State House hearing examines immigration raids

By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff

Immigrants and their advocates testified before a national commission at the State House today that federal agents are treating detainees inhumanely and violating their constitutional rights, prompting swift denials from the federal government.

The commission is a panel of citizens, including former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, and was formed by the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union to gather testimony on the federal government’s treatment of illegal immigrants. US Senator John Kerry and Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray also appeared before the commission to support its work.

“We all understand that ICE does important work,” Kerry said during a noontime address to a crowd of more than 200 people in Gardner Auditorium. “But the way that they conduct workplace raids and detain people does not meet the standards of the United States of America.”

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which enforces immigration law and conducts raids across the country, denied mistreating detainees and said its officers follow longstanding guidelines that provide for detainees' care. An agency spokesman said the commission is unfairly biased, pointing out that the panel’s name is “National Commission on ICE Misconduct and Violations of Fourth Amendment Rights.”

“The title of the commission speaks for itself," said Tim Counts, an ICE spokesman based in Minnesota. "The foregone conclusion of this group even before any testimony was heard is that misconduct occurred.”

Kerry has pushed for fairer treatment of immigrants, including giving them access to medical care and social workers who can determine whether the detainees are parents of children. A chief complaint of raids here and nationwide is that federal agents separate parents from their children.

• Comment
• Permalink
• Email