WASHINGTON — Today Representative Lou Correa (D-CA) issued the following statement.
Upon landing in Washington, I was shocked to hear of ICE raids being conducted across Orange County—where it appears agents are picking up hard-working, law-abiding taxpayers. Why?
Yesterday, everything was good and boring in Santa Ana. Everyone was going to church and going to the grocery store—it was a beautiful day. Today ICE is coming in to raid and disrupt our neighborhood? These are the parents whose children went to school with my kids. They take care of our elderly, mow our lawns, and are a part of the fourth largest economy in the world. This is inciting fear in our community.
There are reports of arrests of individuals doing nothing but standing outside and being profiled. It’s unacceptable, and shocking, that this is happening in my hometown of Santa Ana.
Resistance to unjust, illegal activity starts with learning lessons from history. Gandhi and MLK were effective because of peaceful protest. You don’t take on a tank or an M16 by walking into it—you do it in a smart, legal, and safe way. Our future depends on a strategic, effective response. One that protects our kids, their future, and their rights.
Should the community express their first amendment rights, I ask that it be done peacefully. And if you have questions about your legal rights, call my office. My team and I are here to continue to help.
And we ask that the federal government use restraint and common sense and adhere to our constitutions’ provisions of awarding due process to all those living in this great country.
About Lou Correa
Congressman Lou Correa is a longtime Orange County resident, with deep local roots. To this day, he lives only three miles from his childhood neighborhood in Anaheim. He is the son of working-class parents whose hard work gave him a chance at success, and has spent his career fighting to protect the American Dream, and ensure anyone can reach the middle class, just as he did. In 2016, Lou was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to continue his work by representing the community he has spent the past 20 years serving, fighting to give everyone access to the same opportunity he had. Congressman Correa is committed to working across party lines to strengthen the middle class and give everyone a shot at the American Dream by investing in education, healthcare, and our fading infrastructure, and has introduced legislation to protect the legal rights of immigrants, care for veterans, and fight against the wasteful spending of taxpayer money.
