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November 05, 2019

THURSDAY: Thompson to Hold Field Hearing on Mississippi ICE Raids

(WASHINGTON) – This Thursday, November 7th, the Committee on Homeland Security, chaired by Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), will hold a public field hearing in Mississippi on the August 7th Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) workplace raids.  The raids were touted as the largest single-state immigration enforcement operation in the United States.  However, despite extensive planning, ICE failed to account for the impact on children and communities.  This field hearing will give committee members the opportunity to learn how the Trump Administration, and ICE specifically, has impacted communities across Mississippi.

Chairman Thompson released the following statement announcing the hearing:

“By any measure, the August ICE raids were a show of force that has had a significant impact on communities in Mississippi. Three months later, we still don’t have a proper explanation of why the federal government planned and executed these raids without accounting for the impact on children, families, and the community.  Because of this negligence, dozens of children went home after their first day of school to find that one or both of their parents were nowhere to be found.  It is imperative that Congress not ignore our oversight responsibilities as the Trump Administration continues to cruelly target migrant families.  This hearing will be an opportunity to hear directly from our communities on how the Administration’s immigration policies have impacted them.” 

Event details:

WHAT: House Committee on Homeland Security Field hearing: Immigration Raids: Impacts and Aftermath on Mississippi Communities 

WHEN: Thursday, November 7th at 10am CST

WHERE: Holmes Hall Auditorium, Tougaloo College, in Touglaoo, Mississippi

WITNESSES:

  • Professor Cliff Johnson, Director, MacArthur Justice Center, University of Mississippi School of Law
  • Father Odel Medina, Pastor, St. Anne Catholic Church, Carthage, Mississippi
  • Dr. Constance Slaughter-Harvey, President of the Board, Legacy Education and Empowerment Foundation
  • Ms. Lorena Quiroz, Lead Organizer, Working Together Mississippi and Mississippi Immigrant Coalition
  • Mr. Jere Mills, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security
  • Sheriff Mike Lee, Scott County, Mississippi
  • Dr. William Truly, Mayor of Canton, Mississippi

Open press. Press RSVP: chsdempress@mail.house.gov

Updated info and livestream available here.   

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Press Contact

Adam Comis at (202) 225-9978