Three weeks ago the federal government took 121 people into custody. The raid was part of a multi-state roundup of Central American families, reports The Guardian. Now seven of those detainees, who are being held in a Texas facility, have written a letter to Barack Obama. In the open letter, the immigrants plead for mercy and freedom for their families. “We came to this country to request asylum,” the letter reads. “We couldn’t go back to our countries of origin due to being exposed to so much violence and threats.”
The federal raids, some of which took place in the middle of the night, have caused outrage in Latino communities. However, the Obama administration has shown no signs that it will change its policy.
The White House is prioritizing recent border crossers, even those who pose no apparent security threat. 77 of the detainees have already been deported to Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico.
