One of the most intensely debated aspects of immigration in the United States is Mass Deportation. Mass Deportation is an effort to remove undocumented immigrants or individuals without legal status from the country, mostly done through agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement, most commonly known as ICE. ICE is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that carries out aggressive tactics to enforce immigration laws. Some people argue that such aggressive tactics are necessary to uphold national security, while others emphasize the inhumane treatment of immigrant communities.
The concept of pushing people away from where they live has always been in the US and is prevalent throughout history. An example of this is the Indian Removal Act, which was authorized in 1830 and led to the forced relocation where 60,000 Native Americans were removed from their ancestral homelands. Another infamous example of Mass deportation is an Eisenhower-era campaign called Operation Wetback. Operation Wetback targeted Mexican immigrants and is the biggest mass deportation of undocumented workers in US History. This campaign was designed to kick Mexicans out of American society. The operation used military-style tactics to remove Mexican immigrants, some being American citizens, from the US, even though millions had entered the US legally. In more recent years, especially after 9/11, the government has expanded the immigration agencies.
In 2003, created under the Department of Homeland Security, ICE was created to enforce immigration laws. Their role in the government is to locate, detain, and deport people who are in the U.S illegally. Before, they used to focus on the southern border, trying to capture those trying to illegally cross from Mexico. However, recently, ICE has been shifting its focus from targeting criminals to targeting families or residents who have no criminal records. This is due to a revoking of a policy that limited ICE’s power by the Trump Administration, allowing them to go to places like schools. An example of this is the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, who is a Syrian, a 30-year-old man, and a current father to a newborn. Mahmoud Khalil is a resident in the US on a green card, studying at Columbia University, when he was arrested for exercising his free speech rights in support of Palestinians in Gaza. Many believe this arrest to be illegal due to his green card status. This arrest sparked global outrage as it raised questions about free speech. Another example is Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old doctoral student at Tufts University on a student visa who was detained for more than 6 weeks for writing an op-ed that criticized Tufts’ response to the war in Gaza. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said, without providing evidence, that investigations found Ozturk engaging in activities in support of Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group. Ozturk was recently released on the orders of a federal judge.
One of the most recent ICE operations has been here in Acton, MA, where several arrests were made. Senator Jamie Eldridge wrote on Facebook, saying that “From the information, pictures and videos I was sent, ICE arrested people living in one of the Great Road apartments, and arrested people driving in their car near Trader Joe’s.” Acton Chief Police James Cogan made sure to emphasize that Acton Police were in no way involved in any action relating to immigration. The arrests led to protests outside Acton Town Hall, where hundreds of demonstrators chanted and held signs speaking out against ICE.
