NEW YORK—Disruptive protestors vandalized office of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Albany, New York, over the Trump administration’s enforcement of existing immigration policies.
Photos obtained by The Epoch Times show the front walls of the office being littered with handwritten messages such as “NO WALLS NO BORDERS.” Other vandalized messages called for the abolition of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
Around 2,000 children were separated from adults who brought them over the border in the six weeks from April 19 to May 31 after President Donald Trump ordered the strict enforcement of existing laws to apprehend those who enter the country illegally. Trump then signed an executive order on June 20 to help stop the separation of illegal immigrant families.
One of the photos showed a list of demands written on a sheet of paper and taped onto a part of the Albany office. The vandals—whose identities are not known—demanded illegal immigration to be decriminalized and to give amnesty to all illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States—including those who have committed felonies.
A spokesperson for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said that the office was forced to close on July 6, but reopened the next day.
“For the safety of the public and our employees, USCIS, like other tenants at this location, opted to close due to anticipated protests, in accordance with office policy,” spokesperson Anita Rios Moore said via email.
Moore added: “What these demonstrators may not realize, is that they are actually hurting the people they are trying to help when their actions prevent immigration officers from doing their jobs, adjudicating benefits for those who have applied and now are unable to attend their scheduled appointments.”
It’s unclear how much it would cost to repair the damage done to the Albany office.
Days ago, Vice President Mike Pence told ICE staff that the administration backs the agency “100 percent,” during a speech on July 6.
From The Epoch Times
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