AMY GOODMAN: I'm looking at ThinkProgress, an article they wrote. They said, "As labor reporterMike Elk notes at Payday Report, it may not be a coincidence that the Morton plant was raided. There have been at least two other plants, one in Salem, Ohio, and another in Morristown, Tennessee, where ICE raids have followed complaints of worker conditions. Last year, for example, [OSHA] the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Fresh Mark over $200,000 for three separate incidents in which proper safety guards were not in place in its Salem meatpacking plant. A week later, it was raided by ICE." Let me put this question to the mayor of Jackson, to Chokwe Lumumba, this issue of ICE being used as a hammer on activist workers.
MAYOR CHOKWE ANTAR LUMUMBA: Absolutely. I think that if we follow the case studies of what we've seen so far, then it appears to be a punitive of measure against the workers. The words of the U.S. attorney, the assistant U.S. attorney here in Mississippi, suggesting that this was an effort to punish the corporations, those words versus their actions just don't match up. The only people who appear to be punished, the punitive measures that were inflicted were against those workers, those individuals who were seeking opportunity, being taken from their jobs, not doing any criminal acts, to be placed in cages, to be locked up, to be taken away from their children. And while some have reportedly been released to take care of their children, the trauma has already ensued. The trauma has already taken effect. You know, for this to be the first day of school for their children, it's unconscionable. And so, there appears to be a pattern that has been established here.
L. PATRICIA ICE: And I would just like to add that at least two of the plants that were raided were unionized by the United Food and Commercial Workers union. And one of those was the Morton plant, and the other one was the Peco plant in Canton, Mississippi. And unions have been constantly under attack, especially here in Mississippi. So, the fact that those plants and the Morton plant, I believe, is one of the ones that was that is unionized by the United Food and Commercial Workers union. And the fact that those unions have a presence there was probably another reason why the United States government chose to target those plants, because it is clear that the corporations and others want to get rid of unions here in Mississippi, and really across the nation.
AMY GOODMAN: Finally, Mayor Lumumba, this climate today, what we're just coming off of last weekend, these two mass killings. In El Paso, a white supremacist apparently releases a manifesto talking about the "invasion." You have President Trump repeating those words thousands of times this year alone, just in his campaign ads in January and February, apparently, 2,200 times using this word "invasion," then going after congresswomen of color, going after Congressmember Cummings after his house was invaded by an intruder. You have President Trump saying, "Aw, too bad," in a tweet. Can you talk about white supremacy? You are a longtime activist. President Trump, do you see him as a white supremacist?
MAYOR CHOKWE ANTAR LUMUMBA: I do. I do. I return to the statement that I made when we initially started our discussion. I think that we have to reflect on where the soul of this nation is. You know, America is infected with a disease, and that disease is called racism. It often is utilized to support economic benefits of corporations, the economic benefits of those who use such divisions in order for their personal profit. And I think that we're seeing a president who exacerbates that, a president who is incited by that.
And so, we have to really reflect on where the soul of this nation is, when he has the slogan that he wants to "make America great again." When we reflect on the labor policy of this nation, not only what we're seeing today we think about the Africans that were snatched off of a continent to work for free my ancestors when we think about all of the oppressive conditions of dehumanizing and pushing away unions, this country has had a long-standing labor practice that is just despicable at best. And so, the idea of "make America great again," we don't see a country that has gone wrong, in my opinion; we see a country that has never been right.
AMY GOODMAN: Well, I want to thank you both for --
L. PATRICIA ICE: And if I could
AMY GOODMAN: Yes, L. Patricia?
L. PATRICIA ICE: Yeah, I just want to add one thing, that the effects of these raids are going to be long-lasting. As I mentioned earlier, in 2008 I was part of the response to that raid, and I have at least one client that I'm still working with, 11 years later, as a result of that raid. And I'm sure that there are others who are still involved with immigration courts or with the government as a result of that raid. So, this has had, as I said, devastating effects on our community. Mississippi is a small state, and the communities that were affected are small communities where people do know one another. They go to church with us. We are in organizations together. We see each other in our neighborhoods, at school, in the grocery store, etc. And so, this was a horrendous thing that happened to us here in Mississippi.
AMY GOODMAN: L. Patricia Ice, I want to thank you for being with us, legal projects director at the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance, and Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi.
This is Democracy Now! When we come back, a devastating new U.N. climate report comes out. We'll speak with one of the U.N. climate scientists. Stay with us.
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AMY GOODMAN: "Amor Eterno," "Eternal Love," sung by Rocà o Dà ºrcal. This is a song that's being sung at vigils after the mass shootings around the country.
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