Relatives of the detainees and others call on President Obama to stop splitting families and reform broken immigration system

What: Press conference to denounce immigration raid

Where: Corner of 16th and H St., NW, Washington, DC (across park from White House)

When: Friday, March 12, 2010, 10:00am

Who: Family members of detained individual, CASA de Maryland, National Capital Immigrant Coalition, and others

Washington, DC — Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested twenty-nine individuals as they raided two restaurants, one office and several homes in Maryland. Throughout the day, ICE agents and police went from location to location in Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties rounding up workers and taking them off the job and from their homes. This is just the latest in a series of raids in Maryland which are tearing families apart and terrifying immigrant communities.

“Everyday, tens of thousands of hardworking immigrants in Maryland leave their families to go to work, and tonight twenty-nine of our brothers are detained as their families are left to grieve,” said Gustavo Torres, Executive Director of CASA de Maryland. “This is not an acceptable way to treat members of our community who work hard every day to make Maryland strong for us all.”

Family members of one of the detained individuals will be at the press conference to speak to the impact of the raid on their family. They will be joined by others to call on President Obama and the United States Congress to show leadership in fixing our broken immigration system.