In anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump’s intention to implement what he has referred to as the greatest deportation operation in American history after taking office next month, immigrant families are spending the Christmas having painful conversations.
Many of us are genuinely thinking, “Oh my God, is this the last time we get to spend Christmas with our family members?” as we celebrate the holiday together. said Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, the director of the Hope Community Center, a group that supports underprivileged communities and immigrants outside of Orlando, Florida. “This is really heart-wrenching.”
The incoming administration plans to repeal laws that limit immigration enforcement operations in sensitive locations, such as hospitals, schools, and places of worship, as well as the neighborhoods around them, in order to fulfill Trump’s pledge to deport more than 11 million undocumented immigrants, according to NBC News.
If they don’t go after the low-hanging fruit, they won’t be able to deport millions of people,” Sousa-Lazaballet stated.
NBC News spoke with nearly a half-dozen immigrants’ rights advocates across four states, and they all said they have received an increased number of calls from immigrants asking about their rights. Churches, schools, and community organizations have also questioned them about their responsibilities in light of these possibilities.
The nonprofits and advocates are responding by holding know-your-rights trainings and assisting families who are at risk in creating plans of action in the event that an undocumented relative is unexpectedly detained or deported.
According to Javier Hidalgo, legal director of RAICES, a nonprofit organization in San Antonio that supports immigrants and refugees, a new law in Texas that requires certain hospitals to inquire about patients’ immigration status is beginning to “push folks further into the shadows,” providing a glimpse of what happens when sensitive locations are targeted by immigration enforcement.
According to Hidalgo, Texas has emerged as a model for immigration crackdowns, but this has also inspired activists and charitable organizations to offer impacted families support and strategies to lessen the negative consequences of detentions and deportations. Nearly 5.8 million American households with at least one undocumented relative could be impacted by these.
According to Sousa-Lazaballet, Florida would likewise “feel the brunt” of Trump’s immigration policy sooner than other states because Governor Ron DeSantis has demonstrated that he is supportive of the next president’s objectives.
Sousa-Lazaballet in Florida has been organizing hundreds of unpleasant but important talks to make sure immigrant families have a “dignity plan” in place, just like Hidalgo is doing in Texas.
Redacting guardianships or power-of-attorney paperwork that specify who will care for the children left behind in the event that an undocumented parent is apprehended by immigration officials is part of the strategy. Sousa-Lazaballet said this ensures parents don’t lose custody of their children to the Department of Families and Children simply because they never made it home after being detained or deported.
In Phoenix, Arizona, Jose Pati o, vice president of education and external affairs atAliento, an advocacy organization, is doing the same with its “family packets.” Pati o said it’s important for families to sort out legal guardianship over any of their properties and financial accounts to ensure the relatives left behind can access them if the main breadwinner is detained or deported.
In Sousa-Lazaballet s experience, the first 30 to 45 minutes of these kinds of conversations are of just crying, sobbing, and us trying to get people back enough to their senses to craft the plan they need.
While preparing for the worst is important, the process also takes an unmeasurable mental health toll on both adults and children in immigrant families as they attempt to continue living through their daily routines, Pati o, Hidalgo and Sousa-Lazaballet said.
RAICES, the largest immigration legal services provider in Texas and a leading refugee resettlement agency, has said it’s”ready to challenge any presidential actions that threaten equitable access to the legal and human right to seek safety in the U.S.”
If the policy restricting immigration enforcement actions on sensitive locations is rescinded, depending on how the Trump administration executes that, there may be legal ground for a challenge, Hidalgo said. Until then, the organization will remain vigilant.
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles plans to do the same, said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, its director of communications.
Over the past month, the coalition offered 93 know-your-rights presentations at L.A. schools, businesses and organizations that provide community services. As Inauguration Day approaches, Cabrera said he anticipates the demand for these kinds of trainings to increase.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement “does not have jurisdiction over our lives, the Constitution does, and we are protected regardless of our immigration status,” Cabrera said.
On Jan. 20, United We Dream, the nation s largest immigrant youth-led network, plans to reopen the hotline they launched during Trump’s first term as president, said Anabel Mendoza, the organization’s interim director of communications.
Mendoza said the hotline will provide support to immigrants and anyone affected by immigration enforcement actions in the coming year.
“No one will be immune to feeling the ramifications and consequences of mass deportations. It affects everybody,” she said. That’s why United We Dream is alsourging elected officials at all government levelsto “stand with immigrants,” but most importantly to take “concrete and tangible actions that put up barriers to what we know Trump is planning.”
That, alongside “massive public pressure,” would be key to ensuring that immigration enforcement tactics that “go against American values” don’t become the new normal, Pati o said.
In the meantime, Pati o said he is advising undocumented immigrants, especially young ones, to get legal screenings to find out if they are eligible for any kind of relief that may put them on a path to get legal immigration status.
For those who are already in that process, Hidalgo recommends they always have their immigration paperwork up to date and carry the documents with them in case of an encounter with an immigration enforcement officer.
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