Homeland Security Investigations announced it had arrested 11 people at a Lovington, N.M., dairy farm on June 4. The agency released this image of the arrests. (Photo courtesy HSI)
The federal immigration raid at a dairy farm in Eastern New Mexico last week tore families apart, damaged trust and “undermined our shared values of compassion and justice,” according to Somos Un Pueblo Unido, a statewide immigrant advocacy organization.
According to a social media post from Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso, the agency executed a search warrant at the Outlook Dairy Farms in Lovington on June 4, arresting 11 people accused of misuse of visas, permits or other documents.
The owner of the dairy farm told the Albuquerque Journal that the people arrested provided him false paperwork and that, following an audit before the raid, he’d been required to fire 24 other workers at the farm.
In a statement Monday morning, María Romano, coordinator of the Lea County office of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, said that the raid undermines New Mexico’s economy, which relies heavily on immigrant workers who are “powering industries from dairy farms to oil and gas.”
“The individuals targeted in this raid are our neighbors, coworkers and friends, many of whom have lived here peacefully for years, contributing to our economy and enriching our culture,” Romano said. “These enforcement actions do not make us safer.”
The organization called on local and state leaders to demand transparency from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to protect New Mexicans’ rights regardless of immigration status.
“This recent raid reminds us that our communities must be aware of their rights. We must continue to empower ourselves to defend our dignity and demand justice for all New Mexicans.”
The group shared a website it created explaining people’s rights, regardless of immigration status, with information for victims of wage theft, along with dealing with ICE, Border Patrol and police at border checkpoints and elsewhere.