Dozens of group members, organizers and native officers crammed an auditorium on the Houston Neighborhood Faculty Northline campus this week for a “Know Your Rights” city corridor.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested 1000’s of individuals nationwide since President Donald Trump was inaugurated Jan. 20, in accordance with the federal company. ICE says it’s been arresting people who find themselves within the U.S. with out authorized standing by means of focused enforcement operations, calling them “deliberate arrests of recognized felony aliens who threaten nationwide safety or public security.” In a latest White Home press briefing, the Trump administration confirmed its considers all immigrants with out authorized standing to be criminals.
U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat who represents a big a part of east Houston, hosted the city corridor on Wednesday. She stated immigration enforcement from the Trump administration has gone past focused efforts.
“He’s additionally concentrating on many undocumented immigrants who shouldn’t have a felony document and have been in our nation for years,” Garcia stated.
RELATED: ICE begins immigration raids throughout Texas, dozens arrested
Audio system on the city corridor supplied basic info that individuals with out authorized standing might have, starting from immigration insurance policies at faculties and hospitals to details about what to do if a member of the family is arrested.
Since November, Texas hospitals are required to ask and document the citizenship standing of their sufferers.
Olga Llamas Rodriguez, the senior vp of group engagement, company communications and board providers on the Harris Well being System, stated Wednesday that sufferers can decline to reply and hospital workers won’t ask for paperwork to validate solutions from sufferers. The Harris Well being System contains Ben Taub and Lyndon B. Johnson hospitals.
“Harris Well being will solely report whole info to the state and won’t share names, house addresses, particular person citizenship, or immigration standing with exterior entities,” she stated.
Beginning in March, Texas hospitals can even be required to document the price of healthcare providers for non-citizens.
For residents whose relations are arrested or detained, Houston-area lawyer Silvia Mintz stated if somebody is approached by immigration enforcement, they’ve the appropriate to stay silent and shouldn’t signal something with out consulting a lawyer.
“Many individuals assume that as a result of they’re undocumented, they don’t have any rights. And that’s not true,” she stated. “Everyone who resides in the USA has constitutional rights. And we have to ensure that we train our rights.”
Mintz added that an immigration enforcer is just not allowed to enter somebody’s house and not using a legitimate search warrant. These with out authorized standing are additionally suggested to maintain paperwork that may show how lengthy they’ve been residing in the USA, resembling utility payments and library playing cards.
If a member of the family is arrested, they are going to be supplied with one telephone name as soon as they’re booked, in accordance with Mintz, who stated this particular person ought to present their household with their “alien” quantity, which shall be on a bracelet they’re supplied with. A lawyer may typically request for the arrested particular person to be launched on bond, Mintz stated.
“As soon as your member of the family has that alien quantity, it’s simpler to search out you and it’s additionally simpler for them to deposit cash on the commissary, as a result of you have to it,” she stated.
