RALEIGH, N.C. -- COVID-19 cases have spiked among the state's Latinx community, yet most of these residents can't access basic health services.

Advocates say the pandemic has highlighted how the country's public health system has neglected undocumented residents. While Hispanics make up around 9% of North Carolina's population, as of mid-June, they accounted for 44% of the state's COVID-19 cases, according to state data. Many of the state's immigrants work in food processing, construction, deliveries or cleaning services and can't afford to stay home if they feel sick.

Juvencio Rocha-Peralta, executive director of the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, said this population faces unique barriers.

"These communities that we're talking about, they're undocumented individuals, they don't qualify for any public services," he said. "So what we did was provide some emergency funding for rent, electric and other needs that they need at home."

Since March, Rocha-Peralta's organization has been leading a COVID-19 task force made up of health providers, community partners and community members that meet weekly to identify how they can support the Latinx community during the pandemic. He said foundations such as the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust and others have provided cash to help residents pay for doctor visits, medical bills and prescription medications.

Rocha-Peralta said many Latinx residents are wary of getting tested for COVID-19 due to fear of deportation. Worsening matters is the Trump administration's public-charge rule, which went into effect early this year. He said local public-health departments could play a critical role in gaining the trust of the undocumented community.

"Health departments and other public agencies, they need to establish some advisory councils and advisory boards to advise those institutions about this population," he said. "Communities-based organizations place a significant role working with marginalized communities."

The emergency aid has been a temporary solution, but Rocha-Peralta noted that the crisis has highlighted the need for a new approach to public health in marginalized communities. One report found North Carolina ranks 40th in the nation in spending on public health, and in 2019, North Carolina was one of only eight states where public health funding decreased.

"We've been working in this community for 19 years," he said, "but when the pandemic hit us, there was a reason to change things around and also, not to react, but to come up with a plan to address the needs of these communities."

He also pointed to the need for mental health resources in the immigrant community. Many families have experienced high levels of stress related to poverty and trauma, worsened during the pandemic.

North Carolina public health funding data is online at tfah.org.


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This holiday season, a nonprofit campaign is asking Americans to write holiday cards to welcome newly arrived refugee families.

The 10th annual "Hope for the Holidays" campaign is spearheaded by Global Refuge, a charity founded in 1939, previously named Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, explained the program's mission.

"It is an important reminder, during the holiday season -- as we recognize that Jesus was a refugee -- that America is a nation of immigrants," Vignarajah emphasized. "That for so many faiths, welcoming the stranger is a part of our religions. It's a way to show a token of support and hope."

Global Refuge resettles about 20,000 legal refugees immigrating to the U.S. each year, including 7,600 in California. The families are fleeing conflict in places like Ukraine and Afghanistan. Vignarajah noted they often spend years in camps and undergo extreme vetting before the federal government grants them asylum.

Despite the flood of anti-immigrant rhetoric during the presidential campaign, Vignarajah hopes the incoming Trump administration takes a cue from Ronald Reagan on refugee policy.

"President Reagan resettled 600,000 refugees during his presidency," Vignarajah pointed out. "And unfortunately, during the prior administration, the refugee program was cut significantly. Our hope is that we don't see that happen in the new year, because there are obviously families who are fleeing for their lives."

The card-writing effort is headquartered at Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, north of Los Angeles. Donations are used to buy toys, school supplies and basic necessities for newly arrived families.


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As President-elect Donald Trump doubles down on promises to round up and deport the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants, the city of Castle Rock has pledged to make its law enforcement personnel available to assist federal agencies.

But that support could come with significant costs.

Jeremy Robbins - executive director of the American Immigration Council - pointed to new data showing that deporting people who work in critical industries such as construction, education, food production, and health care would reduce the nation's Gross Domestic Product by nearly 7% - which is on par with losses during the Great Recession.

"The costs of mass deportation would be tremendous," said Robbins, "not just because it's so expensive to deport people, but because it would wreak havoc on the economy."

The cost of deportations is expected to be well over $100 billion, and Trump's transition team has vowed to slash federal funding for local governments that refuse to cooperate.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has promised to protect undocumented residents, many of whom have been contributing members of their communities for decades.

Each year, immigrants add $54 billion to Colorado's economy.

Some critics have called Trump's recent vow to scrap restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests at churches, hospitals and schools an effort to instill widespread fear.

During a recent Ethnic Media Services briefing, Elizabeth Taufa - policy attorney with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center - said it's important to understand what mass deportations would look like at the community level.

"Kids that aren't going to school because their parents are afraid of being deported," said Taufa. "Shortages of health-care workers because people either move to places that are a little bit safer or they are removed from the country. It looks like fewer teachers, and we are already facing a teacher shortage."

A strong majority of voters across party lines don't want mass deportations, according to an October survey.

Instead, they want lawmakers to create a legal path to citizenship, a move the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates would reduce the federal deficit by nearly $1 trillion.



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As word has spread about President-elect Donald Trump's mass deportation plans, advocates for immigrants in Oregon are working to educate people about their rights.

Oregon has the longest-standing sanctuary laws in the nation, which prevent local and state law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities without a signed order from a judge.

Johanna Costa, a civil-rights coordinator at the Oregon Department of Justice, noted that while undocumented residents have greater protection in Oregon, these laws are not foolproof.

"Oregon sanctuary law does not stop deportations from occurring," she explained. "It does not stop federal prosecutions for crimes like unlawful re-entry."

While they don't block federal immigration authorities such as ICE from operating in the state, Costa said Oregon is the only state in the country that offers a hotline to report violations of the sanctuary laws. Oregon is also the only state tracking and making this data public.

Some 90,000 legal Oregon residents currently live with a family member who is undocumented. Costa recommends they learn their rights and make a plan with their family for what to do if immigration officials come to their home or stop them on the street.

"We're not naive to the possibility of what could happen," she said, "and we don't want to fear monger and tell folks, 'This is coming.' But we also want folks to be prepared."

Research shows undocumented immigrants are a boon to Oregon's economy, paying more than $350 million in state and local taxes this year.

Alonso Oliveros, a program associate at Oregon Project VOICE, educates immigrant communities about their rights and works with faith and other allied groups to organize against deportation.

"Immigrants have always been used as a political scapegoat," Oliveros said, "so we really need to be better prepared in terms of how to defend our community, how to advocate for them."

To report a suspected violation of sanctuary laws, receive support or be connected to resources, people can start by visiting the Oregon Department of Justice website.


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