ICE accused of abuse in Miami raid

U.S. immigration officers used excessive force during a series of raids in Miami according to several advocacy groups.

The raids targeted a suspected sex trade ring, a fact that was praised by some Florida-based immigration advocacy entities. Yet these groups also accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents of gross misconduct and racial profiling:

At the conclusion of the raid, ICE announced that it had arrested four suspected sex traffickers and rescued nine women who had been forced into prostitution in several brothels.

But the groups say too many innocent people were roughed up. ''The sum actions of these raids, meant to protect victims of trafficking, have victimized many in the Homestead community and created a climate of fear and mistrust,'' the coalition of groups wrote in a letter...

The raids culminated in the arrest of 77 illegal immigrants, mostly of Guatemalan and Mexican background. Yet it has been alleged that “agents had relied on vaguely worded warrants to invade people’s homes and arrest nearly anyone who looked Hispanic.”

An ICE spokeswoman responded to the allegations by claiming that officials are “obligated” to arrest any illegal immigrants they encounter regardless of the circumstances. (In other words, the old "collateral damage" excuse.)

Image- Fox News (ICE agents during a 2008 raid in New York.)
Sources- UPI, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, miamiherald.com, CBS4.com, New York Times