as ICEconducted raids in Texas not long ago. one 19yearold U.S. citizen. who was dragged from her home while she was still in her pajamas. wasnt thinking about that history. An 18yearold U.S. citizen. who was shackled at his ankles. handcuffed at his wrists. and tied at his waste. wasnt thinking about that history. They were thinking to themselves: My God. what is happening to me? What is going to happen to my family? What is happening in my country? When ICE agents banged on the door of a U.S. citizen named Arturo Flores and pushed their way into his house in Clifton. NJ. without showing a warrant. and when agents in North Bergen. NJ. stormed into the house of a legal immigrant. named Maria Argueta. in the middle of the night and held her without cause. taking her away from her family for 36 hours. those loud knocks on the door quickly woke these lawabiding individuals up from their American dreams. Now. hearing these exainples. some people might not hear well. They may say this is what happens when people enter this country without going through the proper channels. I hear that a lot of the time because it is the mantra of people who defend ICE raids. But these are not undocumented immigrants getting pulled from their homes in the dead of night. They are U.S. citizens who are targeted because of their race. because of their color. and denied every fundamental right guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Our fellow citizens may not have been surprised that they were yanked from their homes. They might have even known that their immigration status wasnt even necessarily relevant. They might have heard stories about friends who were U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents but who were seized in immigration raids. detained. and in some cases even deported. I am talking about U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. They may have known that their accent. their name. the color of their skin. the place where they lived would have put them at risk.