Check in on the Immigrants in Your Lives
They're scared.
Immigrants are scared. And not just noncitizens. Naturalized citizens and children of immigrants are scared too. Everyone should be scared.
We already knew permanent residents weren’t safe under this administration, but if ICE can detain a U.S. citizen for crossing a state line, no one is safe.
did a great job summarizing what happened to Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, the U.S. citizen detained in Florida on Wednesday:* A US citizen
* who didn’t commit a crime
* has been arrested and charged with a currently unenforceable law
* that doesn’t apply to him anyway, because he’s a US citizen
* a judge has validated his birth certificate and citizenship
* and yet ICE has declined to release their hold on him
* with a law designed to give ICE time to take custody of someone
Lopez-Gomez was released today, but this brazen overreach proves that the courts don’t faze ICE. That should give us all pause.
I wrote a piece a couple of months ago, “How To Help Undocumented Immigrants,” which was intended as an informal guide for allies. I stand by it. It still applies, and I think it’s a good starting point for anyone who wants to help noncitizens and migrants, but it needs an addendum, as undocumented immigrants, though the most vulnerable, aren’t the only ones at risk.
reported just a little while ago that ICE is targeting immigrants at court hearings and green card interviews. Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident and green-card holder for a decade, was recently arrested by ICE during what he thought was a citizenship interview. In other words, ICE is targeting noncitizens for trying to “do things the right way,” the perennial refrain of the right.Noncitizens must be aware of this reality. Official channels are not to be trusted. I’m not suggesting noncitizens should skip their interviews and hearings, but they should be aware of the elevated risk. Prepare accordingly. Have a contingency plan in the event something goes wrong. Make sure you have all the proper documentation, of course, but also make sure you have copies of those documents. When applicable, have a notary present when signing immigration forms. Give your citizen friends or family your lawyer’s contact information.
Citizens, be part of that contingency plan if a noncitizen friend entrusts you with it. Call your noncitizen friend’s lawyer if something goes wrong and they’re not able to make the call. Call out politicians and states buckling under the pressure of this administration, like California, which has gotten awfully quiet about being a sanctuary state. Most importantly, don’t be like Gavin Newsom, who is calling the case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia “a distraction.”
Here’s a quick recap of Garcia’s case, which I wrote about yesterday:
These are the undisputed facts:
Garcia was never charged with a crime
Garcia was in the United States legally via a withholding order
Garcia was denied due process—no hearing, no case, no judge
Garcia was sent to CECOT, a maximum-security prison in El Salvador known for human rights violations
A Maryland court ordered that the Trump administration facilitate Garcia’s release and return
The Supreme Court upheld this ruling unanimously
The Trump administration has not complied with the court rulings
This is not a distraction. This case, and every case in which due process is ignored, is THE issue. This isn’t a fight for immigrants. It’s a fight for all of us.
We have to support each other now more than ever. If you’re a U.S. citizen, use your privilege to help those who are most vulnerable. If you have a platform, use it. Be safe, everyone, unless your safety is at the expense of others.