Advocates denounce immigration enforcement raid at Southern New Mexico dairy

Yahoo

20 hours ago

Advocates on Monday denounced a recent immigration enforcement raid carried out by Homeland Security Investigations agents that led to the arrests of 11 workers at a southeastern New Mexico dairy farm.
María Romano, coordinator of the Lea County office of the New Mexico worker and immigrant rights organization Somos Un Pueblo Unido, said the raid in Lovington — the first of her knowledge in the area — has stoked fear among immigrant communities as tensions surrounding immigration enforcement spike nationwide.
"People are sad. They're angry. But more than anything, they're scared," Romano said in an interview in Spanish.
In a June 4 post on X, formerly Twitter, the El Paso field office of Homeland Security Investigations — the federal law enforcement agency housed within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — announced agents had arrested 11 "illegal aliens for violations of fraud & misuse of visas, permits & other documents" during a raid at Outlook Dairy in Lovington.
ICE's Facebook page noted the raid in a post Saturday, adding, "Criminal employers who hire illegal workers put other employees and our communities at risk. Plus, they undercut their competition by exploiting illegal alien labor, making it harder for legitimate American businesses to stay afloat."
Outlook Dairy manager Isaak Bos declined to comment on the raid when contacted by The New Mexican on Monday. He told the Albuquerque Journal the workers provided false paperwork.
Of the 11 people arrested during the raid, Romano said 10 were from Guatemala and one was from Mexico. While she doesn't know where the Guatemalans are currently, she said, she believes the Mexican worker is now back in Mexico.
ICE did not immediately respond to The New Mexican's request for more information on the raid, including the location of the 11 people arrested.
The Lovington raid and Romano's response to it come amid rising tensions between federal immigration enforcement and immigrant communities across the U.S.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Los Angeles over the weekend to denounce the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. President Donald Trump deployed hundreds of National Guard troops to quell the demonstrations, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to sue the president over the move, calling it an "unmistakable step toward authoritarianism" in a social media post Monday.
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat who represents much of the southern half of the state, on Monday advocated for the Trump administration to "reverse course to restore peace" and maintain focus on reforming the "broken" immigration system.
"Raiding workplaces, turning federal agents and the military against American citizens, and transforming our streets into war zones is not how we enforce our immigration laws," Vasquez said in a statement.
He added, "We need real immigration reform rooted in due process, public safety, and compassion, not inflamed tensions and conflicts in the street.'
In response to the Lovington raid, Somos Un Pueblo Unido issued a news release calling on local and state officials to "push for humane immigration laws" while demanding transparency from ICE and protecting "the rights of all New Mexicans, regardless of immigration status."
The organization also provides materials and organizes workshops to ensure immigrants know — and know how to exercise — their civil rights.
It's something Romano encourages people to do.
"We've spent many years telling people: 'Understand your rights. Learn your rights. Even if you're undocumented, you have rights,' " she said.
Romano added, "We have to be very well-informed about our rights and avoid any missteps — because we already know where we'll end up."