A small child, just four-years old, was sleeping soundly over the New Year's weekend when he was abruptly woken up by feet pounding across the floor and screaming in the house. Then his worst nightmare came true: He was taken away by strangers. This just happened in Atlanta, Georgia, one of three U.S. cities, where 121 Central American refugees were abruptly removed from their homes at 4:30 in the morning. No one should be treated that way. We've all got to stand up against this inhumane treatment of children and families. It’s time for DHS to adopt practices that both respect our laws and the dignity of children seeking refuge in the United States, such as the following: • Placing child welfare experts and social workers on the border for screening children and other vulnerable individuals; those who’ve been traumatized by violence should be screened by trained professionals, not by customs border patrol agents; • Strengthening the court system capacity to review cases and ensure due process; • Recognizing that it’s not unlawful to seek asylum at our borders—children and families seeking refuge at our borders have every right to do so under current law and should not be treated as criminals; • Upholding the best interest of the child in all decisions involving children. Join us in urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to stop the inhumane treatment of children and families in the name of immigration law enforcement. Decency, fairness, and humanity require that we protect the well-being of the children from Central America seeking asylum in the United States and ensure that they are granted full due process under the law, including adequate legal representation.

Such proposals and the anti-refugee sentiment that has accompanied them are morally reprehensible and go against who we are as a nation. They go against the core values of our nation and they are bad for American business. It is critical that Senators hear from their constituents NOW. Sign the petition and call them today at 1-866-940-2439

In November 2014, President Obama said about immigration enforcement: "We’ll keep focusing enforcement resources on actual threats to our security. That means felons, not families. That means criminals, not children. It means gang members, not moms who are trying to put food on the table for their kids.” [1] But now the Department of Homeland Security is raiding homes to find and deport hundreds of would-be refugees back to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, where they fled "shockingly high levels of gang and drug violence," as the New York Times put it. The Times has called on the Administration to ensure protection and due process for women and children from Central America who face a chaotic and confusing legal process without adequate legal representation. [2] A Guardian investigation found that some deported to Central America have been murdered within days of their return. [3] Senator Bernie Sanders has written to President Obama and homeland security officials, urging a halt to the deportation raids targeting families that fled violence in Central America. [4] “Raids are not the answer,” Sanders said. “We cannot continue to employ inhumane tactics involving rounding up and deporting tens of thousands of immigrant families to address a crisis that requires compassion and humane solutions.” Sanders suggested extending temporary protected status to the refugees, which would protect them from deportation. Urge President Obama to halt the deportations of women and children fleeing violence in Central America by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/21/remarks-president-immigration 2. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/08/opinion/a-shameful-round-up-of-refugees.html 3. http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/12/obama-immigration-deportations-central-america 4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/07/sanders-writes-obama-urges-end-to-recently-started-deportation-raids/

My name is Ana Sol Gutierrez and I am an immigrant from El Salvador. I was the first Hispanic elected public official in Maryland. I am a professional engineer and a long-serving, experienced public servant. I am now running to be the first Salvadoran-American in Congress, seeking to fix a broken and inhumane immigration system and to be a voice for the millions who have no voice in our current political system. I will not let Democrats stand idle to the xenophobia and the fear-mongering of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, FOX news, and the Republican Party.

In the context of these due process problems – and the ongoing danger of violence faced by Central American refugees – it is irresponsible, dangerous, and inhumane to proceed with large scale deportation raids. Many of the immigrants who recently entered the country are fleeing violence in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala – countries with some of the highest rates of violence in the world. Much of the violence – perpetrated by police, paramilitary gangs, and drug gangs – is the legacy of decades of anti-democratic U.S. intervention in the region. Over and over again in Latin America, the United States government has undermined democracy, supported and trained oppressive military and police forces, and sent weapons. During the cold war, in the name of fighting communism, the CIA helped overthrow democratically elected governments, replacing them with violent dictators friendly to the U.S. The notorious “School of the Americas” – a U.S. military base in Georgia – trained Latin American dictators and their paramilitary foot soldiers in the use of torture and assassinations. The U.S. has an obligation to give refuge to all immigrants who come here to escape violence. But when children and families from Central America come to the U.S. to seek safety from the violence in their countries, the U.S. has a special responsibility, given the role it has played in the region. Instead, the Obama administration is sending people back into a violent environment the U.S. helped create, with very little regard for their safety or rights as human beings.

Immigration authorities are carrying out home raids targeting mothers and children who recently escaped violence in their home countries. On Monday, January 4 DHS reported that at least 121 individuals, mostly women and children from Central America, were detained by ICE and are ready to be deported. The ICE raids were conducted primarily in Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina. Sign the petition asking the Obama administration and DHS to stop the ICE raids that are causing fear in our communities. ____________________ Las autoridades de inmigración están llevando a cabo redadas de casas dirigidas a las madres y niños que recientemente escaparon la violencia en sus países de origen. El Departamento de Seguridad Interna (DHS) dio a conocer el lunes 4 de enero que por lo menos 121 personas, en su mayoría mujeres y niños de Centro América, fueron detenidos y serán deportados. Las redadas se llevaron a cabo principalmente en Georgia, Texas, y North Carolina, de acuerdo al comunicado. Firma la petición pidiendo a la administración de Obama y el DHS que ponga un alto a las redadas de ICE que están causando terror en nuestras comunidades.

At the end of December, immigration authorities confirmed they would be expanding their home raids to include mothers and children who recently escaped violence in their home countries. On January 2nd, agents barged into homes across the Atlanta area, at times pretending to be local police in search of a non-existent suspect, pulling people from their beds, demanding identification, and taking away whomever they chose. At least 47 people have been flown from Georgia to a processing center in Texas where the agency may rush to deport them before pending cases can be heard or appeals can be filed. These raids are not the first and unlikely to be the last. Sign the petition asking the Obama administration and DHS to put a halt to immigration agents' violation of civil rights and stop the raids.

Six months ago Pastor Max Villatoro, a beloved father, husband, pastor, and Iowa City community member was deported to Honduras despite over 40,000 petitions asking immigration officials to stop his deportation. For six months, the Villatoro family has been forced to live thousands of miles apart, separated by our nation’s immoral and unjust immigration system. We cannot allow this tragic situation to go on. We must continue to tell Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson that six months is too long -- it’s time to bring Pastor Max home! Because of our shameful immigration system, Max’s children have been left without a father. Gloria, his wife, has been left to support her family and raise her children by herself. And the community as a whole has been left to deal with the loss of a true leader. Max should never have been deported away from his family and community. The last six months have been too long -- let’s join together and bring Max home. We we will not give up. Our struggle to keep the Villatoro family together continues as we work to reunite Max with his family and community. Through generous donations, we have been able to send Max’s children to Honduras to visit their father and to support the family as they await Max’s return. Advocates in Iowa and DC continue to put pressure on government officials to reverse Max’s deportation order, but we can’t do it without you. Here's more on Pastor Max's story: Pastor Max was detained early in the morning on Tuesday, March 3, by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) as he stepped outside his family's home. He wasn’t given a chance to say goodbye to his wife and four U.S. citizen kids – Anthony, Edna, Angela, and Aileen. Max is the pastor of the Iglesia Menonita Torre Fuerte (First Mennonite Church) in Iowa City. He has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years. Max was originally targeted for deportation because of an immigration identification related charge from 1999. His detention and deportation is absolutely devastating to his family, his church and the community where he has been a leader for years. Pastor Max is a model of what it means to be a servant leader in his community. He has worked for years to strengthen Iowa City and to care for his neighbors. Each day he demonstrates incredible compassion, faith and character. In February, President Obama said that ICE officials would be held accountable for deporting individuals who qualify for relief. As a pastor, community leader and father of U.S. citizen children, Max clearly presents no public safety or security threat and therefore should qualify for relief through the President’s recent immigration executive order. And, even though a federal judge has temporarily delayed some of the President’s immigration actions, ICE guidelines state that immigrants like Max should not be a deportation priority. Max should not have been deported before he had a chance to qualify for relief.

We are an enormous country. We could absorb hundreds of thousands of refugees without blinking an eye. And we'll be a richer country for it. Or, we can turn them away, and damn countless people to unimaginable suffering, and be surprised in a few years if they turn embittered and violent. It's not really a choice.

FOUR MILLION children, women, and families have fled from war-torn Syria to ESCAPE violent extremism, NOT to spread it. But right-wing Republicans and some Democrats are being overpowered by fear and bigotry -- not logic, tolerance, and goodwill. They refuse to even consider allowing refugees to enter the United States, and are fast-tracking legislation to slam our doors on those who need refuge most! To these extremists in Congress, facts don’t matter. The facts are that refugees undergo a rigorous screening process that can take up to THREE YEARS, and not one terrorist attack has been committed in the U.S. by a refugee! This is the same dangerous line of thinking that leads to hate crimes and wars. Don't let our leaders toss aside our American values due to panic and paranoia.

It’s clear to the majority of Americans that our immigration policy is in desperate need of reform. It’s equally clear that if brought to a vote today, there would be enough votes in the House and the Senate to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Add your name to tell Speaker Ryan pass immigration reform this year!

Syrian families have lost their homes, their relatives, and jobs. Half of the entire country is now displaced. A small fraction has waited up to 3 years to gain entry to the US as refugees. They have passed the most rigorous screening of any immigrant to the US, ever. Now our governor has effectively refused them entry into Indiana. This policy does NOT reflect our values!