PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Dozens of protesters called on the federal government Monday to release hundreds of allegedly illegal immigrants detained after a sweep of a New Bedford, Mass., factory last week.
Protesters gathered outside the office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and held signs that read, “Stop the raids” and “Amnesty for all” and chanted “Set them free.”
Immigration authorities last Tuesday rounded up 361 alleged illegal immigrants at Michael Bianco Inc., a company that makes equipment and apparel for the U.S. military. Most of those detained were women from Central America, many with children. At least 60 have since been released to care for their children.
“Children need their families together,” said Renae Chaves, of Cranston, who brought her 2 -year-old son, Rowan. “I couldn’t imagine being separated by my child.”
New Bedford is about 30 miles southwest of Providence.
Jane Hamlin, 61, a nurse from Cranston, held a sign that read “I.C.E. Raids Are Terrorism” and said she was appalled that women were torn from their families. She said she didn’t blame the workers for wanting to come to the United States to work.
“If people are hungry – I myself, I’d be here too,” she said.
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