Immigration and deportation are key topics in this week's Tennessee legislative session, and a local nonprofit group is helping residents prepare for possible deportation.
Nationwide, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reports more than 900 arrests since the Trump administration has started following through on its promise of a "mass deportation."
Luis Mata, a communications officer for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, called for immigration reform while criticizing President Donald Trump's immigration executive order that expands detention. He added that they are helping Tennessee's 400,000 immigrants prepare, not panic.
"Communities across the state are prepared to protect ourselves and our families," he said, "and we're doing that through continuing to build our robust network of organizations, community leaders, community members, who are ready to step up and make sure that we all have what we need to build the good life and to live up to Tennessee values."
Gov. Bill Lee has proposed strengthening immigration enforcement across Tennessee by creating a new division within the Department of Safety, supporting local law enforcement participation in federal programs and considering state-issued IDs.
Mata argued that mass deportation would lead to labor shortages and hurt businesses already struggling to build a reliable workforce.
"Immigrants are deeply rooted in Tennessee and our communities," he said. "We are part of not just the social and cultural fabric of the state and country, but equally importantly, we are part of the fabric that makes our economy thrive."
The Trump administration has issued an executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants born in the United States. Several states are suing over the issue; Tennessee isn't one of them.
Mata said eliminating birthright citizenship would violate the Constitution.
"Birthright citizenship has been protected by the 14th Amendment for over 150 years," he said. "And what it is, it's a simple standard of determining who is American without the color of your skin, without ancestry, racialized citizenship is a thing of the past, and should remain that way."
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California is bracing for large-scale immigration raids - and groups that advocate for children are speaking out against the climate of fear.
Recently an 11-year-old girl in Texas committed suicide after allegedly being bullied about her family's immigration status.
Mayra Alvarez - the president of The Children's Partnership, which is based in LA - said the sense of dread that a parent might be deported is extremely stressful and can lead to physical illness.
"That day to day worrying," said Alvarez, "that leads to a host of health issues, everything from increased anxiety, and depression, to stomachaches, to behaviors that aren't reflective of who they are."
Almost half of California's 9 million children have at least one immigrant parent. One in ten, or about a million children, have an undocumented parent. And one in five lives in a mixed-status family.
California legislators passed Assembly Bill 699 to protect immigrant students, but schools cannot block Immigration and Customs Enforcement from coming on campus if they have a court order.
The Trump administration has changed the rules to clear the way for immigration raids in sensitive locations like churches, hospitals, and schools - something Alvarez condemned.
"Immigration enforcement actions shouldn't unnecessarily deter immigrants - again, many of those immigrants are parents of U.S. citizen children - from participating in those very essential activities," said Alvarez, "dropping their kids off at school, going to the doctor, going to church or other religious services."
Advocates are praising local efforts to inform people of their rights and help parents make a plan in case a family member is detained by agents with ICE.
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According to the Immigration Policy Tracking Project, the Trump administration has taken 130 actions on immigration so far this term. Groups in Montana are trying to both track those changes and watch state bills.
One early executive order placed a 90-day freeze on refugee arrivals to the country, halting families with flights already booked to the U.S. Another made changes to Temporary Protected Status and Humanitarian Parole, granted when a person's home country is deemed unsafe due to armed conflict, natural disaster or other emergencies.
Mary Poole, executive director of the nonprofit resettlement agency Soft Landing Missoula, said the orders could undo years of work.
"This rapid removal of humanitarian protections, that's one thing that's really scary for folks," Poole observed. "Many people came here through this new legal pathway that Biden created and it might just be deemed null and void."
Two Montana immigration bills passed the House and were brought to the Senate last week. One would require police to check and report someone's immigration status during a "lawful stop" and the other would allow the state to criminally prosecute a person in federal detention for immigration violations.
Soft Landing Missoula works with 600 refugees and immigrants from 30 different countries. Poole said
the organization has taken on new work with the change in federal administration, including immigrant rights' training.
"Immigrants have rights," Poole emphasized. "Making sure that folks are aware of what those are and how our organizations and facilities can uphold those rights, that's a really important piece of the work that we've been doing."
According to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, if immigration officials come to a person's home, they do not need to answer a knock without a warrant signed by a judge, containing the person's correct name and address. People approached also have the right to remain silent.
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A northwest Texas family is waiting to hear from agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a recent traffic stop.
Jose is in the country illegally and was taken into custody by ICE agents after he and his wife, Ashley, were stopped by Lubbock police. Ashley said the incident was traumatizing for her and their three children.
"My oldest son, he was crying, because they were being really rough with his dad," Ashley explained. "They're slamming him against the window where he's at, and he's asking, 'Why are they taking him?' And I'm trying to explain to my 4-year-old that his dad's here illegally. He doesn't understand that."
Jose, who's from Central America, was eventually released and told to report for a hearing, but Ashley pointed out they have received conflicting information about upcoming court proceedings.
Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, an attorney in Austin representing the family, said they will fight to keep Jose from being deported. She added the couple had hired an attorney to get Jose his Green Card.
"This story highlights the fact that ICE is not just apprehending and placing people with criminal histories into immigration detention," Lincoln-Goldfinch noted. "Now, because of this incident, Jose has been placed into deportation proceedings. And this is one more person in the already backlogged immigration court system."
Ashley added if Jose is deported, she and their children will go to Central America with him.
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