Georgia teen tells Congress about terrifying immigration raid

On a September morning in 2006, 15-year-old Justeen Mancha, a U.S. citizen, found herself in a situation she never expected in her own home. "I started to hear the words, 'Police! Illegals!'" she said. "It seems as if those words still ring in my head today, giving me that fear of them busting into my home. I walked around the corner from the hallway and saw a tall man reach toward his gun and look straight at me."

Marie, alone while her mother had gone into town on an errand, was caught in the middle of a botched immigration raid in southeast Georgia. Federal agents barged into homes without showing warrants and targeted U.S. citizens of Mexican descent, like Mancha, solely because of their skin color. Mancha, now 17, recounted the experience on February 13 before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law. Her congressional testimony was part of a hearing about problems with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) procedures.

Mancha, her mother and three other U.S. citizens of Mexican descent are plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit filed in 2006 by the Southern Poverty Law Center against ICE. The lawsuit charges that ICE agents illegally detained, searched and harassed Latinos solely because of their appearance — a violation of their Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights — during an extensive campaign to drive them from the area. A sixth plaintiff is a landlord who suffered damage to rental properties when agents broke into trailers rented by Latinos.

Mancha told subcommittee members about the fear she felt that morning. "I saw a group of law enforcement agents standing in the living room blocking the front door," she said. "My heart just dropped. I didn't know what was about to happen. When the tall man reached for his gun I just stood there, feeling so scared."

Mancha, who speaks with a Southern accent, said the agents asked if her mother was in the U.S. legally. Her mother was born in Florida. "I started to feel closed in, like I couldn't ... not answer them because they were blocking the front door," she said of the agents, who never showed a search warrant. "At times, I didn't want to be Mexican because of what we go through and how people look at us different and treat us and assume we're all illegal," she told the subcommittee.

The raids began on Sept. 1, 2006 and lasted for several weeks. They were intended to locate unauthorized immigrants who worked at a poultry plant in Stillmore, a town of about 1,000 people in Emanuel County. But rather than conduct a raid only at the plant, dozens of agents fanned out across residential areas in three counties — stopping motorists, breaking into homes and threatening people with tear gas and guns. Hundreds were terrorized, with many fleeing into the woods, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, Al.

Mancha said the agents left her home after she told them that she and her mother are U.S. citizens. Her mother arrived as the agents left. "I ran to her and started crying — telling her what just happened," Mancha said. "I was so scared. I still am. I carry that fear with me every day — wondering when they'll come back."

Comments

[Michelle]

I think that comments haven't been bombarded because people just don't know what to say. The US treatment of immigrants is abysmal. People in the formerly secluded South are unnerved at any other culture appearing in their homogenized world. They don't realize (or care) that these undocumented workers ensure that they can buy their chicken tenders at WalMart at prices that are lower than they paid in the 1960s.

People parrot the conservative garbage that litters the airways because they lack critical thinking skills. They lack basic judgement to even discern between legal and illegal immigrants.

The employers who hire the undocumented workers actually have called on the elected officials to tone down the rhetoric. They have even thwarted the INS on some occasions.

The unfortunate backlash to the US treatment of anyone wanting to legally come here is that other countries use any excuse to refuse entry to those of us wishing to study and work abroad.

[Karen DeGroot Carter]

The Southern Poverty Law Center is an important resource for so many people, Tara. Thanks for mentioning them and for writing this post. Scary stuff, indeed. K.

[apt a]

ummm the lack of comments on your usually bombarded with comments posts, leads me to think as I suspected & already knew more Americans then not, are all for this kind of crap...makes me ill. you know how I feel:) xo

[ally bean]

Around here, on the first day of school Immigration went around to certain factories and apartment complexes to round up illegals. They took the adults away without any concern for the kids that were in school.

When it was time for the kids to be let out of school the teachers knew what had happened but realized they had no emergency plan for looking after kids-- some of them kindergartners and elementary students-- who were without families. The principal devised a plan which was for the teachers to get in their cars and follow behind the school buses. Then at each apartment complex one teacher stayed and made certain that all the kids were met by adults.

Interestingly, no child was not met by some adult eventually. Their parents had planned for such a thing-- which made me very sad to realize this sort of thing is even necessary. I was pleased though that the last memory of this area that many of the kids will have is of caring adults who didn't let them come to any harm.

[catnapping]

America has descended almost fully into fascism. Those of us who've dared to criticize Bush and his nazi policies are called traitors.

Those of us who are not christian dare never to let on.

[rochambeau]

Also sounds like McCarthyism. ;-(

[marita]

sounds like the razzia's in wwII...gestapo at it's best.
haven't they learned, do they not know??