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AMY GOODMAN: That is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, as we flip now to take a look at how a household of 4 — a mom and three youngsters — had been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers in a raid not removed from the house of Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan. The raid came about final Thursday on the North Harbor Dairy close to the city of Sackets Harbor, New York, a small city with a inhabitants of about 1,300. It’s in upstate New York, in western New York. In complete, seven folks had been detained, together with the mom and her three children, who had been enrolled within the native public faculty — a 3rd grader, a tenth grader and an eleventh grader. Witnesses say they had been all handcuffed earlier than being faraway from a house on the dairy farm and put in a van. ICE has confirmed they had been then taken to a not too long ago reopened household detention heart in Texas.
That is Jennifer Gaffney, the superintendent of Sackets Harbor Central Faculty District.
JENNIFER GAFFNEY: As a part of the method of detaining the individual for whom the warrant was issued, we had three college students who received caught up in that mess and subsequently taken and detained. … We’re all very, very, very properly related with our college students who’re lacking. And these college students are associates. They’re classmates. They’re good college students. And so they’re a part of the material of our neighborhood, and we wish them again in our school rooms.
AMY GOODMAN: The superintendent was interviewed by native ABC upstate. ICE brokers mentioned the mom and youngsters had been collateral arrests and that the raid on the dairy farm was associated to a warrant to arrest of a South African man allegedly dealing in little one pornography.
This Saturday, neighborhood members are holding a rally beginning on the city’s welcome heart, marching to the house of Trump border czar Tom Homan, who’s a local of the world. He spoke to the native information station WWNY and mentioned he was wanting into the raid and the chance the household could possibly be launched and returned to Sackets Harbor.
TOM HOMAN: This was not — , it wasn’t a raid. It was a search warrant execution in a home the place a household was discovered and — and who entered the nation illegally. They’re underneath docket management. So, ICE is doing all the pieces by the e book. Border Patrol did all the pieces by the e book. And as soon as the investigation will get to the place the place we not have an curiosity on this household, then a choice will probably be made on launch. …
So, so far as Sackets Harbor, , I grew up, as , in West Carthage, not too removed from your loved ones. I really like the North Nation. I wish to return to North Nation. It’s unlucky that this — it brings undue, essential consideration to a small city that I really like, a small city that I’d wish to retire in.
AMY GOODMAN: For extra, we’re joined by Murad Awawdeh, the president of the New York Immigration Coalition, serving to residents as they name for ICE to launch this household.
Murad, welcome again to Democracy Now! Are you able to clarify what occurred to this household of 4, virtually next-door neighbors to Homan? The third grader, the 2 highschool children and their mother had been handcuffed and brought away?
MURAD AWAWDEH: Effectively, first, thanks for having me.
, it’s actually unlucky to see this household who, in the dead of night of morning, had been snatched from their beds, arrested, after which detained after which disappeared. Equally, we’ve been seeing this occur throughout the nation, however much more so appalling that ICE figured that it was necessary that they arrest these youngsters and their mom, which that they had no warrant to enter their residence, which they did, in addition to making certain that they not solely arrested them, however they moved them over 1,800 miles away from their residence and their neighborhood.
So, it’s been extremely heartening to see the area people of Sackets Harbor rally in help of this household and their college students. However we’re all calling for a similar factor, which is the quick launch and return of this household again to New York.
AMY GOODMAN: So, what are their rights? I imply, it’s fascinating. Homan has been so fierce in his rhetoric towards immigrants, however now that individuals in his neighborhood — it feels like he’s starting to again off.
MURAD AWAWDEH: Effectively, his neighborhood has been loud and clear. They aren’t in help of those warrantless arrests. They aren’t in help of household separation or little one detainment. You’ve these three youngsters and their mom now sitting in what’s, in essence, a jail and a jail in Texas, and persevering with to parrot these speaking factors as if they’re — as if ICE and him are in the proper, after we know they’re within the improper.
This household truly was going by way of the immigration system as they had been advised to, following the method and the steps that was dictated to them by the immigration courtroom. And now, as an alternative of ready for his or her courtroom date, they’re sitting in a household detention heart in Texas awaiting their destiny, which is actually horrendous. And once more, we’re calling on their quick launch and for them to be despatched again to New York.
AMY GOODMAN: So, there’s a protest for Saturday at 2:00 deliberate, and the mayor of Sackets Harbor says he’s going to — says they’re going to declare a state of emergency as they march to Homan’s home?
MURAD AWAWDEH: I believe that this case, particularly, has drawn quite a lot of curiosity and outrage from the area people, in addition to the encircling areas. , North Nation is a stupendous a part of New York state. It’s tons of of miles away from New York Metropolis. However much more so, in a neighborhood of Sackets Harbor, of, , 1,300 or so residents, they’re all outraged. It is a farming neighborhood. And even the farmer, who this motion occurred on his property, can also be outraged.
And I believe on this second what they’re demanding is they need their children to return again to them. These are their college students. These are their associates. These are their neighbors. And so they’re extremely, extremely horrified that this occurred, to start with. And I don’t know if anybody can think about a 3rd grader being arrested or different children being arrested merely due to, , ICE wanting to satisfy their quota of the day.
AMY GOODMAN: And there wasn’t a deportation order, and so they had been displaying up at courtroom for his or her numerous hearings.
MURAD AWAWDEH: Sure, there was no order, there was no warrant, and so they had been nonetheless navigating the immigration system.
AMY GOODMAN: I additionally wish to ask you about New York Mayor Eric Adams, who in the present day is making his first mayoral marketing campaign look of 2025 after a federal choose dismissed his corruption case, granting a request from the Justice Division that was extensively seen as a quid professional quo in alternate for Adams implementing Trump’s mass deportation agenda. However the choose, Dale Ho, dismissed the case with prejudice, that means the fees can’t be later revived, going towards the desires of the Justice Division, which sought to depart the door open for potential future prosecution, maybe if Adams didn’t do what they wished. The choose wrote, “All the pieces right here smacks of a discount: dismissal of the indictment in alternate for immigration coverage concessions,” unquote. Earlier in the present day, Adams introduced he plans to run for reelection as an unbiased as an alternative of as a Democrat. Your evaluation of what’s occurring right here, Murad?
MURAD AWAWDEH: Yeah, I believe this doesn’t actually change very a lot. There was, clearly, as per the AUSAs who stop as a result of they refused to dismiss these costs, that there was a quid professional quo —
AMY GOODMAN: While you say “AUSAs,” you imply assistant U.S. attorneys, one after one other, conservative attorneys, saying they didn’t wish to drop the fees towards the mayor.
MURAD AWAWDEH: Yeah, and that their case was based mostly on information. , we, as myself and my group, had by no means known as for his resignation as a result of he was charged, as a result of we consider — though he doesn’t consider this for our neighborhood, however we consider each single individual on this nation has the proper to due course of, together with the mayor. However what transpired right here was not that.
And, , we echo the emotions of the choose in saying that there was a discount struck right here, and we don’t know what that’s, however the allusion that has been made by way of the assistant U.S. attorneys and their feedback is that this can be a deal that was minimize to make sure that the mayor helps the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan, which we’re fully towards, as a result of that’s nothing however truly horrifying for our households, negatively impacting our communities, and it’ll intestine our native economic system.
So, the mayor has a tricky highway forward. I believe that if he does attempt to collude with immigration enforcement towards native regulation, we’re going to combat tooth and nail and work with our companions within the New York Metropolis Council to make sure that we proceed to defend and defend our communities.
AMY GOODMAN: Murad Awawdeh, earlier than we go, I wished to ask you, as a Palestinian American, a frontrunner within the immigration rights neighborhood, your ideas on what occurred final evening, the Jewish college students and the Israeli American scholar at Columbia College who chained themselves to the gates of Columbia, demanding to know who within the administration or on the board of trustees pointed the finger at Mahmoud Khalil, who’s imprisoned in an immigration jail in Louisiana. A choose in New Jersey dominated his case ought to be held in New Jersey, handled in New Jersey. Not clear what’s going to occur to him in Louisiana. His spouse, Dr. Noor Abdalla, a dentist right here in New York, is about to provide delivery to their first little one. Your response to all that’s happening?
MURAD AWAWDEH: , Mahmoud Khalil has been — was the primary scholar who was detained by this administration and disappeared. Now there are a number of others who’re in the identical state of affairs as him. Mahmoud Khalil, as many individuals know, was a scholar at Columbia. And, , once I was in your present final discussing this, I discussed that there was a Ahead report that talked about that the Columbia establishment truly appeared as if it was colluding with immigration enforcement, which is extremely abhorrent. This isn’t one thing that an establishment, any establishment, ought to be doing, in working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on wrongfully detaining —
AMY GOODMAN: We now have 10 seconds.
MURAD AWAWDEH: — and eradicating their college students. So, kudos to the scholars persevering with to protest for his launch and demanding accountability on the college.
AMY GOODMAN: And also you had been referring to the Jewish newspaper The Ahead. Murad Awawdeh —
MURAD AWAWDEH: Yeah.
AMY GOODMAN: — thanks for being with us, president of the New York Immigration Coalition. To see all our protection of the protest, go to democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks for becoming a member of us.
