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GUESTS: Hector Villagra, Staff Attorney ACLU So. Cal, Pedro Rios, Director of American Friends’ Service Committee San Diego

Yesterday a national meeting organized by a food workers’ union harshly condemned the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s workplace raids. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union, alongside other organizations and community leaders, called for congressional hearings to investigate the major workplace ICE raids that occurred last December. Workers shared testimonials including one woman who said that, despite being a U.S. citizen, her rights were violated. Other testimonials referred to violations of documented and undocumented workers’ rights by ICE. Meanwhile, in a local story, Pedro Guzman, a US citizen, was wrongfully deported by ICE and recently made his way back to the US on his own. Guzman, a developmentally disabled man, was serving time for vandalism and trespassing last May when he was handed over to immigration officials in Santa Ana. Apparently Guzman indicated he was born in Mexico, though when originally apprehended he said he was born in California. After being deported, Guzman spent most of the next 89 days in Baja, California eating out of garbage cans. ICE spokespersons have claimed no wrong doing in both, workplace raids and in the case of Pedro Guzman.

For more information, visit www.aclu-sc.org.