Thompson Holds ICE Raids Hearings in Jackson; ICE agent defends poultry plant raids during hearing
A Mississippi congressman and his committee are learning more about the affect of the August ICE raids in the state, where close to 700 people were arrested. MPB's Desare Frazier reports on a congressional hearing held in Jackson.
"Let me formally bring the our Committee on Homeland Security to order,"
Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson (D), the chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security is leading a field hearing Thursday morning at Tougaloo College in Jackson. The goal--to learn more about the effect of the August 7th Ice Raids on local communities. Congressman Thompson outlines what happened that day.
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sent hundreds of agents to Mississippi to arrest nearly 700 workers at seven chicken processing plants across the state. It was the largest statewide workplace raid in U.S. history," said Thompson.
Of those arrested nearly half were released. Seven witnesses testified about the raids before Congressional members Sheila Jackson Lee and Al Green of Texas and Steve Cohen of Tennessee. Among those testifying Cliff Johnson with the MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law. He says he has worked on behalf of the more than 1,000 people affected by these raids.
Read more: http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2019/11/08/congressman-thompson-holds-hearings-about-affect-of-ice-raids-in-jackson/
(MS Public Broadcasting)
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ICE agent defends poultry plant raids during hearing at Tougaloo, use of resources ‘shocking’ to lawmakers
Roughly 200 people packed into Holmes Hall Auditorium at Tougaloo College on Thursday for the Committee on Homeland Security’s field hearing to discuss the aftermath of the largest workplace immigration raids in the country’s history.
“Because of the way these raids were carried out, communities are living in fear,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the committee. Thompson, a Tougaloo alum, conducted the hearing alongside Democratic Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, Al Green of Texas, and Steve Cohen of Tennessee.
On Aug. 7, Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained 680 poultry workers across Mississippi.
The committee questioned two panels of experts regarding their experiences with the event and its aftermath. On one panel sat Jere Miles, an ICE special agent from the New Orleans Field Office, Scott County Sheriff Mike Lee and Canton Mayor William Truly Jr.
Read more: https://mississippitoday.org/2019/11/08/ice-agent-questioned-during-hearing-at-tougaloo-defends-poultry-plant-raids-but-resources-used-shocking-to-lawmakers/
The second article is a definite read as they raked the ICE special agent over the coals.