Immigration Raids Can Divide Families

Sergio Santibanez, 13, foreground, is one of three siblings cared for by an older sister, Luissana, background, as shown in their apartment Friday, March 9, 2007, in Austin, Texas. Luissana is a student at the University of Texas in Austin. They await the fate of their mother, Sergia, who has been held in a Houston immigration detention center for nearly 18 months. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck) (Harry Cabluck - AP)

"We can only base our response by what we are learning by (the state Department of Social Services). What DSS has told us is they are not aware of any child who was left in an inappropriate or risky setting, nor have they had to put any child in foster care," Raimondi said.

As for the parents' ultimate fate, being a single parent or the family breadwinner offers no special protection against deportation, said another ICE spokesman, Mike Keegan.

"They made a decision to come into the country illegally," he said. "It's hard to believe that someone would not know of the consequences when they get caught."

U.S. Rep. William Delahunt said Sunday there would be a Congressional investigation into the raid.

Many of the New Bedford children are in the care of friends or relatives, who are juggling families and jobs of their own. One woman, who asked not to be identified for fear it would put her family in greater legal jeopardy, is looking after the three children of her sister, one of the workers detained in the raid. The children's father and another sister take turns watching the children.

"My sister calls every morning asking about her children," the woman said in Spanish. "She is usually a happy person, but now she is so depressed because she is separated from them, and they are so small."

Two of the children, 4-year-old Angel and 1-year-old Amanda, are U.S. citizens. A 17-year-old came with his mother from Guatemala. Their mother, who came to the United States 10 years ago, has worked in the factory for two years.

"The children go to sleep crying and asking for their mother. They feel her absence," the woman said. "And we can do is wait and wait, and hope they don't deport her."

Under pressure to crack down on illegal immigrants, ICE has intensified enforcement activity around the country. The efforts have yielded results _ since last May, one particular crackdown, called Operation Return to Sender, has snared 13,000 people, while other federal initiatives have caught thousands of others. But the raids have led to a growing outcry from immigrant advocates and activists who say thousands of families are being split apart.

After nearly 1,300 people were arrested in December in raids at Swift & Co. meatpacking plants in Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Utah, community activists reported hearing of scores of children left on their own. Swift donated $300,000 to United Way agencies to help the families affected by the raids.

Since the December raids hit the Swift plant at Greeley, Colo., Catholic Charities in Denver has provided assistance to about 160 families or individuals, said Ernie Giron, the charity's vice president for mission and ministry. That has included rent or mortgage checks, helping with utility bills, and providing phone and grocery store gift cards.

Giron said the number of people seeking aid has begun to drop from its peak in mid-February. "But a number of families are still hanging on just trying to get through until they have to make some kind of life choice in terms of which way they're going," he said.