As President Donald Trump continues to tout his administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown, fears in immigrant communities over ICE arrests and deportations are at an all-time high.
So far, immigration officers are falling short of President Trump’s expectation to enact the largest deportation push in American history, but elevated rhetoric from the White House (and the arrest of undocumented people without criminal backgrounds) has instilled fear in many immigrant communities.
The administration has used its Instagram page to reinforce its aggressive immigration stance, posting insensitive memes about “illegal alien ASMR” and mocking Valentine’s Day cards about deportations: “Roses are red, violets are blue, come here illegally, and we’ll deport you,” alongside photos President Trump and Tom Homan, the White House “border czar.”
Meanwhile, both Homan and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller have openly said they are trying to make life difficult for immigrants so that they “self-deport.” Homan, in particular, has said he would not hesitate to deport parents who are in the country illegally, even if they have young U.S.-born children.
There’s been alarming examples of that: Earlier this week, NBC News reported that a 10-year-old U.S. citizen was deported to Mexico with her undocumented parents last month despite being in the middle of brain cancer treatment.
In January, the Trump administration rolled back Obama-era Department of Homeland Security reforms that protected sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, courthouses and places of worship from immigration enforcement. (In February, a federal judge blocked the policy of allowing arrests in churches for some religious groups.)
The harsh messaging has had an effect: While there’s yet to be a widespread effort to formally allow ICE in schools, school districts throughout the country have reported attendance dropping in the wake of highly publicized ICE raids, with some classrooms seeing as many as two-thirds of students absent.
In cities like Portland, Oregon, and Washington D.C, lines for food pantries have shortened since Trump took office, a possible indication that immigrants in these “sanctuary cities” are afraid to leave their homes.
Given all this, many Americans with protected status are wondering what they can do to help undocumented neighbors who are worried about being detained or deported.
“Immigrants don't need saving; they need our government to stop violating their constitutional rights.”
- TJ, Salt Lake City resident who runs a social media channel that verifies ICE sightings
Teachers are trying to help ease fears among their students. Nicole, a public school teacher in Boston who asked to use her first name only to protect her privacy, has worked with undocumented families for 11 years. In January, she created a TikTok with advice for parents whose kids go to school with undocumented students and want to help.
“I’m lucky to work in an area where my district and union has provided guidance to teachers and families on what we can do, but there are still things teachers can do on their own to help their students,” Nicole told HuffPost.
Right now, she said, there are heightened fears among school staff that students will return home from school and find no one there.
“So even just doing things like making sure every student in the classroom has memorized the phone numbers of trusted adults, and possibly someone that is not a parent, can help,” she said. “You don’t need to ask specifically about documentation status for that.”
On Reddit, people have posted pocket-sized “Know Your Rights” red cards with bilingual information about how to handle encounters with federal immigration authorities. (The Los Angeles Unified School District has passed along similar cards to students.) Others have discussed jamming up the ICE tip hotline.
On Instagram, people have been sharing real-time photos of ICE stops at certain intersections in their neighborhoods so that undocumented people can avoid the areas.
While well-meaning, the latter effort may not be so helpful. So much of what the Trump administration is doing seems designed to create fear in the hope that people will “self-deport” ― and often, those posts aren’t verified or they’re off base.
“Sharing such unverified rumors on social media can create more panic and fear,” said Kelly Morales, the co-director of Siembra NC, a grassroots organization defending the undocumented Latino community in North Carolina.
It’s not always easy to identify immigration agents, either. Sometimes, they use unmarked cars, and they’ve been reported wearing vests that say “police.”
Morales’ group verifies immigration agent sightings in her community, then sends out alerts on social media and via text to a list of over 20,000 subscribers if they’re legitimate. Groups that similarly verify ICE stops exist elsewhere: The Illinois Council on Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) in Chicago, for instance, or the LA Immigrant Assistance Hotline in Southern California.
In the first week of the Trump administration, Siembra NC’s hotline got about 600 calls, though most of them were false alarms. Morales said the group has confirmed a dozen ICE detentions in North Carolina in the last month, including three recently in Durham.
Instead of sharing sightings that may be misinformation, Morales suggests printing out sample flyers and palm cards in different languages or reposting videos that explain how to protect your Fourth Amendment rights if you come into contact with an immigration agent. Siembra NC also has a free downloadable community defense playbook.
Obviously, though, don’t go up to a neighbor you suspect is undocumented if you haven’t already built trust and a relationship with them. That will likely only add to their unease.
“Right now, it’s really difficult for undocumented people to know who they can trust, especially when it comes to white allies,” said TJ, a resident of Salt Lake City who runs a social media channel that verifies ICE sightings in the area. (TJ asked to use their first name only to protect their privacy and job security.)
“I have had a dozen or more people reach out and genuinely want to help, but often they’re not at all connected to immigrant communities,” TJ said. “It can come in with a little bit of a ‘white savior’ energy, with no established trust.”
“Immigrants don’t need saving; they need our government to stop violating their constitutional rights,” TJ said.
“You cannot advise someone to break the law, but you can explain their rights.”
- Catherine Seitz, the legal director at the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area
One of the best ways that you can be there for your neighbors is to actually know your own rights, said Alejandra Oliva, an author in Chicago who’s written about ICE enforcement in her community.
“For instance, what is the difference between an administrative warrant that doesn’t give ICE agents or police a right to enter your space and a judicial warrant that does?” she said.
After taking a local “Know Your Rights” training, Oliva learned what interactions are useful if you come into contact with ICE agents who are arresting people. (You can find a similar training from a reputable organization like the National Immigrant Justice Center and check out the National Immigration Law Center’s guide for employers.)
“As a citizen, you can record video, get badge numbers if you can, ask where the people being arrested are taken and get in touch with a local immigration org to share your findings,” Oliva said.
Could you get in trouble legally for impeding ICE by handing out “red cards” or sharing information about “Know Your Rights” trainings?
It’s a question that some may wonder about since Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was called out by Homan for hosting a “Know Your Rights” webinar earlier this month.
But it’s not illegal to tell someone what their rights are, said Catherine Seitz, the legal director at the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area.
“You cannot advise someone to break the law, but you can explain their rights such as the right to remain silent and the right to not open your door unless ICE has a judicial warrant,” Seitz told HuffPost.
Other ways to help? There’s an urgent need for more legal resources, so consider donating to organizations that work with low-cost or nonprofit immigrant lawyers.
Talk to friends and family about what’s going on, too, especially if you live in a predominantly white neighborhood. That’s what Brynden Wallin has been doing in rural Minnesota, where she lives.
“A lot of people you talk to believe it would only be dangerous criminals who would be affected by the threats made by this administration,” she told HuffPost.
“I think there’s currently some shock and disbelief that these are people we know in our communities who are being impacted, directly and indirectly,” Wallin explained. “I try to break these things down in personal terms when I can. It’s important to remind people who seem to be in favor of harsh policies that these are our neighbors.”
Protests and getting vocal matter, too, said Kica Matos, the president of the National Immigration Law Center in Los Angeles.
“This administration needs to hear that Americans reject these inhumane policies,” Matos said. “The only way forward is together. Our strength lies in community, in looking out for our neighbors and in understanding that when one of us struggles, we all feel that struggle.”
