By Miriam Jordan
Donald Trump, the president-elect, has committed to drastically reduce immigration — both lawful and unlawful — and to escalate deportations from Day 1.
Immigrants are trying to stay ahead of the imminent crackdown.
Noncitizens are inundating immigration attorneys with calls. They’re filling information workshops set up by nonprofit organizations. They’re taking every possible action to shield themselves from the extensive measures Trump plans to enforce after his inauguration on Jan. 20.
“Individuals who should be worried are coming in, and those with green cards are rushing in too,” stated Inna Simakovsky, an immigration attorney in Columbus, Ohio, who mentioned that her office has been inundated with consultations. “Everyone is terrified,” she remarked.
Individuals holding green cards are eager to attain citizenship at the earliest opportunity. Those with uncertain legal standing or who entered unlawfully are hastily applying for asylum, as even weak claims could, under existing regulations, safeguard them from deportation. People involved with U.S. citizens are hastily organizing marriages, making them eligible for green card applications.
There are approximately 13 million individuals who possess legal permanent residency, while around 11.3 million people were estimated to be living without legal permission in 2022, the most recent data available.
“The outcome of the election plunged me into a state of panic, prompting me to seek a permanent resolution immediately,” expressed Yaneth Campuzano, 30, a software developer in Houston.
Having moved to the U.S. from Mexico at just 2 months old, she qualified for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, the initiative from the Obama administration that has permitted hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came as children to stay in the U.S. and work legally.
However, DACA has been a target for Trump during his inaugural tenure and is facing challenges in a lawsuit that could potentially bring it to an end. Considering the precarious situation of the program, Campuzano and her fiancé, an American neuroscientist, have fast-tracked their wedding plans. They are set to marry next month — prior to Trump taking office. “Only once my status is secured will I be able to relax,” she stated.
Voters from both political parties expressed dissatisfaction with the disorder at the border under President Joe Biden. Trump campaigned advocating for mass deportations and last week expressed intentions to declare a national emergency and utilize the U.S. military to achieve this goal. His primary immigration policy adviser, Stephen Miller, has indicated that “extensive holding facilities” will act as “staging areas” for the initiative. Recently, the land commissioner of Texas offered more than 1,000 acres of state land to the federal government for the construction of detention centers near the border.
Deportations occur frequently. During his first term, Trump deported around 1.5 million individuals, according to research from the Migration Policy Institute. Biden has removed roughly the same number. President Barack Obama deported 3 million during his first term.
Yet, the United States has not sought to deport individuals en masse since the 1950s, and it has never established an extensive detention system to facilitate expulsions before.
Alongside Miller, other immigration hardliners have been appointed to prominent positions, including Thomas Homan, an experienced official from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, designated as “border czar.”
Homan has stated that the focus of the administration will be on removing criminals and individuals with outstanding deportation warrants. However, he has also mentioned that workplace raids and other methods will be utilized to round up undocumented immigrants, many of whom have resided in the country for decades.
Even in California, whose leadership limited cooperation with immigration authorities during Trump’s first term and has vowed to do so again, immigrants are concerned about intensified enforcement.
“This time we are more afraid, given everything Trump claims he will implement upon regaining power,” noted Silvia Campos, a Mexican farmworker without permanent legal status living with her husband and three children, two of whom are U.S. citizens, in Riverside County.
In every direction she looks, whether it’s Spanish-language radio, television, or social media, she feels bombarded by information regarding his plans.
“It’s the central topic of conversation,” exclaimed Campos, 42, who crossed the border with her husband 18 years ago. “We must get ready for the worst.”
This is why she requested a day off from work to attend a “know-your-rights” workshop last Tuesday at a nonprofit.
Among the advice given: You possess the right to stay silent. Only permit immigration agents entry if they present a search warrant issued by a judge. Do not sign any documents without consulting a lawyer. Develop a family plan in case of detention and separation from your children.
Following the workshop, Campos completed a document giving her children authorization to receive medical care if needed and to be looked after by her sister, a U.S. citizen, should she be unavailable. She had three copies notarized, and upon returning home, she convened a meeting with her children, aged 11, 14, and 17.
“We don’t want to instill more fear, but we want them to be prepared for anything,” explained Luz Gallegos, executive director of TODEC Legal Center, which initiated these workshops, often filled to capacity, after its hotline was inundated with calls post-election.
The organization has been dispatching teams to inform farmworkers in Southern California’s agricultural region, which heavily depends on immigrant labor, much of it undocumented. On Thursday morning, all 30 workers at a farm in Lakeview halted their vegetable picking and packing to attend a session, the fourth conducted that day.
In Dallas, Vinchenzo Marinero, 30, a DACA beneficiary, has been anxiously exploring legal avenues to remain in the U.S.
If stripped of DACA, he would forfeit his employment, his driver’s license, and potentially his three-bedroom home. He has started a family with another DACA recipient, and they share a 7-month-old infant.
“Without DACA, I wouldn’t be able to support my family,” said Marinero, who is employed as a systems engineer by a faith-based broadcaster.
He hopes his company will sponsor him for a skilled worker visa, but that isn’t expected to take place until the following year. Meanwhile, his attorney has advised him to renew his DACA for an additional two years, despite it expiring in June 2025.
“By the time Trump takes office, I hope my renewal is approved so I have two more years,” Marinero mentioned. “That gives me additional time to strategize.”
