Most of these people here have heard that every sunday morning. N church let me welcome all of you here. What we like to do in convening somemeeting is we have vacant seats. We would absolutely love to have you take a seat. All of the people we invited are here. There are some vacant seats. Other young people, i know you can last a little while for this hearing. Let me formally bring our committee on Homeland Security to order. The committee is meeting today to receive testimony on immigration raids, impact and aftermath and mississippi communities. They are proud to welcome my im proud to welcome my colleagues, but im also glad to welcome you to my alma mater, where i got started one or two years ago, involved in Voter Registration silva rights and do a lot of things throughout the mississippi delta. And help set the stage for activism that changed the direction of our country. Newcollege is a fitting vid for the meeting on the Homeland Security to examine recent immigration raids and their effect on mississippi families, children, and communities. , u. S. Months ago immigration and Customs Enforcement sent hundreds of agents to mississippi to arrest nearly 700 workers at seven chicken processing plants across the state. Statewide largest workplace raid in u. S. History with 680 Community Members arrested. Public criminals, those arrested trying to provide for their families, send their children to school, and build a life free from violence, crime and poverty at home. The most troubling aspect of these raids is the way i fail to take into account that children would be left without one or both parents as a result. Someeds of children, by estimates. Children finished their first day of school to find there was no one to pick them up or no one waiting for them at home. Schools, social service and entire communities had to scramble to find separated children. Strangers and neighbors brought crying children to a community where the owner had offered a place to sleep. Until children can be united with their parents and in some we know this is not the case. Should we know of a single mother who remained in ice custody. In some cases that appears both parents or Single Parents could be deported. What happened to the children . Will families be forced to send children back to a country they have never seen for speak the language, or grow up without any parents . When the children are u. S. Citizens . Our communities are living in fear. Children are terrified to go to school, because they may return home to find their remaining parent gone and local businesses are suffering. I want to share a few words recorded by a girl whose father was arrested in the raid. The day of the raid, it was like a normal day at school. Next thing you know i got a text message. At first i didnt believe they got my. When i realized i broke down and had to think of the stuff going on. We have a technical difficulty, its hard to understand it. Ladys a 15yearold young describing the impact of the she is still suffering personally from it. Is afraid toative come out of the home for fear of being picked up. Its a real challenge a lot of families are facing. Families are still suffering from these recent raids. Employers have experienced any legal consequences yet. To those who use illegal aliens for a competitive advantage or to make a quick talk, we have something to say to you. If we have find you have violated criminal law we are coming for you. Employer, a person from management has been arrested, no one has been charged. Prosecution of companies have declined compared to Previous Administration numbers. The way administration is enforcing our laws is disappointing. We are joined by witnesses from all walks of life who will join their perspectives on what happened on august 2. Done to help those who are still suffering as a result . I hope to hear from eyewitnesses how we can ensure the mistakes ice made during the recent radar not repeated here in mississippi or elsewhere in the country. I support Immigration Reform to ensure employers can hire the workers they need and good people who want to support their families will have a way to do so. Should and keeping our values and exercising discretion where necessary to protect children and other vulnerable population. Thank the college for hosting us. Rules, Opening Statements may be submitted for let me introduce my colleagues who are here. My right, youre left is congresswoman Sheila Jackson lee from houston, texas. To my left is congressman al green from houston texas. And southt mississippi, sometimes known as memphis, tennessee, my colleague from memphis, tennessee. I welcome our first panel of witnesses. Is witness Cliff Johnson director of the Justice Center and a member of the faculty of the University Mississippi school of law. Is a pastor ofs saint ends Catholic Church in mississippi. Father oh dale turned his parish into a legal counsel. Owner is the founder and president of the board of Legal Education and Community Empowerment foundation. Also a judge, a graduate hashis college, who also the first distinction of being the first africanamerican female to graduate from the university of mississippi law school. Should our last witness is miss lorena lewis. A lead organizer for the Mississippi Immigrant Coalition and working together mississippi, instrumental in providing support and aid to families affected by the. Ississippi ice raids i asked each witness to summarize their statement beginning with mr. Johnson. Members of the committee, i want to thank you for this opportunity to talk about these unprecedented rates that occur. N august 2 i represented thousands of clients. Nothing i have ever done has impacted me like the work i have been involved in on behalf of the more than one thousand people impacted by the largest workplace raids in the United States history. Withe sat facetoface dozens and dozens of people who have told me through tears about their fears, their concerns, the dreams they had. I am struck repeatedly by the extent to which they are vulnerable and confused and scared, and i am left to ask the question why . Mississippi. I want to focus my remark on two areas. I want to make clear these rates were not carried out and in response to any outcry to people here in mississippi. We did not ask for this. I want to address the fact that more than 100 of the people detained in those rates have been charged criminally. They have been indicted by the United States department of , inice for felonies addition to the other administrative matters they face and Immigration Court cases. They must now run the goal run the gauntlet of federal felony prosecution. Latino immigrant workers have been involved in the poultry industry in mississippi for more than 20 years. Schoolsthem from public and soccer fields and places of business and shared places of worship. If you talk to local Law Enforcement officials, you will hear these people are not a threat to our communities, certainly not a threat to national security, they have become vital parts of the community, they are people whom we know and people about whom we care. Under the regime imposed by the trump administration, where the focus is said to be on those people who present a threat, that this group of people come nowhere close to meeting the objectives or the criteria identified for enforcement. I do not know how immigrants make up less than 2 of the population where there has been no outcry for the community was chosen as the epicenter for enforcement action. I can tell you mississippi is not better off as a result of what happened here. As a former assistant United States attorney, i must also focus on the actions of the United States attorney here in prosecuting nearly 120 people. Prosecutorial discretion is at the heart of our system. Prosecutors must make decisions about how to use the resources made available to them. Substantial resources made available and deciding who should be prosecuted and should not. It is an important part of our system that the department of justice discusses it at length. In my written remarks, you can see my analysis as to why prosecutorial destruction exercise in this case, in my opinion, is terribly flawed. This does not is not served a itsantial interest, important to note this u. S. Attorneys office recently, in response to another raid that involved almost 600 people, criminally prosecuted only nine people. The u. S. Attorney of the time said u. S. This prosecution of is in line with the departments emphasis. Prosecuting employees is a determinant deterrent. In ttorney hearst was an assistant u. S. Attorney in this case. Speaking of president trumps friend executive order in 2017, john kelly assured us being in the United States is not enough area in his words, it has got to be something else. In these raids there was nothing else. Is no record of violent behavior of the people being prosecuted. Many of them Young Mothers with a third edge third grade education or less. Only a handful have this demeanor convictions. I would encourage the committee to look hard at the prospect of duplication of these types of rates and prosecutions as a misuse of resources at their department of justice and and its unfair and inhumane piling on in the context of people who are here and law baiting law abiding neighbors and friends. My name is father of dale medina. This parish is located thank theke to committee as well, our Ranking Member for the opportunity to give my testimony. Impactimony about the in thethe raid community. Of there many members Hispanic Community that were working. These people, i can personally attest, are hard workers who contribute to the local, state and National Economy. They are people of faith. They pay their taxes. Many of them have lived in the United States five years or more. Children that are citizens of the United States. Or are still in the detention center. The trauma is too painful. They said my parents are not criminals, they are not bad people. I have a picture of two children whose father is still in the detention center. I have permission to share with these share these with you today. His father has been in the United States for 19 years. The letter said dear george, i hope you understand me. For us and my grandparents, he tries to work extra for my grandparents for food and supply. It wont be a complete family without him. E was always there for me he made me laugh. He also helped me with my homework. He was my best friend that always played with me. Please can you give us a bail for my dad, we are so sad without him. Him. He called me on my phone and said, dont be sad, but the ice police men have caught me, pray for me. Pray with all my heart and feeling. Thank you for reading this letter i wrote with my heart. This is one simple example of the reality of many families. To urge them to reform to the immigration system. Let me tell you this part of my testimony, when people heard about the rates they started calling me from all over the United States. They know what it means to be under persecution and segregation. They said please let me help. People from chicago, california called me to say, this is not right. We need to do something, how can we help . Help is to change the immigration system. This new generation is a citizen this is a national outcry. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to spread my testimony. This is not easy to handle. Very powerful testimony. Recognize to recognize her statement for minute for five minutes. , i have seene changes in the political and legal system. Shortly after my graduation i found lawsuits on behalf of victims and their families, for their brutality, beating and death, inflicted at the hands of Police Officers and other Law Enforcement personnel. We have served notice on Law Enforcement officials. In recent years and more notice itt seems to was apparently not received. I appreciate your description of what happens in my hometown following the raid. Not only were the employees who were arrested surprised and caught off guard, most in the forest and morton communities were actually surprised and quite disturbed. The portrait workers were treated as terrorists and animals. Local Law Enforcement officers you will hear today were unaware of the raids, and many expressed disappointment with a lack of notice. When i first learned of the rates my heart dropped. I felt heat in my nose. I represent that agency in scott county. I would advise the day after that nobody is cps in scott county knew about the raids. State employees to take care of these children. I was contacted by individuals who are beneficiaries of the program. Shee the latest caller said needed me to come over and talk to her child. Said, why dome and they hate my mama . Could tell me he was my grandmothers love. One of the boys whose mother was arrested is his best friend. He sees with this country is coming to. No exception for the infliction of pain. I will probably remain disturbed. At least 200 of our parishioners are still detained. That should not happen in america. I dont want to get personal. I have submitted my comments to this panel. But there are many questions posed by Community Residents concerning the timing of the raids, the secrecy of the raids, the lack of plan and coordination of action, and the lack of compassion for the children whose families have been destroyed. The efforts to terrorize certain citizens has been successful. They are now intimidated, afraid and angry. Disrupted so many lives in my community. I am extremely resentful. Many families have been destroyed and probably never will recover. D our children are lewisow recognize miss for her statements. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. On thee a light devastating impact of augusts worksite raid. Im the imminent ration project lead organizer. I have been working along with others to support families in crisis in response to the aftermath of the raid. Three months later this work is ongoing. Im sharing a few stories from impacted individuals. Some because they are afraid and some because they are to 10 they are in detention. August 7 2019 was the first day in mississippi. People in the680 state. Many kids return home from both theirned one or karens gone that day. Recounting the brutality of the officers is painful. They were told when we were coming back home, why do they hate us so much . He forcibly removed her from the car after cutting her seatbelt with a knife. The officer to let her call her children. The letter and signed with the rest of the detained workers. Of a woman who i will refer to as l demonstrates the many issues. She is still detained three months later despite having three children at home who are in the care of a neighbor. She speaks just a little spanish. She was detained in mississippi and transferred to louisiana. Day. Ats only once a fiveyearold didnt recognize her and was afraid to speak to her. Families continue to scramble to find the loved ones. Others were sent to Detention Centers in mississippi and louisiana. Notice that days later we were able to trace these detainees. More Detention Centers are popping up. To now spread across 13 different Detention Centers. Children did not flee for days after the raid and still cry every night because their mom is not there to put them to sleep. I know a teenager who missed several days of school due to anxiety and depression, teased by classmates about her family being deported. Our Mental Health system is not equipped to handle these cases. We have a limited capacity and theres only one bilingual licensed trauma counselor in the United States. She is working aroundtheclock while also trying to get them interpreters. These communities and families are hardworking and proud people. They work 10 to 12 hours per day. Workers tell stories of Sexual Harassment like child labor. Many have been part of our communities for years, they purchased heart purchased cars, bank accounts, even became business owners. We can address the immediate crisis caused by the antiimmigration policy of the current administration. This work must be done while we continue to create new immigration policies that effectively put people on a pathway to citizenship and creates safe and better paying environments. Be releasedshould and united with their families. Additional funding and resources are needed. We must end worksite rates and enforcement activities that force people apart. Money for enforcement activity and lasting trauma. Our families deserve to be united and free in their own communities. If we Work Together to address these issues, we can move forward toward a welcoming community in mississippi. Thank you very much. I think the witnesses. I think the witnesses for their testimony, i will remind each member he will have five minutes to question the panel. I now recognize myself or questions. Mr. Johnson. Given the work in the u. S. , is thiss Office Testimony here that there was and Discretionary Authority exercise with respect to these rates . The department of justice recognizes we do not prosecute cases criminally. In each instance where there is a technical violation of the law they provide specific gu