Immigrant families prepare action plans as Trump says ICE crackdown can take place near schools, churches and hospitals
Immigrant's rights advocates are helping vulnerable families prepare plans of action in case an undocumented relative is suddenly detained or deported.
Immigrant families are spending the holidays having difficult conversations in anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to carry out what he has called “the largest deportation program in American history” once he's sworn in next month.
“A lot of us are honestly celebrating Christmas together thinking, ‘Oh my God, is this the last time we get to spend Christmas with our family members?’” said Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, who leads the Hope CommUnity Center, a nonprofit organization outside of Orlando, Florida, that advocates for immigrants and other underserved communities. "This is really heart-wrenching."
To deliver on Trump's promise to deport more than 11 million undocumented immigrants, the incoming administration intends to roll back policies that restrict immigration enforcement actions in sensitive places like schools, churches and hospitals, as well as their respective surrounding areas, NBC News reported.
"There’s no way they can deport millions of people if they don’t go for the low-hanging fruit, and this is it,” Sousa-Lazaballet said.
NBC News spoke with nearly a half-dozen immigrants' rights advocates across four states, and they all said they have received an increased number of calls from immigrants asking about their rights. They have also heard questions from community groups, schools and churches about what their roles are in the face of such possibilities.
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