Amid fears of a heightened immigration crackdown, New York City is witnessing a surge in "know-your-rights" sessions aimed at empowering undocumented immigrants. The sessions, which educate attendees on how to interact with federal immigration enforcement officers, have seen a significant increase in demand since Donald Trump's second inauguration.
Pedro Torres, head English instructor at Fifth Avenue Committee, explained to the Gothamist that his initiative to offer these workshops for students was born out of the uncertainty immigrants felt when Trump first took office. In preparation for the potential crackdown, Torres and other local organizations have expanded their community outreach to ensure immigrants are equipped with the necessary legal knowledge.
As of 2022, there are an estimated 412,000 undocumented immigrants living in the city, according to the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs. In response, schools, libraries, and community groups have intensified their efforts, providing immigrants with critical information on their rights, including the right to remain silent and the legal requirements for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to enter a home.
The New York Immigration Coalition has seen a threefold increase in requests for sessions since the November presidential election. The organization has responded by expanding its weekly workshops from two to five. Similarly, Make the Road New York has completed over a dozen sessions since the election, surpassing its usual quarterly offerings.
In addition, the Department of Education has hosted sessions for both immigrant families and school staff. These sessions are part of a broader city effort to comply with a 2017 law requiring the distribution of information about families' legal rights.
At one such workshop in Sunset Park, attendees were taught practical steps on how to deal with ICE agents, including how to handle encounters at their homes or workplaces. Participants practiced phrases to exercise their constitutional rights, such as "I do not give you permission to enter my home without a warrant signed by a judge."
Despite these efforts, misconceptions about immigrant rights persist. Many attendees were unaware that undocumented immigrants are still protected by the U.S. Constitution, and some feared providing personal information to authorities. Workshops also address common concerns, such as how to locate a detained loved one and what to do if a parent is deported.
The surge in "know-your-rights" is also seen in California. Attorney General Rob Bonta has introduced new "Know Your Rights" guidance for immigrant communities in an effort to inform and protect vulnerable populations amid concerns over potential deportation policies under the incoming administration.
The initiative aims to educate immigrants about their legal rights while addressing the prevalence of fraudulent immigration services and is the latest in a series of recent efforts to "Trump-proof" California.
In Texas, the migrant rights group La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) is advising the state's estimated 1.6 million undocumented residents to plan ahead in case of detention, as deportation risks rise with the incoming Trump administration. Joaquin Garcia, director of community organizing for LUPE, urged attendees at a recent meeting to consider the practical aspects of their lives, such as childcare, bills, and property, if they were detained. "Who's going to pick up the kids from school? Payments on the house, car payments, house bills, the property title –– all of that has to be in your plan," Garcia said.
The uncertainty surrounding the future of immigration policies and the Trump administration's promise of the "largest deportation in U.S. history" have sent shockwaves through immigrant communities, with lawyers and nonprofit organizations reporting a surge in clients "scrambling" to "adjust their status" in anticipation of the looming policy changes. The Latin Times spoke to immigration lawyers and advocates to find out more about the situation.
In this scenario of fear and misinformation, scammers take advantage to exploit vulnerable people. Immigration lawyers and nonprofits are reporting an "alarming" surge in notario fraud—a scheme in which con artists misuse notary public licenses to deceive immigrants into believing they are licensed to practice law, robbing them of their money and placing them in riskier situations. Notably, the scams disproportionately target non-English-speaking immigrants who cannot afford to hire a private immigration attorney.
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