On Friday evening masked ICE agents forced a local business to close after they arrested the entire workforce at Luxx Nail Salon on Chastain Meadows Parkway in Marietta following an "anonymous tip” from the public.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told the media that anyone who overstays their visas or crosses the border illegally would be removed from the United States, regardless if they committed crimes, but wouldn’t say if the dozen people he removed in handcuffs had done either. He only referred to them as “illegals.”
“Despite the rhetoric from republicans that immigrants in the United States are ‘lazy’ or ‘violent,’ the bulk of ICE raids- around 60%- happen at businesses while people are at work,” said CCDC Chair Essence Johnson. “The Trump administration is taking advantage of the complicated and obstacle ridden immigration process to cruelly punish hard working members of our community for existing. Special Agent Steven Schrank seemed proud that he shuttered a small business based on a hunch.”
In an interview with WSBTV, Schrank said the Trump administration has allowed ICE to pursue migrants with less oversight than before. He said agents are arresting around 100 people a day in the metro-Atlanta area. These types of raids have already led to wrongful arrests nationwide as well as consistent violations of the constitutional right to due process.
“The United States Constitution guarantees due process for EVERYONE, regardless of their migrant status,” said Johnson. “We will be working with community partners to ensure these 12 individuals receive that due process.”
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) provides resources and information for anyone who is confronted by ICE agents or MAGA thugs impersonating federal officers. Below are their recommendations.
You have constitutional rights:
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DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR if an immigration agent is knocking on the door.
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DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS from an immigration agent if they try to talk to you. You have the right to remain silent.
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DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING without first speaking to a lawyer. You have the right to speak with a lawyer.
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If you are outside of your home, ask the agent if you are free to leave and if they say yes, leave calmly.
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GIVE THIS STATEMENT TO THE AGENT: I do not wish to speak with you, answer your questions, or sign or hand you any documents based on my 5th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution. I do not give you permission to enter my home based on my 4th Amendment rights under the United States Constitution unless you have a warrant to enter, signed by a judge or magistrate with my name on it that you slide under the door. I do not give you permission to search any of my belongings based on my 4th Amendment rights. I choose to exercise my constitutional rights.
The IRLC statement is applicable to citizens and noncitizens alike. No elected official- whether Democrat or republican- should ever take issue with advising people of their constitutional rights.