The Sacramento Latino Democratic Club Statement on ICE Raids

The Sacramento Latino Democratic Club (LDC) vehemently opposes the widespread federal Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) raids and massive deportations of undocumented residents as ordered by the current administration.

These raids are reminiscent of the “Mexican Repatriation” Mexican Repatriation – Wikipedia) raids of the 1930s that deported millions of Mexican-Nationals who were blamed as political scapegoats for the economic hardship that preceded the Great Depression. Those deportations also included Mexican-American citizens. Similar massive deportations were authorized again in the 1950s under “Operation Wetback” (Operation Wetback – Wikipedia) to return Mexican-Nationals to Mexico who were recruited under the “Bracero Program to work in the U.S. during World War II. Again, the massive deportations also netted Mexican-American citizens.

Currently, the ICE raids are adversely impacting the housing construction and agricultural industries since many Latino laborers avoid reporting to work for fear of deportation. Their jobs go unfilled, which stagnates the economy and increases costs to consumers.

By demonizing all Latino residents as “illegals”, the current administration has created a prevalent hostile atmosphere that implicitly condones acts of hate and intimidation towards the Latino community. An extreme example is the bullying of 11-year Jocelynn Rojo Carranza from Gainesville, Texas, who was so terrified of being left without her parents because her classmates relentlessly threatened to call ICE agents to have them deported that she took her own life.

The extreme version of this demonetization that would indiscriminately target and persecute Latinos comes from the Missouri State Senate with Senate Bill 72 (Gregory, 2024) that would make it a felony offense for any “illegal alien”, as defined, to enter the state. This offense would be punishable by life imprisonment without eligibility for probation or parole. Any person who reports an “illegal alien” that leads to an arrest would receive a $1000 reward. The bill would also create the “Missouri Illegal Alien Certified Bounty Hunter Program” to certify applicants as bounty hunters to find and detain illegal aliens. (SB 72).

Whereas comprehensive immigration reform is needed, the executive orders by President Donald Trump that challenge basic constitutional rights such as birthright citizenship and due process are a full-on attack on our democracy. 

Here are some links to resources on how to protect and defend yourself to share:
Home-Raid-booklet-ENG.pdf
Know Your Rights: If ICE Confronts You | ACLU of Northern CA
Sacramento Rapid Response Network | sacfuel
MALDEF-Know-Your-Rights-Flyer-English.pdf
What to do if ICE shows up in California: Immigration resource guide | KTVU FOX 2

Meetings

The club membership meets once a month on the third Wednesday of the month. The e-board also meets separate from the membership once a month to discuss the operations of the club. All meetings are public.

Membership

To be a voting member of the club you must be a registered Democrat, current on your dues, and have attended at least two meetings in the past year.