Thread: Immigration raids spark plan-ahead drive

Immigration raids spark plan-ahead drive
The Orange County Register

http://www.ocregister.com/news/year-imm ... s-children

Lawyers and advocacy organizations teach illegal immigrants to prepare for deportations and know their rights.
By AMY TAXIN ataxin@ocregister.com



ORANGE - After immigration raids near her house this year, Rosa isn't taking many chances.

The 35-year-old illegal immigrant tries to stay home when possible and avoids extra trips to the store. And she's spoken with her two U.S.-born children about what lacking papers means – and let them know that if she is deported, a family friend will bring them to her in Mexico.

Citing an increase in raids, immigration rights advocates are urging families to plan for a deportation if someone in their household faces that risk. About 3 million children who are U.S. citizens have at least one parent who is undocumented, according to a 2006 Pew Hispanic Center study.

Immigrant organizations across the country try to encourage families to prepare for deportation much in the way safety experts encourage people to plan for an emergency or natural disaster. Their advice includes taking care of property records and finances and making clear plans for who will care for children if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests caretakers.

"We're anticipating enforcement being the No. 1 thing that is going to happen in immigration," said John Ayala, chairman of the Southern California chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "We're trying to get prepared for it."

During the past fiscal year, ICE made nearly twice as many arrests – 30,396 – in its fugitive operations program as it did in the year before. The program tries to track down illegal immigrants who ignore court deportation orders or have criminal records. It may also lead to the arrest of undocumented immigrants with no previous contact with the law and legal immigrants with criminal convictions.

ICE also arrested more than 4,000 illegal immigrants in workplace raids during the 2007 fiscal year, up 11 percent from a year earlier and more than three times the number of arrests two years earlier.

Advocacy groups started urging immigrants to make plans after a workplace raid this year in New Bedford, Mass., separated detained parents from young children. While groups have long dispensed advice on immigrants' rights during a raid – for example, on whether they must open the door to agents and on their right to remain silent – many now also offer guidelines on what people can do ahead of time to protect their family.

The Catholic Legal Immigration Network recently issued new guidelines that aim to give illegal immigrants more practical advice, such as keeping copies of important documents with a trusted relative and carrying prescription medications. The Mexican consulate in Santa Ana is distributing wallet-sized cards that tell people what to do if arrested and remind them of their rights and responsibilities under U.S. law.

Rosa, who asked that her last name be withheld because she fears deportation, said she spoke with her 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter after they saw TV footage of ICE raids near their home. "It's the same as always, but now we've seen more raids," she said.

Some organizations suggest immigrants get a power-of-attorney signed to handle personal matters, though Anaheim-based immigration lawyer Louis Piscopo said California notaries require a valid form of U.S. identification or a foreign passport stamped by U.S. authorities.

Ayala, who works with a network of Southern California immigration lawyers to provide emergency legal services in case of a raid, suggested parents take other precautions, such as authorizing a relative to pick up children at school in case of an emergency.

We're anticipating enforcement being the No. 1 thing that is going to happen in immigration," said John Ayala, chairman of the Southern California chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

We can only hope that the rule of law is finally restored even if it takes awhile. For decades millions of illegal aliens have made a mockery of our legal system. But the number of enforcement workplace raids is still small with extremist groups such as La Raza and the ACLU fighting every day to stop us from enforcing our very reasonable and moral laws.

Originally Posted by Populist

We're anticipating enforcement being the No. 1 thing that is going to happen in immigration," said John Ayala, chairman of the Southern California chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

We can only hope that the rule of law is finally restored even if it takes awhile. For decades millions of illegal aliens have made a mockery of our legal system. But the number of enforcement workplace raids is still small with extremist groups such as La Raza and the ACLU fighting every day to stop us from enforcing our very reasonable and moral laws.

Yes,
and they will keep on fighting till America stops them.

I have a easy solution, just pack up your kids and leave now on your own and avoid the stress!

I only wish their preparations were to liquidate any assets, pack their vehicles and take their children and go home.

It would save them and us a lot of trouble and expense.

There have been several meetings in our town to 'help' the illegal aliens prepare and avoid raids and deportation.


Posted - 09/26/2007 : 18:26:30 Show Profile Reply with Quote
This was in La Luz this week. Some, ahhh, rather interesting comments. Anyone able to go to the next meeting and report? Wish I could.


Workshops help immigrants form protection plan in case detained

September 26, 2007
By RYAN PAGELOW rpagelow@scn1.com

To help prepare immigrants for the worst if a relative is detained by immigration officials, separate workshops were held last week at a North Chicago church and the Belvidere Mall in Waukegan to inform immigrants of their rights.

About 25 people attended an Immigrant Protection Plan workshop at Queen of Peace Church in North Chicago organized by Instituto del Progreso Latino and Holy Family Parish. The workshops come after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials worked with police to detain 58 immigrants who had prior convictions and after the city of Waukegan applied for a federal program that would train police to initiate deportation proceedings for violent criminals earlier this summer.

"Overall people are worried," said Jackie Herrera Giron, director of legalization at the Instituto del Progreso Latino. "Does this alleviate the fear? I think a little bit. Now they can plan. They can look at the options and plan for the worst. I think if anything, people got their concerns addressed."

During the workshop, the presenters also informed people about who qualifies to apply for legal residency and citizenship.

Presenters also helped families come up with a plan in case a relative is detained. For example, in an age of cellphones, it's important to memorize the landline of someone you could call in case you are detained because many cellphone service providers do not allow incoming collect calls from detention centers.

The workshop also discussed "no-match letters" which the federal government sends to employers of employees who had a name that did not match their Social Security Number. The program has been temporarily stalled. Under the program employers would be given 30 days to provide the appropriate documents that confirm that an employee's name and Social Security Number match. The employer could face a fine if the employee with the "mismatch" continues to work for the company.

The possibility of "no-match letters" being sent out has frightened a lot of mixed-status families where one or more members of the family are undocumented and the rest are legal permanent residents or U.S. citizens.

The workshop also discussed what undocumented immigrants can do to prove that they have lived in United States to prepare for the possibility of a future comprehensive immigration reform. Getting an Individual Tax Identification Number and paying taxes is one way. It's important to start collecting any documents with your name and date on it such as payments to a landlord or bank statements, Herrera said.

Another separate workshop on immigrant rights was held at the Belvidere Mall in Waukegan last Thursday for about 50 people.

"The best protection is to be proactive," said Armando Cano of the consulate's Departamento de Protección, who was one of the speakers.

A second series of workshops on immigrant rights will start on Oct. 4 at the Queen of Peace Church, located at 910 14th Street in North Chicago from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and continue on Oct. 5 and 6. The event is organized by the Instituto del Progreso Latino and Holy Family Parish.

To register or for more information call Carmen Patlan at (847) 623-0118 or Jackie Herrera Giron at (70 652-7711 Ext. 1.

What you should do if you're detained by immigration officials:

-- Do not lie. You can give your true name.

-- You do not have to allow authorities to enter your home unless they have a warrant signed by a judge that allows them entry.

-- Tell ICE if you have children at home that need adult care.

-- You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to answer any questions until you have spoken with your attorney. This right applies to everyone regardless of immigration status.

-- Do not sign anything until you've spoken with your attorney.

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