Many immigrant advocates in Louisiana and throughout the nation are speaking out regarding a recent situation that they say is evidence that the U.S. government is unfairly targeting certain groups of people for possible deportation. One man, who happens to be news reporter, was locked up in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in this state following another incident where he was arrested and then released after charges against him were dismissed. Instead of setting him free, his jailers handed him over to ICE officials, who then took him to an immigration detention facility in this state.
The reporter recently published several stories regarding supposed unfair treatment against immigrants by ICE officials. He is not the first immigrant advocate who decried unfair practices of ICE, then was detained. Many believe the U.S. government is unjustly targeting certain groups of people to threaten them with deportation to keep them from advocating against ICE and also to make examples of them in the hope of deterring similar behavior in others down the line.
A petition was filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center, requesting the journalist’s immediate release. It’s claimed that the man’s detainment (and others) are forms of retaliation that must be stopped. Those who work for the news journal the detained journalist owns say they will continue to publish stories that keep people informed about unjust treatment of immigrants.
They also say they feel it is their duty to speak out because the mainstream media is reluctant to do so. Immigration detention and other issues regarding U.S. immigration laws are complex and often prompt political debate in public and private sectors. Any Louisiana immigrant who believes his or her rights have been violated may seek experienced legal guidance and support to address the matter through appropriate channels of justice.
Source: mediamatters.org, “Immigration reporter Manuel Duran is the latest immigrant detained after revealing ICE abuses“, Dina Radtke, Accessed on April 17, 2018
