Immigration agents are planning nationwide raids for the coming week. As the crackdown on undocumented immigrants, spearheaded by President Donald Trump, widens, teenagers who were unaccompanied immigrants, and who are suspected of being members of criminal gangs, are high on the list of targets.
An internal memo, obtained by Reuters, revealed that the raids would begin on Sunday and carry on through to Wednesday, with the main target 16 and 17-year-olds. The raids are a dramatic departure from the practices that took place under the administration of President Barack Obama. Then, undocumented immigrant minors could not be targeted for suspected gang membership or activity, but only if they had been convicted of a serious crime.
In a statement, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) claim that someone can be identified as being a member of a gang by several criteria. These include wearing gang apparel, hanging around an area known to be frequented by such gangs, and sporting a gang tattoo. Critics, including immigration activists and civil rights lawyers, say those criteria are insufficient to make a person a target for deportation.
ICE declined to comment on plans they may have for any future operations related to immigration enforcement but reiterated that such operations are focused on people who are a threat to public safety and national security. The memo to instruct field offices to begin preparation for the raids, seen by Reuters, was dated 30 June 2017.