Mexican president slams US raids on farmworkers

Mexico City, July 12 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned recent US immigration raids targeting migrant workers in farm fields, saying the actions were unjust and would harm the US economy.

“These raids are deeply unfair and will severely damage the US economy,” Sheinbaum said during her daily press conference on Friday.

Emphasising the significant contributions of both Mexican nationals and other Latino migrants to the US economy, she said, “Without that labor force, California and other states will see their fields go unharvested.”

Sheinbaum said that following the raids in California, staff from Mexican consulates are visiting detention centers to determine how many Mexicans may have been detained, Xinhua news agency reported.

She also announced increased funding for Mexico’s consulates in the United States, especially to strengthen legal support for detained nationals. “Our brothers and sisters over there need legal assistance, and we’re going to ensure they get it,” she said.

On Thursday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided two farms in southern California.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that authorities executed criminal search warrants in Carpinteria and Camarillo, California, on Thursday. They arrested immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally, and there were also at least 10 immigrant children on site, the statement said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection were both part of the operation, the statement said.

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