Nebraska on alert due to possible raids against migrants

• Nebraska on Alert for ICE Raids
• Growing Fear Among Latino Workers
• Operations Carried Out by ICE

The migrant community in Nebraska is living in uncertainty amid rumors of possible raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Although the state does not border Mexico, fear has grown among Latino workers, especially in meat processing plants.

Employees at these factories, where Mexican and Central American labor is prevalent, fear they might be the next targets of ICE.

«Rumors say they will come to the company on Monday and many colleagues won’t come to work out of fear,» says Rocael Juárez, a young man of Guatemalan origin.

Latino Migrant Workers Live in Fear of ICE Raids

ICE Raids at these sites are not new. In 2018, an operation at a plant in O’Neill left dozens of children without their parents, a fact that marked the community.

Maria Arriaga from the Nebraska Latino Commission remembers the event as «traumatic» for many families.

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Janeth Cano, the director of Programs at the Heartland Workers Center, warns that these factories are vulnerable because they employ migrants with pending regularization processes.

ICE can operate in any public space and in private places if the owners allow entry, increasing the risk for workers.

To address the situation, over 30 organizations are working to disseminate action protocols for the migrant community.

One of the main efforts is the «Family Action Plan,» which guides migrant families on how to act in the event of a raid.

This plan recommends having important documents at hand and memorizing the number of an immigration attorney.

It also promotes the right to remain silent and not to open the door to agents without a judicial order.

The uncertainty has sparked protests in Omaha and Lincoln, where Latino students and supporters have taken to the streets in solidarity with migrants.

Mayra Alarcón, a restaurant owner in Fremont, states that she will not cooperate with ICE if they come to her business to perform a raid.

«We are not going to accept anything and we will protect our people,» she asserts firmly, according to ‘Milenio’.

The fear is palpable, but so is the solidarity. The Latino community in Nebraska is organizing to face what they consider a direct threat to their rights and stability.

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