CARSON CITY, Nev. - Advocates for Nevada's immigrants are speaking out, educating people on their options in light of the Trump administration's increased enforcement actions.

On the campaign trail, Trump had threatened to revoke Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the program that allowed temporary work permits for about 750,000 people brought to the United States as children, but it remains in place so far.

However, enforcement officers now can detain undocumented people with no criminal history aside from immigration-related offenses.

Mariam Kelly, senior immigration attorney and DACA program supervisor for Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, Calif., said the best way people can protect themselves is to explore all their legal options.

"I cannot stress enough, they can get a legal screening from a qualified immigration attorney," she said. "I'm going to say that maybe 10 percent of my clients are eligible for some other form of relief, other than DACA."

Many people may qualify for special immigrant juvenile status, for a "U-Visa" as a victim of a crime, or can petition to stay with relatives who are U.S. citizens. However, Kelly warned that it is unwise for anyone with a prior criminal or immigration-related offense to apply for DACA or to try to renew it.

Attorney Martha Ruch, an Equal Justice Works Emerson Fellow and staff attorney for the group Asian-Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles, said everyone on U.S. soil has rights, even those who are undocumented - including protections against unreasonable searches and self-incrimination.

"So, it's crucial that everyone know that if they're being questioned, they should not reveal their immigration status to immigration officials and - to a large extent - to police," she said, "and to say that they are asserting their right to silence and will not sign anything until they consult with an attorney."

Ruch said once a person is detained, having an attorney familiar with his or her case can make a big difference. She also advised people at risk of being detained to make an emergency plan, designating someone to care for children or elderly parents.

Other tips: Insist on seeing a warrant before allowing officers to search a home, car or business. Also, a person should never carry foreign identification papers.


get more stories like this via email

During last week's Republican National Convention, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Americans are not safe due to immigrants committing violent crimes.

That's just one claim being challenged by leading immigration experts.

Nancy Foner, Ph.D., professor of Sociology at City University of New York's Hunter College, said labeling immigrants as criminals is an old, but persistent, myth.

She pointed to data showing that the vast majority of immigrants are not violent criminals.

"The foreign born, in fact, are much less likely than the native-born to commit violent crimes," said Foner. "And in fact, cities and neighborhoods with greater concentrations of immigrants have much lower crime and violence than comparable non-immigrant neighborhoods."

Immigrants were also blamed for smuggling fentanyl across the 2,000-mile southern border.

But according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 90% of the drugs linked to overdose deaths are smuggled by U.S. citizens through legal ports of entry.

Cruz also said immigrants were being allowed into the U.S. to vote in the upcoming elections - a conspiracy theory about something that never, or almost never, happens.

David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, pointed out that non-citizens are not legally allowed to vote in federal elections, and don't in part because they could be immediately deported if caught.

"To cast one ballot in an election in which 160 million ballots are going to be cast, it happens exceedingly rarely," said Becker, "largely because the states and federal government already have really good policies in place."

Others claimed immigrants were "receiving welfare."

Pia Orrenius, vice president and senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said immigrants are not eligible for the SNAP program (formerly known as food stamps), Social Security or other benefits - although they do pay payroll and other taxes that fund those programs.

She said immigrants actually strengthen America's economy, but local governments can feel squeezed if immigrants earn low wages.

"That negative impact, it mostly comes from education," said Orrenius. "K-12 education is expensive. The spending on education is an investment. Those investments are going to pay back many times what's invested."



get more stories like this via email

Leaders at the 5th annual Immigration Summit, which wrapped up in Los Angeles Friday, have vowed to stand strong no matter what happens with the November election.

The Republican candidate for president has called for mass deportations.

Miguel Santana, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation, said it alarms many people in a county where more than one-third of the residents of all ethnicities are foreign-born, and about 60% of children have at least one immigrant parent.

"We've been engaged in scenario planning," Santana explained. "We've prepared our immigrant community so that they know their rights, that we have the proper defense, but also, we're advancing comprehensive immigration reform. That is really what's needed."

The summit was co-sponsored by the California Community Foundation, the Council of Immigrant Inclusion and the Equity Research Institute at the University of Southern California.

Manuel Pastor, director of the institute, said deportations would leave a huge hole in the economy and tear families apart.

"In L.A. County, about a fifth of all Angelenos are either undocumented themselves or living with a family member who is undocumented," Pastor pointed out. "Fear of deportation, problems with accessing services because of status, affect a wide number of families."

Researchers also released the 5th annual State of Immigrants in Los Angeles report, which found naturalizations and wages for immigrants are up over the past few years. It also recommended continued support for county programs providing legal aid and help people access services in their preferred language.


get more stories like this via email

The Missouri House of Representatives has formed a special committee to look into what the House Speaker refers to as crimes committed by immigrants living illegally in Missouri.

The formation of this committee has sparked a debate between those who see it as a necessary step for public safety and those who view it as a misuse of resources driven by political motives.

House Speaker Dean Plocher - R-St. Louis County - said he's convinced this committee's findings will increase the safety of Missourians.

"The message needs to be," said Plocher, "'If you're not here in the state of Missouri legally, you're going to be detained - and you're going to be deported if you're committing crimes.'"

Data provided by Customs and U.S. Border Protection show last year, there were more than 1,200 violent crimes by committed non-citizens in the U.S. nationwide, and more than 2,000 related to drug trafficking and possession.

The first committee hearing will be in Jefferson City on July 11.

State Rep. David Tyson Smith - D-Columbia - said this isn't an issue in Missouri, and believes the committee is a waste of time and resources. He said it's all being done for political talking points.

"If we are really serious about these issues," said Smith, "we would form a special committee on gun violence to crack down on the shootings that are happening all over our state, that need to be clamped down on."

Studies have repeatedly shown that immigrants - legal and illegal - are more law abiding than people born here.

Research from The Marshall Project has found no correlation between undocumented immigrants and a rise in violent crimes.

However, some committee members believe people living in the U.S. illegally are to blame for an increase in Fentanyl and sex trafficking.




get more stories like this via email