STATEMENT: NO RAIDS VS. CENTRAL AMERICAN FAMILIES IN OC, BUT ICE REMAINS A THREAT TO COMMUNITIES EVERYWHERE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Alexis Nava Teodoro, (714) 574-6540, alexis@theiyc.org. Today, Carlos Perea, Director of  Resistencia, Autonomia, Igualdad, y lideraZgo, (RAIZ) issued the following statement: We are releasing this statement to clarify rumors of ICE conducting raids in Orange County targeting Central American families. There were no raids in Orange County targeting Central American families like they occurred in other parts of the country. As a matter of fact, Virginia Kice, spokesperson for ICE, told members of RAIZ during a phone conversation on Thursday, January 7, that no arrests have been made of Central American families in the entire state of California. Nonetheless, RAIZ and the Immigrant Youth Coalition (IYC) have consistently shown via anti-deportation campaigns that all Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Orange County and across the state are not only inhumane, but a blatant disrespect to our lives and that of our families and community. Let it be clear that any form of collaboration between local law enforcement agencies and ICE breaks the trust the community has with its local government. Any presence of ICE in immigrant communities at a time in which there are outrageous efforts by President Obama’s administration to deport Central American families in other parts of the country is creating profound fear, anxiety, and pain in the community. We strongly urge Orange County cities to follow the lead of local governments that have broken ties with ICE enforcement programs, such as the City of Philadelphia, to send a clear message to its immigrant population that they care and their human rights are respected. We also would like to inform the public, that if they have confirmations of ICE raids, in any area of the state, to call the TRUST Act Coalition hotline at 1-844-878-7801. ### RAIZ is an organization composed of youth, parents, and community members who are migrants and working class. It is affiliated with The Immigrant Youth Coalition, a statewide organization led by LGBTQ-undocumented-womyn organizers and formerly incarcerated and detained individuals.