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Media Analysis Of Treatment of Immigrants by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement By Advanced Composition The Unites States of America Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently merged the operations of two of it’s branches creating the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The newly formed ICE, now the largest investigative branch of the DHS is composed of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the former U. S. Customs Service has created the largest investigative branch of the DHS.
ICE’s Mission statement as quoted from their website states ‘Our mission is to protect America and uphold public safety. We fulfill this mission by identifying criminal activities and eliminating vulnerabilities that pose a threat to our nation’s borders, as well as enforcing economic, transportation and infrastructure security’ (www. ice. gov, 2007, About Us). With the INS no longer on the scene and ICE playing the both roles of the INS and the US Customs Service, ICE agents have been more assertive in their investigating and deportation of Illegal Citizens, and to some extent even terrorizing these people.
Media analyzed covering this ongoing topic come from the Atlanta Creative Loafing Editorial, and video coverage of a press conference held by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Coalition. This past labor day weekend brought numerous raids to three South Georgia counties by ICE agents to round up illegal immigrants. “This unfortunate could not have been more unconstitutional ending in persons being arrested and detained simply because they ‘ looked Mexican'” (Sugg, 2006). ] Sugg starts his column with a gruesome description of someone with power speaking down to and degrading a family of hated victims.
Though this was similar to the actual happenings of the following story, I thought this unnecessary and more a play on emotions trough the authors use of Pathos in his writing sty. The article’s main story is of Justeen Mancha, a mere 15-year-old high school student, which had her home forcefully entered by a fully armed team of Ice agents, albeit with no warrant presented to Justeen and her mother. The problem is the Mancha family is not illegal. The Creative loafing article speaks greatly against President Bush, about how our constitutions are slowly going away.
In just about the same timeframe The Minnesota Immigrant Action Rights Coalition (MIRAC, 2006) held a press conference and a peaceful demonstration outside their local ICE office, located in Bloomington MN on Sept 29th 2006. The press conference was not debating ICE agents actually doing their jobs, but rather the manner in which their raids are carried out and how the immigrants are treated. The premise of MIRAC is that ICE has so much power being a coalition of two of the largest branches of the government. So much power that mistreatment of illegal citizens is inevitable. A woman’s husband was deported recently, the only news she received was that he was taken from his job” (Cabello, 2006, MIRAC) There are numerous complaints about such happenings at the MIRAC Press conference, complaints from sources such as wife’s, pastors, children, and even non-immigrants just hoping for more fair treatment. While there were many people talking about their experiences with ICE, with most being unfortunate, I did not feel as if anyone at the convention was trying to play on emotion to gain favor with an audience.
The Minnesota Action Rights Coalition is a well-known group throughout the state and has done a lot over the years to aid the justification of the treatment of immigrants, both legal and illegal. With the varied speeches given at the press conference, a lot is left to the reader’s discretion, or logic. There is more Logos being used in this press conference. I agree with both sources that while these people maybe be illegal in the country, they are people nonetheless, and deserve to be treated as such. I believe illegal immigration is a problem, but harassing innocent people does not seem to be the answer.
What happens to the distraught family when their father disappears, and no information presented to the family. Refferences Sharpe, K. , Segovia, F. , Cabello, L. , Leet, P. , & de Leon, S. (2006, September 29th). Immigrants Are People Also. MIRAc Press Conference, Bloomington, MN. Sugg, J. F. (2006, August 6). The Gestapo, the thought police and us. Retrieved November 08, 2006 from Creative Loafing Atlanta, Columns: Metropolis Web site: http://atlanta. creativeloafing. com/gyrobase/Content? oid=151928 Immigration & Customs Enforcement (2007, January 11). About Us. Retrieved January 20, 2007 from Web site: