South Florida Groups To Hold Anti-Immigration Raids Rally In Homestead

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HOMESTEAD (CBSMiami) – Pro-immigration groups are holding a rally in Homestead Wednesday where families fearful of future immigration raids can voice their concerns.

The event, sponsored by Women Working Together USA and American Friends Service Committee, starts at 6 p.m. at WeCount! headquarters located at 201 North Krome Avenue.

WeCount!'s director, Jonathan Fried, said the immigrants' fears come from a leaked Department of Homeland Security plan about upcoming raids.

The group says there have been reports of raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the area of Atlanta, Georgia.

"The community understands through the experiences it has had that ICE says one thing and does another," Fried said.  "They don't only take the person they are looking for. We remind the community that they have the right to not open the door for Immigration unless they have a warrant signed by a judge, which they rarely do."

Maria, a Guatemalan immigrant and member of WeCount!, has spent 15 years in the U.S.

She says the threats of raids are just as real as the threats these immigrants faced at home, which forced them to leave in the first place.

"We are working people who left our country due to the fear of violence," she said. "We do not want to return, we just want to live in peace with our children."