FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 24, 2008                        

CONTACT: press@ufcw.org

NATIONAL COMMISSION INVESTIGATING MISCONDUCT BY IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AGENTS HOLDS PUBLIC HEARING IN LOS ANGELES 

Hearing examines impact of immigration raids in California and Arizona on workers, their families and communities

LOS ANGELES – A national commission investigating the policies and practices of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) held its fifth – and final – regional public hearing today in Los Angeles.  The hearing focused on the impact of workplace immigration raids in California and Arizona, and examined how the execution of these raids is part of a wider pattern of ICE misconduct occurring across the country. 

“This commission was formed to examine allegations of abuse and misconduct by ICE agents during the course of immigration raids,” said Joseph T. Hansen, founding chairman of the commission and president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). “What we have uncovered is that ICE agents repeatedly trample on innocent workers’ constitutional rights. These are not isolated incidents, but systemic problems that are occurring in every region of the country. No government agency is above the law, and no worker should have to face the mistreatment and misconduct that we have seen at each of our hearings.”  

In Los Angeles, commissioners heard heart-wrenching testimony from workers and insightful analysis from legal experts about recent ICE enforcement actions in California and Arizona.  A psychologist discussed the widespread and lasting emotional and psychological damage of the raids—particularly on children and families.   Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles also participated in the hearing.

The national commission was created in response to a raid in 2006 of six meatpacking plants in America’s heartland.  More than 12,000 workers, most of them U.S. citizens and legal residents, were herded together at gunpoint and denied access to phones, bathrooms, families and legal counsel.  The UFCW represents workers at five of the plants, including Worthington, Minn.; Greeley, Colo.; Cactus, Tex.; Marshalltown, Iowa; and Grand Island, Neb. 

“Our nation’s immigration system is clearly broken, and the testimony this commission has heard across the country further highlights the heavy-handed, brazen and unlawful tactics used by immigration agents,” added Hansen. “But a broken immigration system does not give immigration agents license to break the law, violate the Constitution and punish law-abiding people who are simply trying to work hard and improve their lives.”

On September 12, 2007, the UFCW filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to protect the 4^th Amendment rights of all Americans and enjoin the government from illegally arresting and detaining workers, including U.S. citizens and legal residents, while at their workplace.

The hearing in Los Angeles is the commission’s final public hearing.  In the coming months, the commission will continue to examine the actions of ICE agents and will be soliciting input from legal experts, think tanks and advocacy groups. After that process, the commission will produce a public report that highlights its findings and makes recommendations to ensure constitutional protections for all Americans. 

Civilian-driven investigations are common in U.S. history.  During the civil rights movement, internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, and, more recently, in cities with allegations of police brutality, citizen review commissions were formed to investigate violations, shine a light on misconduct, and provide recommendations about how to reform the system. 

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