Living in fear: Illegal immigrants prepare for possible deportations

By Venita Jenkins
Staff writer
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A sleepy Cecilia Cancino, 9, rests her head on the shoulder of her father, David Cancino, during the workshop.
Nelly spent most of Monday afternoon preparing passport applications for her three children who are U.S. citizens.

She and her husband, who are in this country illegally, have already asked a friend to care for their four children and send them to Mexico if the couple is deported. The next thing on Nelly’s list is getting papers together for power of attorney.

“I don’t really know what more I can do,” said Nelly, who declined to give her last name. “I just have to live in fear and be prepared.”

Nelly, like many other illegal immigrants, is trying to have a plan in place in case immigration agents arrive on her doorstep. On a recent Tuesday morning, she sat in the kitchen of her home in Shannon and talked about how she and her husband have spent the past few days getting ready.

The arrests of nearly two dozen Smithfield Packing Co. employees last month on administrative charges has illegal immigrants scrambling to get information, documents and advice. They fear other arrests are around the corner.

Families are rushing to apply for passports for their U.S.-born children and making initial contacts with immigration lawyers. Some are also giving power of attorney and guardianship of their children to trusted friends and family members.

Officials at the Robeson County Courthouse, for example, have seen an increase in the number of Hispanics seeking passports for their children. The office has processed 10 to 15 applications a day since early January. Part of the increase is due to stricter travel requirements that went into effect Jan. 23. But a lot are Hispanics.

“They are getting them so they can get the children prepared to send them to Mexico,” said Hazel Collins, who handles passports at the courthouse. “We had four different families here in one hour.”

Preparing for a raid
More than 100 people — mostly young Hispanic families — gathered one night last week at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Raeford to hear how they can prepare themselves for an immigration raid and to learn about their rights. Handouts — written in Spanish — were distributed. Tucked inside was a pamphlet telling people what to do if they are arrested or if immigration agents come to their homes. The pamphlets contain a statement immigrants could read to assert their constitutional rights.

The crowd listened attentively as representatives from the Eastern North Carolina Workers Center and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union went over the dos and don’ts when dealing with immigration agents and how to prepare for deportation.

“It is important for you to have a plan,” said Emma Herrera, executive director of the workers center.

Herrera advised those in the audience to always carry the number of an immigration lawyer and the number of the consulate of their home country. She said they also need to make sure they have any legal documents available and not to carry double identification or false paperwork.

There are some groups that are critical of organizations such as Herrera’s that are advising illegal immigrants.

“If they teach them their rights that is one thing, but if they are telling them not to bring your fake ID, that is just wrong,’’ said William Gheen, president of the Americans for Legal Immigration. “You are not supposed to help people evade justice or advise them how to conceal their criminal activity. They should counsel them on how to return to the country in which they are citizens, get in the back of the line and enter the country legally.’’

Providing for children
Javier Sanchez of Raeford, like others at the meeting in Raeford, had questions about how to provide for his three children if he is deported.

Sanchez, 29, has lived in the United States for seven years.

He said he had been thinking about what to do even before the arrests at Smithfield.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time because there have been a lot of raids going on,” he said.

Febe McLaughlin, who works for the migrant program with Hoke County schools, told parents they should update their contact information and have at least three people authorized to pick up their children in an emergency.

If a parent is arrested and a child is left at school, officials have no choice but to turn the child over to Social Services if there is no one else authorized to take custody of him, she said.

“We can not take them home with us,” McLaughlin said.

Charles Kuck, vice president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said it’s wise for illegal immigrants to have a plan.

“If you are detained, it’s more than likely that you are not going to come back,” he said. “It’s a smart thing to do to give power of attorney to someone who can take care of your property or your family. But giving power of attorney to someone who is also illegal is not smart. They may also be picked up.”

Nelly, who has lived in Robeson County for 13 years, said her brother-in-law was among the 21 who were arrested last month. His wife has since moved in with Nelly and her husband.

Nelly, 29, has tried to talk to her children about the arrests and the fact that she and her husband could be deported. Her children are 5, 8, 10 and 11. Some aren’t old enough to understand. Those who do are frightened by the possibility of their parents being deported.

Her 11-year-old, who is not a U.S. citizen, has questioned her about his uncle’s arrest.

“I told him we are always in fear of being deported,” she said. “He said that we have been here many years and have a home. I said the government doesn’t understand that and that we have to be careful.”

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