Protest Says Undocumented Immigrants in Norristown Unfairly Targeted
By John Ostapkovich
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- About two dozen people demonstrated today across the street from the Philadelphia office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") for the release of four men facing deportation by the US government.
In a rally that bounced back and forth between English and Spanish, complaints flew about the arrest and imprisonment of the four men.
"These are family members of detainees who are currently being held at York County Prison, three of whom are hunger-striking right now," says Sheila Quintana of Dream Activist Pennsylvania.
Pilar Molina (left-center of photo) is the wife of one of the hunger-strikers.
"We used to have a future, but now it's very uncertain," she said today. "Uncertain because I don't know what is going to happen with him."
And seven-year-old Caitlin Resendiz (center) says she misses her father, Israel Resendiz-Hernandez.
"Every time I go to sleep, I can barely go to sleep because he's not with me," she said today.
The demonstrators accuse the feds of targeting the undocumented in Norristown.
In response, Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a statement which said in part:
"The four individuals whose cases were protested have been previously removed from the United States. Subsequently, all four illegally re-entered the country, which is a felony offense."
Regarding the hunger strikers, the ICE statement said:
"ICE holds the health and safety of our detainees as a principal concern. All detainees in question are carefully monitored by medical staff in accordance with the appropriate ICE detention standards."
