Immigrations and Customs Enforcement continues to carry out raids on the homes of undocumented people across the country. Over the first weekend of the New Year, 121 people taken into custody in Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina. There have been several unconfirmed reports of raids in Philadelphia, as well as other major cities like Los Angeles.

Congresswoman Linda T. Sánchez, chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), issued a statement Wednesday decrying the Department of Homeland Security's tactics, calling for "a better way to deal with the recently arrived young children and mothers" who have fled violence in Latin America. 

"Raiding people’s homes to forcibly break families apart is not what our country stands for. Our federal government should not be separating parents from their children.  As the mother of a young son, it’s easy for me to imagine how traumatizing having ICE agents storm someone’s home and tearing families apart can be for a young child.

Invading homes is inhumane and adds to the trauma of these families fleeing violence and oppression. Many recent immigrants from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador are escaping one of the most dangerous regions in the world. In the past, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus has spoken in defense of the unaccompanied minors fleeing the Central American countries.  These minors could be our sons, daughters, nieces and nephews.

As we begin a new session of Congress, we must find a better way to deal with the recently arrived young children and mothers. We must ensure that they are informed of their rights and provided counsel. And we must continue to fight for comprehensive immigration reform because it’s the only way we will ever truly solve this problem."

The Hispanic Caucus has been around since 1976. It is governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, with the purpose of voicing issues that affect Latinos in the U.S., Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories.