the u.s. think about this. this is the first time that they are even able to contact a family member or anyone in the outside world to let them know that they re safe and that they re okay. and what happens now is that they re given instructions as to which bus they need to get on to finally make it to their destination. but also keep in mind most of these people don t speak english. so you see, a map of the u.s., instructions and i m going to borrow this envelope from one of the volunteers, instructions as to the several destinations they need to take in order to make it to their final destination. but these families, as i mentioned, have already been through so much. including separation inside these detention centers. i spoke to one father and his son about what happened when they were separated for several days inside an i.c.e. detention center. even though you weren t prosecuted, you were separated
an i.c.e. detention center. and polo, the i.c.e. officials say these raids were routine, but the public reaction has been very different from past operations. why? what are you hearing? reporter: that i.c.e. official telling cnn that these kinds of operations, these detention and deportation operations typically happen about two or three times a year,.what is different, though, is obviously the political climate right now and that debate that is happening across the country about how the u.s. government should be prioritizing some of these cases. which leads to the crux of this issue here, the immigrant activists right now, they are concerned that, for example, some of these non-violent, but undocumented offenders, could be categorized in the same group as some of the violent offenders, people who have convictions for drug trafficking, assault, and other things of that nature. so really, that is at the heart of the debate right now. but in the meantime, we are hearing from the trump
deportations. this is some of the latest comments from secretary john kelly. take a listen. well, first of all, they re not rounding anyone up. the people the that i.c.e. apprehend are people who are illegal and then some. i.c.e. is executing the law. reporter: and this is also leading to warnings from the mexican government, who, as we ve already heard, is now reaching out to some of the mexican citizens who are living in the united states, many without legal status, to simply be informed, ana, before they make their way to their nearest i.c.e. detention center to try to keep up with their immigration proceedings. all right, polo sandoval reporting. thank you. let s bring in our panel now. famed attorney and professor emeritus, and a former ambassador to the czech republic and a fellow with the brookings institution. and cnn political commentator and former reagan white house political director, jeffrey