Information about the ICE raid in Laurel, Mississippi, is starting to come out, about 24 hours after the raid took place.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has yet to post its customary press release about the raid, and many remain on the alert for additional raids before the operation is over, but here is a roundup of news on the raid so far:

 

While earlier reports stated that about 350 people had been arrested, by late Tuesday afternoon the Associated Press reported that nearly 600 people were in ICE custody following the raid at Howard Industries, Inc., a manufacturing plant in Laurel, Mississippi. According to the AP, about 100 were released from detention on electronic monitoring devices because they suffer from medical conditions or are the primary caregivers for their children. Another 18 who were under 18 years of age were transfered to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. About 475 workers were transfered to an ICE detention facility in Jena, Louisiana.

 

Immigrant advocates and legal aid providers around the country have been mobilizing a response since last week, when hints that ICE was preparing for another large raid began to crop up. But according to The New York Times, due process violations have already occurred:

[ICE Spokesperson Barbara Gonzalez] said no lawyers were present while the workers were being interrogated. “Everyone will have due process under law,” Ms. Gonzalez said.

This afternoon, the Hattiesburg American reported that only eight people so far have been charged with federal aggravated identity theft crimes. Following a similar-sized raid in May in Postville, Iowa, nearly all of the detainees were charged with this crime. It was the first time the U.S. government had charged undocumented workers with federal criminal charges in addition to immigration violation, and immigrant advocates feared it the charges were ICE’s newest tool to scare out the 12 million undocumented immigrants living and working in the United States. More news reports:

 

Demand Accountability, Stop ICE Raids in Mississippi – A call for action and support from the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance (MIRA)

 

KPFK's Uprising Radio interviews MIRA Director Bill Chandler about what is happening in central Mississippi and reminds us that the raid happened within days of the upcoming third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

 

Latinos scared, grocer says – The Hattiesburg American reports on the fear that has overtaken the immigrant community in central Mississippi