New York residents spent time Thursday talking about how immigration enforcement has affected their lives.
A series of public hearings, called the People's Hearings, are a way to hear from citizens and immigrants from across the country who speak up on the real-life impacts federal immigration enforcement has had on their lives. Today's hearing is the latest stop in a nationwide effort to document the crackdown's effects.
Citizens spoke about experiencing force used by immigration agents. Some speakers had been detained, or had seen the inside of immigration detention centers. Some people spoke anonymously, or directly in front of the cameras.
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Advocates said the hearings were their way of building a public record and effecting changes.
"The reality of what I heard is the same no matter what city I've been in, from Saint Paul to San Antonio. People are being racially profiled and disappeared," said Rochelle Garza, chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. "The right to protest is under attack and people are being killed. Our communities are not going to have true healing until we have accountability from the systems that are causing the harm. And as the midterm election is on the horizon, our country must see immigration enforcement for what it is: A direct undermining of our democracy."
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Advocates hope to conclude the hearings by the end of this year, to deliver a full report to the new congress in 2027.
