Immigration

Poetry readings took place in about 45 cities across the United States Wednesday night to raise money for immigrants in need. Local poets gathered in South Bend to participate.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue fielded several trade questions while visiting Purdue University Tuesday morning including numerous inquiries about the potential economic impacts of the southern border crisis.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Goshen  as part of Saturday’s national protests for the unification of immigrant families. They hope help bring attention to immigration issues in their community.

Protesters gathered to tell personal stories of immigration and family separation, and to show support for those afraid they may face deportation. They also focused on children separated from parents, which has caused national outrage. Event co-organizer Marilyn Torres used silver, emergency thermal blankets to help connect protestors to the children’s experience.  

 
The private company CoreCivic today announced it will formally withdraw plans to build a multimillion dollar detention center just south of Elkhart.
 

Elkhart County Commissioner Mike Yoder said company representatives called to let him know about the change in plans late this morning.
 

Community leaders and immigrant advocates gathered yesterday to voice concerns regarding CoreCivic’s proposal to build a hundred million dollar immigration detention center for Immigration Customs Enforcement in Elkhart County.

Community organizer Richard Aguirre says the event was intended to send not only a strong message of opposition to CoreCivic’s proposal and but also a message of unity amongst diverse segments of the community.

The recent announcement of a proposal by CoreCivic, a private, Tennessee-based company, to build an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Elkhart County has some residents in search of ways to make their opposition known. The immigrant advocacy group, Elkhart-Goshen Sanctuary Coalition, hosted a seminar Saturday in Elkhart to discuss protest techniques with residents.  

The South Bend nonprofit La Casa de Amistad hosted a meeting Thursday, to discuss the details of the recent consideration of Elkhart County as the site for a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, detention facility by the private company CoreCivic.

Residents of St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties gathered to write letters to urge local government leaders to vote down CoreCivic’s proposal to build the facility when the proposal is presented.
 

The federal plan to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, in six months, would impact nearly 1,200 people in Michiana and 10,000 people statewide. Michiana non-profits hosted a rally urging Republican Representative Jackie Walorski to support protection for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

Executive Director of the South Bend non-profit La Casa de Amistad, Sam Centellas said the message is simple.