by Natalie Hanson
posted April 9
Immigrant advocacy organizations are racing to block the Trump Administration’s attempts to enforce the campaign promise of “mass deportations” that could potentially affect millions of people.
But in the North State, many people live far away from immigration attorneys who could help them with their existing cases or new threats from ICE, said Chico attorney Sergio Garcia, who practices personal injury law, and in 2014, became the nation’s first undocumented person to obtain a law license. Garcia is now an American citizen.
Garcia regularly directs immigrants needing legal help to attorneys practicing in Sacramento.
In recent weeks, the federal government has revoked green cards and student visas — sometimes because of political views — and is pressuring the IRS to provide tax information that will help detain and deport people.
Legal experts joined an American Community Media panel March 28 to explain how the administration, through these actions, has circumvented due process – particularly by deporting hundreds of people to detention centers in Panama or El Savador.
Zenobia Lai, executive director of Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, said there are two approaches within the administration’s strategy. The administration has first focused on “let no one in” — making the border crossing process more difficult, for one — and then moving to “kick everyone out,” she said.
“The process begins with (accusing people) of an unlawful presence, denying birthright citizenship and then shutting the door behind people … by creating a situation where young people are also denied a future after removal of the older generations,” Lai said.
Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, a bipartisan political organization focused on immigration and criminal justice reform using the FWD.us Education Fund, said Trump will not stop expanding the definition of who he determines cannot live in America.
Schulte said the president will seek to remove people who secured legal entry from under many violent regimes, such as Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion of their country and people fleeing Afghanistan under the Taliban regime. That will exacerbate pressure at the border and in the overwhelmed court system, he said.
“We heard so much during the campaign — to go back nine and a half years — about Mexicans and Muslims. We’ve seen an effort to expand this effort of criminalizing folks,” Schulte said.
David Leopold, former president and general counsel of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, emphasized how Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act is the first such example since the federal government employed it during World War II to incarcerate Japanese Americans in internment camps. He said the goal is to remove Venezuelans from America, establishing a dangerous “policy by rhetoric” practice to bypass the country’s well-established courtroom processes and rules protecting due process for immigrants.
“This is about due process, and taking all of these complicated laws together is an abridgement and an encroachment,” Leopold said.
He added: “A majority of people held in ICE jails and prisons are in privately operated facilities — many of these are in the South, and Louisiana has many of them.”
Garcia, the Chico attorney, emphasized how crucial Trump’s rhetoric has been to not only make people fearful, but embolden people who are prejudiced against migrants.
“The reality is that the rhetoric is frankly what’s most harmful because it emboldens others to no longer hide their racism,” Garcia said. “The fact remains (while) Trump has deported less people than Biden and Obama, what’s truly harmful are his terror tactics that affect the most vulnerable.
“In the end, his economic policies will sink us all,” Garcia added, “but I guess the philosophy of some is, ‘That’s ok as long as he gets rid of immigrants first.’”
Garcia was approved for his green card soon after coming to the United States, but then waited in the so-called “line” for the actual card for more than 20 years.
There are a few resources available for people living in rural Northern California. Chico State’s DREAM Center offers support for undocumented students and those from mixed-status immigrant families, including consultations with its immigration legal services provider, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA).
NorCal Resist – an immigrant advocacy organization – posts regularly about potential ICE raids in the Sacramento Valley.
“Please remember many people are terrified right now,” NorCal Resist said in an April 6 Facebook post. “Sharing unverified rumors causes harm and distress to people who we all care about. We will immediately post information once verified. If you are a student who has had a visa revocation you are also welcome to reach out to us for assistance connecting with legal and other resources.”
Natalie Hanson is a contributing editor at ChicoSol.