The Red and Black

Issue date: 9/19/08 Section: News

NACKERUD

U.S. immigration policy is socially unjust and doesn't consider the effects on the children of undocumented workers, a professor said Thursday.

Larry Nackerud, professor in the School of Social Work, said the policy, as executed by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, doesn't take into account the way raids effect families.

The lecture sponsored by the University Child and Family Policy Initiative focused on the situation of many children of immigrants facing deportation. The children, who are usually U.S. citizens, are often separated from their parents and must rely on the charity of neighbors, churches or school systems.

"If we don't speak out, who will?" he asked.

Nackerud presented an account of a raid that occurred this year at a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa. Agents detained 390 undocumented workers in 23 trailers on a 60-acre cattle fairground that served both as a detention center and courtroom.

"Someone always comes forward to compare these raids to Nazi Germany," Nackerud said. He said statements are usually retracted once they garner media attention.

Nackerud is working on a paper that will compare the impact of ICE raids to the detention of Japanese Americans during World War II and other injustices.

Large-scale raids lead to increased dependence on community assistance and food insecurity, he said.

More than five million children in America have at least one unauthorized parent, according to The Urban Institute.

Anna Bowling, co-director of the Law and Government Education project, said one of the aims of the project is to help undocumented workers facing deportation find low-cost or free legal assistance. Presentations offered in English and Spanish educate workers on their rights and responsibilities.

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