skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Immigrants: Our Fear is Real

play audio
Play

Monday, February 27, 2017   

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Advocates and politicians are speaking out almost daily about President Trump's plans to build a wall and deport millions of people from the United States, but those who are here illegally aren't making their voice heard as much - mostly because they say they're afraid.

Juana Reyes has been in the U.S. since she was two years old and said this is the only home she knows. She is undocumented and said that, since Donald Trump became president, she only leaves her home when she has to because she's worried she'll be taken into custody.

Reyes is a single mom with four children and she said she doesn't know who would take care of them if she was detained. She said she may qualify for residency through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but she's too afraid to apply.

"What if I don't get approved? Then they'll have all my information on file, and it scares me,” Reyes said. "A few people have told me I qualify. I'm always scared to apply, then get denied, then them having all my information. "

Trump recently directed the Department of Homeland Security to ramp up enforcement of immigration laws, prioritizing actions against those who present a danger to public safety, but not limiting deportation to just that group.

Rayo Torres is also undocumented - she came to this country nearly 30 years ago as a child. She said she understands that the president wants to remove criminals from the U.S., but she's worried he's going to go much further than that.

"I agree with that 100 percent,” Torres said. “But at the same time, they're not only going for criminals. If ICE gets in that door and they're looking for this particular person and that person is not there, they're going to take everybody else around. "

Both women said people in their community are terrified of raids on their homes, and don't want to answer the door when someone knocks. Many also are seeking legal advice to draft power-of-attorney documents to set up help for their children if they are deported.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021