A migrant rights group in Texas is reportedly advising the state's estimated 1.6 million undocumented residents to plan ahead in case of detention, as deportation risks rise with the incoming Trump administration.
Joaquin Garcia, director of community organizing for La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), urged attendees at a recent meeting to consider the practical aspects of their lives, such as childcare, bills, and property, if they were detained. "Who's going to pick up the kids from school? Payments on the house, car payments, house bills, the property title –– all of that has to be in your plan," Garcia said.
The risk of deportation has increased significantly since President-elect Donald Trump's campaign, which focused heavily on mass deportations. Immigrant rights groups across Texas, including LUPE, are hosting "Know Your Rights" sessions to help undocumented residents prepare for possible encounters with authorities, as reported by The Texas Tribune.
"We know that President-elect Donald Trump doesn't take office until January 20," Garcia said. "Right now is the best time to prepare." His advice is not meant to cause fear, but to help families create a plan if they face detention.
Garcia's message comes at a time when Texas has the second-highest number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., with approximately 1.6 million residents living without legal status. With Texas's Republican leadership signaling strong support for the Trump administration's deportation efforts, residents in the state feel increasingly vulnerable.
Last week, LUPE hosted a training session in the Rio Grande Valley, where about 50 people gathered, despite rainy weather. During the session, LUPE staff demonstrated various scenarios, such as traffic stops and detentions, to help participants understand their rights and how to respond in such situations.
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The group encouraged attendees to think ahead about how they could manage their lives if detained and reminded them to consult attorneys for specific legal advice. Despite the support, skepticism remains among some attendees, with one woman expressing doubt that knowing her rights would prevent deportation. "They grab you and they take you, even if you know your rights," she said in Spanish.
The LUPE team plans to host more training sessions to provide detailed information and address lingering questions about the legal complexities of deportation, self-deportation, and what to do if detained.
The uncertainty surrounding the future of immigration policies and the Trump administration's promise of the "largest deportation in U.S. history" have sent shockwaves through immigrant communities, with lawyers and nonprofit organizations reporting a surge in clients "scrambling" to "adjust their status" in anticipation of the looming policy changes. The Latin Times spoke to immigration lawyers and advocates to find out more about the situation.
National immigration lawyer and scholar Elizabeth Ricci said she has observed a "marked increase in folks trying to legalize and legal folks trying to obtain a more permanent status." Ricci, who is based in Florida, added that Trump's recent deportation-related announcements have driven some undocumented individuals to "live deeper in the shadows," while others are making "an effort to document their lives to be able to show deep roots."
Trump said he is open to building deportation camps for migrants once he takes office in January. In his interview with Time magazine, in which he was named "Person of the Year," he said he will do "whatever it takes to get them out." Tom Homan, the incoming "border czar" under the Trump administration, has accepted an offer to lease over 1,400 acres of land in Starr County, which will be used for border security measures, with the construction of deportation facilities being one of the proposed options.
In addition to bringing uncertainty to the population, the proposals of mass deportation could severely harm the U.S. economy by reducing economic growth, shrinking the labor force, and increasing inflation, a report by Democrats on the Congressional Joint Economic Committee (JEC) revealed.
The report, based on data from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, estimated deporting 8.3 million undocumented immigrants could cut the GDP by 7.4% and reduce employment by 7% by 2028.
The American Immigration Council estimated that deporting 1 million undocumented immigrants each year until the entire population was removed could cause a 4.2% to 6.8% loss in GDP, amounting to $1.1 to $1.7 trillion in losses. States like California, Florida, and Texas would feel the impact the most. In comparison, the economy shrank by 4.3% during the Great Recession.
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