Trump Is Forcing Millions to Make Cruel Choices

"Last Friday evening, dozens of asylum seekers in the California city of Stockton, a 45-minute drive south of Sacramento, received text and e-mail notices informing them that they had to attend a check-in at the ICE building at 8 the following morning. When they turned up, ICE agents arrested 25 of them. These were people with open asylum applications and they were doing what they had been told to do: Instead of retreating into the shadows, they were attending a mandatory check-in."

"Had they chosen not to show up, their asylum claims would likely have been automatically dismissed, and they would have then become eligible for fast-track deportation. This sort of quota-based arrest system, seemingly designed to fill Stephen Miller's requirement that ICE and US Customs and Border Protection arrest at least 3,000 immigrants per day, is creating a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't conundrum for millions of immigrants, and it's happening across the country."

"The San Diego Union-Tribune recently reported on similar practices in San Diego, with the unfortunate arrestees being detained in a makeshift basement detention center that reportedly lacks even basic of amenities. Political representatives who have attempted to visit the site to investigate claims of inadequate food supplies and lack of access to medical care have been turned away. First ICE told them that they would have to apply for visitation rights a week in advance;"

Dozens of asylum seekers in Stockton who complied with mandatory ICE check-ins were arrested despite having open asylum applications. Failure to appear would likely have resulted in automatic dismissal of claims and fast-track deportation. A quota-based enforcement approach tied to large daily arrest expectations is producing a no-win situation for millions of immigrants across the country. Reported detention sites include makeshift basement centers lacking basic amenities and access to medical care, with political visitors blocked. Roaming arrest squads have detained hundreds in other regions, and CBP leadership has flouted judicial limits on crowd-control tactics, including tear-gassing protesters.

Read at The Nation