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Statement

Raids in Mississippi Show How Cruel Our Government Has Become

August 9, 2019
Immigration

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

Statement of leaders of MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the horrifying raids in Mississippi on Wednesday.

“Terrified children sobbing as they beg for their parents. A distraught little girl crying out that her father is not a criminal. The schools and agencies that might be able to help caught completely off guard. Volunteers stepping in to try to comfort traumatized children and give them places to sleep. Law-abiding families seeking sanctuary in churches.

“Mere days after El Paso’s Latino community was targeted by a deadly assassin who was motivated by hatred for immigrants and Mexicans, the Trump administration chose to terrorize that community further with a series of heartless raids in Mississippi. This would be immoral and wrong on any day but rounding up people on the first day of school at this moment in history was especially cruel.”

--Statement of Donna Norton, Vice President, MomsRising

“The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency boasted about the size and ostensible success of the raids in Mississippi, but America’s moms see only the fear and terror the Trump administration is inflicting on children and families. Children deserve to see their parents when they come home from school. Parents deserve to be safe where they live and work. Schools deserve to be able to focus on educating students instead of rushing to protect children the Trump administration is stranding and putting at risk. Families belong together. 

“The courts, our Congress, and the people of this country must end the Trump administration’s war on immigrants and people of color. Nobody should be forced to live in fear. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”

--Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.