5 years after nation’s largest immigration raid, families still picking up the pieces
It’s been five years since one of the largest immigration raids
By Crystal Tisme
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FOREST, Mississippi (WAPT) — It’s been five years since one of the largest immigration raids, not only in Mississippi, but in the entire country.
A humanitarian organization gathered Wednesday with families and individuals to recognize the lasting impacts of the raid.
Celso Vasquez said his wife was one of the 680 people taken into custody after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided seven poultry plants across Mississippi.
“My wife was deported to my country. I wasn’t affected, by my wife was affected, so I stayed with my three kids, and thank God,” Vasquez said.
Although the raid happened in 2019, people are still dealing with the lingering effects.
“We still have many, many of the people who face the possibility of deportation and haven’t yet had their day in court, even though this raid happened five years ago,” said Cliff Johnson, director of MacArthur Justice Center. “There’s still instability; there’s still uncertainty around this.”
Johnson said he believes the raid was a political move using immigrants as scapegoats.
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