"... Of the 360 immigrants arrested in New Bedford, almost two thirds were handcuffed, jailed, flown to Texas, and jailed again, all within a span of 24 hours. Almost all women, they were smuggled away, terrified and unable to contact family members, according to news reports.
The trip to Texas has meant more to our immigrant neighbors than just reduced access to family. Almost 95 percent of immigrants detained in Massachusetts who were legally eligible for release are now out on bail. In Texas, less than 60 percent have been granted bail. For those lucky enough to win release there, bail has been set as high as $7,500, five times more than bail amounts in Massachusetts. Local judges have also granted a good number of medical releases, unlike their Texas counterparts.
Why did ICE spend the hundreds of thousands of extra tax dollars to ship these hard-working immigrants to Texas anyway? ICE claims there were not enough beds available in Massachusetts for all those arrested. But ICE controls the number of beds it has available by "renting" them from county jails. Given that ICE spent more than six months planning the raid and knew exactly how many employees worked in the factory, the fig leaf offered up by the agency doesn't leave much to the imagination. The fact is, ICE was more interested in renting planes to take the detainees as far away from Massachusetts as possible.
Three months later, the majority of the detained immigrants in Texas lack lawyers. Only 11 legal aid lawyers serve 106 immigrants in the El Paso jail where they reside. By contrast, every detainee in Massachusetts who wanted a legal aid lawyer now has one, and every immigrant will be able to present his or her case against deportation. Moreover, most detainees still here have received help from relatives and friends who are already citizens to vouch for them, an important asset in winning release. There is no such support in Texas."
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