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Advocates worry Homeland Security may deter immigrants from seeking water

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Advocates worry Homeland Security’s presence in Jackson may deter immigrants from seeking out water

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has sent agents to Jackson to help with emergency water distribution efforts, but organizers who work with undocumented immigrants say its presence may prevent them from seeking assistance. 

The Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity is distributing water from its headquarters at 406 West Fortification St. It is also collecting donations for two immigrant families impacted by flooding in central Mississippi about two weeks ago. Much of the operation is volunteer-based.

Organizers learned DHS agents would be in Jackson on a call where an agent announced they would visit distribution sites “to check things out,” said Jess Manrriquez, director of the Queer and Trans Justice Project for the alliance. The department also released a statement last week saying agents would be in the city. 

“We don’t want anything to do with them because we have people on site who are vulnerable,” Manrriquez said. “As much as they say they won’t (conduct immigration enforcement), we don’t believe that. There are too many instances of people getting caught up.” 

DHS includes Immigration Customs and Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol, which are agencies responsible for immigration enforcement. 

In a Friday statement, the department said emergency relief sites, such as those to receive food and water and to apply for disaster-related assistance, are protected areas where “to the fullest extent possible” ICE and CBP don’t conduct immigration enforcement. 

“ICE and CBP provide emergency assistance to individuals regardless of their immigration status,” according to the statement. “DHS officials do not and will not pose as individuals providing emergency-related information as part of any enforcement activities.”

Other examples of protected areas include schools, hospitals, places of worship and social services establishments. 

Manrriquez said she doesn’t take the department’s word as a guarantee not to enforce immigraton laws. Although DHS says it won’t do it, the department relies on individual agents to determine whether to enforce the laws, she said. 

People who the alliance has helped have reported ICE agents going to protected sites such as schools to request information about children’s parents, she said. 

DHS has also deported people during crises, the alliance said in a Tuesday statement. 

The alliance also highlighted the department’s impact in Mississippi. In 2019, a series of raids at poultry plants resulted in the detention of 680 people. Then-U.S. Attorney Mike Hurt called it “the largest single state immigration enforcement operation in our nation’s history.”

Unless DHS agents wear a badge, uniform or other form of department identification, Manrriquez said there isn’t a way to know whether they visited the alliance’s water distribution site. 

The alliance’s headquarters is a DHS and ICE-free zone, she said. 

The National Guard has been called in to distribute water, similar to how members administered COVID-19 shots earlier in the pandemic. 

Manrriquez said people who are undocumented and in the immigrant community are not as comfortable around people in uniforms. There is a fear that they will be asked to show immigration documents, she said. 

“It’s just the perception, it honestly is,” Manrriquez said. 

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

LIVE: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs guilty of prostitution-related offense

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www.wjtv.com – Safia Samee Ali – 2025-07-02 09:18:00

SUMMARY: Sean “Diddy” Combs was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges after a seven-week trial. The jury convicted him of flying people, including girlfriends and paid sex workers, across the country for sexual encounters, violating the federal Mann Act. However, they did not find sufficient evidence for racketeering conspiracy or sex trafficking. The prosecution portrayed Combs as the head of a criminal enterprise exploiting women, while the defense argued the women were consenting adults and the charges exaggerated his lifestyle. The trial included testimonies from former partners and lasted 13 hours of jury deliberation.

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Mississippi News

Defendant in Mississippi auditor’s ‘second largest’ embezzlement case in history goes free

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www.wjtv.com – Anna Wolfe – 2025-06-28 10:19:00

SUMMARY: Four years ago, Tunica nonprofit operator Mardis Jones was arrested for allegedly embezzling over $1 million from a county home rehabilitation program funded by casino revenue. The state auditor accused Jones of misusing funds meant to help vulnerable residents, claiming little money reached contractors. Jones’ defense cited poor program administration and insufficient evidence of theft, with a jury ultimately acquitting him last month. Despite the criminal acquittal, the auditor’s office demanded repayment through a civil claim, which the attorney general’s office had yet to act on, but recently confirmed receipt of the demand letter. The case highlights issues in government oversight and program management.

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Mississippi News

Events happening this weekend in Mississippi: June 27-29

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www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2025-06-27 07:11:00

SUMMARY: This weekend (June 27-29) in Mississippi offers a variety of events across the state. Central Mississippi hosts the Kiwanis Club of Pearl Golf Tournament, multiple hot air balloon events including the Mississippi Championship Hot Air Balloon Festival in Canton, and exhibitions like Hurricane Katrina: Mississippi Remembers in Jackson. There are also family-friendly activities such as Guys and Dolls Jr. in Natchez, Pilates and yoga events in Jackson, and farmers markets in Jackson, Natchez, and Vicksburg. The Pine Belt region features Story Time with a Soldier in Hattiesburg, immersive theater experiences, karaoke, and runs supporting recovery programs in Laurel.

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