Courtesy of ICIRR

On Sunday, the U.S. Border Patrol violently attacked a crowd of migrants, including women, infants and small children, who were on the Mexico side of the U.S./Mexico border at San Ysidro. Those attacked were among the estimated 5000 persons hoping to apply for asylum and to enter the U.S. Some have been waiting at the border crossing for six months. Following is a statement from Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights Executive Director Lawrence Benito: “Instead of providing relief and compassion to those in need, and protecting the rights and safety of those awaiting their chance to apply, the U.S. government has rained violence down on them. ICIRR calls upon our 18 Representatives in the U.S. Congress, along with Senators Duckworth and Durbin, to protest loudly and demand an immediate cessation of this provocative and unwarranted attack on migrants and refugees, before the U.S. forfeits entirely its reputation as a haven for the oppressed and a land of opportunity.”