Local volunteers coordinate legal aid and emergency response amid heightened immigration enforcement
By Tim Rowland
In the mid-1800s following passage of the Fugitive Slave Law, North Country residents came together to help Black people evade slave catchers. Today, a somewhat similar network is evolving to protect immigrants from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
These groups are not exclusive to the North Country, and many were formed before the second Trump administration to make their communities more welcoming to immigrants who were picking crops, tending cattle, landscaping estates, roofing homes and generally performing essential work when no one else would.
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More recently, these groups have united in web video conferences, information swapping and action plans to make sure ICE agents are following the law. These coordinated efforts connect previously disparate groups, including caregiving Adirondack Welcome Circles, dairy farmers, churches, summer camp operators, amusement parks and others who recognize the cultural and economic value of migrants.
Advocacy groups pivot to emergency response and legal training
Over the past few months, the focus has shifted to legal seminars for migrant support groups, classes on how to recognize ICE activity and rapid response teams that are dispatched to scenes where migrants are being detained, ensuring ICE is operating within the law and gathering names and identification codes of workers who are taken from their families so they don’t simply vanish.
“There’s definitely a very active ICE presence in our region,” said Grace Sullivan, an immigration attorney with the Volunteer Lawyers Project of Central New York. “Anyone who’s a noncitizen present in the U.S. is potentially at risk of detention, removal or expedited removal, depending on the individual facts of each case, based on rapidly changing law and policy.”
During an online seminar, Sullivan said the boundaries of immigration law are being aggressively tested by the government. “The category of who can be detained and who’s at risk of being detained is quite broad,” she said.
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Regional coalition connects immigrants with essential services
The network of immigrant advocates is becoming more robust. Prior to the Trump administration, Richard Leach, an 81-year-old former physician, founded the Adirondack Regional Immigration Collaborative, a nonprofit comprised of individuals, nonprofit service providers, faith-based and civic organizations, employers, town planners and elected officials. Citing their cultural and economic value to North Country communities, this collaborative helps immigrants by coordinating groups that help immigrants adjust to life in an unfamiliar setting by providing basic needs such as food and medicine, legal, housing and educational assistance and friendship.
“In northeastern New York, there are maybe half a dozen Immigrant Welcome Circles from Saratoga up to Plattsburgh, and so anybody who is interested in bringing migrants together into a community and making them the best new neighbors that we can possibly help them be,” Leach said.
Prior to ARIC, the North Country had little in the way of mutual support. “If you draw a line between Albany and Buffalo, everybody to the south is so far ahead of us up here,” Leach said. ICE raids on everything from Glens Falls roofing projects to Potsdam nail salons have shattered any hope that the North Country would be too remote for government raids.
So the response has been to form alliances where “allies are trained to some degree to watch and see where there’s ICE activity,” Leach said. “Know what the vehicles look like. Know what the uniforms look like. And if they are driving around or going shopping or whatever, and they see an ICE event, then they hit the Signal chat that has been set up for this purpose, and the word instantly goes out.” Evidence has shown that when ICE agents are confronted by people who know the law, they are more likely to abandon their raids, Leach said.
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Businesses adapt operations to protect immigrant workers
Sullivan said it’s critical for employers to prepare and assign a trusted team of employees to confront ICE if its agents arrive.
That may come in the form of an announced audit or an unannounced raid. ICE agents do not have to identify themselves, but they do need a warrant to come onto private property. These warrants come in two types, and the difference is important.
A judicial warrant has more weight and allows agents to search the premises. The more common administrative warrant allows agents to access public spaces, such as a lobby, but does not give them the right to enter private spaces.
“The warrants issued by DHS are going to say Department of Homeland Security. It’s going to say it’s an administrative warrant,” Sullivan said. “They do not give ICE permission to your home or a private workspace, and they will be signed by an ICE officer, not a judge.”
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Sullivan advised business owners to clearly mark private spaces and instruct general staff not to speak with ICE agents and to not allow them to enter the workplace.
“Designate specific individuals who have the authority to speak with ICE,” she said.”This should be limited to a small number of trusted employees who have been appropriately trained. If ICE has an administrative warrant with a specific employee’s name on it, you do not have to say if that employee is working that day, and you do not have to take ICE agents to the employee.” Sullivan advocated video recording ICE visits, but only for use in documenting potential violations. Posting videos to social media can do more harm than good.
Community events build connections amid enforcement fears
While the raids have been frightening, Leach said the current environment also provides the opportunity to get to know the immigrant community better.
At a March “Voices at the Table” event, “we brought together migrants in our community and businesses who employ migrants and an attorney who talked to some degree about law and ‘know your rights’ and all that stuff,” he said. “And it was basically a celebration of our immigrant neighbors. We had a lunch provided by five different restaurants that were all owned by immigrant families. So that kind of event starts to change the nature of the conversation in a community.”
‘Eyes on the ground’ network monitors ICE activity
Communities are also establishing “eyes on the ground,” detecting and responding to ICE activity. They are trained to know what the vehicles and uniforms look like, and when they enter a neighborhood, word goes out in a Signal chat and “anybody who can will drop everything and go to the event.” If a half a dozen people show up and it’s clear they know the law, Leach said experience has shown that ICE is less likely to persist.
As the movement gains traction, north from Lake George to Elizabethtown and Saranac Lake, Leach said people “have been falling out of the woodwork” to become involved and show immigrants that they are loved. At some point, Leach hopes it reaches a tipping point. “Why am I doing this? Well, like, God knows, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t have some optimism,” he said.
Top: H-2A worker harvests Champlain Valley’s apples at Rulfs Orchard in Peru. Photo by David Escobar.
If they are here illegally the majority of people in this country said remove them. Try going to Canada with a DUI on your license. Try taking a train into Switzerland if you do not have the right to go there–you are off 3 stops before the border. Come to America with a phoney claim about amnesty and walk right in and take tax payer money for services. That’s over. Illegal is illegal. Democrats had all three branches of govt and did nothing to fix the immigration laws and then the dead turnip brain let in another 10 million. Lost 300000 children and allowed countless criminals to enter.
Most people do support deporting those undocumented immigrants who have a violent criminal record. But Trump is deporting people who, though undocumented, have been here for years, are gainfully employed, and are part of the community. He’s deported a child receiving life-saving cancer treatment. He’s rounded-up American citizens. He’s deported those here legally on visas.
A significant portion of the American public disapproves of Trump’s handling of immigration, with 62 percent expressing discontent. About 53 percent of Americans believe the Trump administration is too careless in its deportation policies.
Support for mass deportations has decreased, with only 38 percent favoring the deportation of all undocumented immigrants, down from 47 percent the previous year.
You need to get the full story on the child with the cancer because people are lying about it. That child that had cancer the mother took it back with them The government offered them full medical benefits to pay for that child with cancer in Mexico. That child is receiving full medical benefits for that cancer. It’s not like they are going there with nothing to help that child that child is receiving the benefit because it is an american-born child. It was the parents decision to take the child with them because they were illegal immigrants. Stop with the misinformation and lies stop it. If you’re going to tell the story tell the story correctly this is not CNN
Don’t be an apologist for the toxic and lawless Trump administration.
Moving a child to another country while the child is undergoing treatment for Stage 4 metastatic cancer is despicable. It was made without the ability to consult with the child’s physicians. And no, the child’s mother did not make that decision as a free choice — it was made under duress.
The lack of humanity in this action, as well as defending it, is inexcusable,
So I steal a car and don’t get caught for years and you’re saying that of I have a job and I’m part of the community I should pay the price for a felony now. Is that correct? Is the deportation of people perfect in every situation? No, but them entering illegally was not perfect either. You better start looking at different sources for your data. Sources that use only samples from metro areas will always show support for the progressive movement. If you don’t believe that take a look at the polls prior to the election. According to these same poll administrators airhead Harris was a shoo in to win and we all know how that story ends. I works with dozens of people who are here legally and have been questioned by ice due to their appearance and after showing proper ID were told thank you have a good day. Don’t make your political views about the life of these people. You can see where that has gotten the Democrats so far. Better yet, continue to concentrate on the marginal topics and they will continue to lose. Do the Democrats have any other strategy that “Orange Man Bad”?
Face it, Steve. You’re in the lawless minority among us Americans when it comes to views on immigration.
Reporting from Axios:
‘Since mid-May, immigration agents in Utah — and nationwide —have ramped up arrests of people who have no criminal convictions or pending charges. / That’s according to data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, newly obtained by researchers at the University of California-Berkeley. / Since ‘mid-May], about a third of those arrested in Utah had no criminal history documented in the ICE data.”
“eyes on the ground” – what is this exactly? I am sure they don’t want to interfere. Can’t the employers look at the warrants and determine what is allowed? Why do you need a half dozen outside people to that?
I fear for the safety of federal officials just trying to do their jobs?
What is wrong with being overly cooperative if there is nothing to hide?
I remember CPB and military activity (searches etc.) along the US Canadian border post 9-11 everyone was very cooperative. Nothing wrong with that? And there was really no threat there, just an incase kind of thing.
Aiding and abetting illegal immigration.
These local volunteers coordinating legal aid and emergency response amid corrupt immigration enforcement are the true patriots in our country.
Kind of like the illegal and corrupt importation of illegal immigrant which was funded by George Soros and other Democrat supporters. What was happening is very obvious; monetary supporters of the democrats funded smuggling hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants here while sleepy Joe (actually he did nothing but his puppeteers just used his name because he was lost) worked on changing the laws so these same people could vote for them.
Any valid sources for your claims? Or are they based on the conspiracy theories extreme right-wingers can’t seem to live without?
(You know, conspiracy theories. Like the conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein that Trump, Bondi, Patel, and Bongino spread for years and are now disavowing, evoking this ongoing backlash from the ‘MAGA” base?
It’s there if you read other sources than what supports what you want to believe. Follow the money that was filtered through Open Society Foundations, The Democracy Foundation, and some PACs. You may also find a cure for TDS. Until a cure is found Republicans will continue to win elections.
Steve Hendershot says: “It’s there if you read other sources than what supports what you want to believe.”
Nope — not good enough. You’re just listing names of organizations without any supporting evidence or reporting for your specific claims. Talk is cheap when you don’t back it up.
Steve Hendershot says: “It’s there if you read other sources than what supports what you want to believe.”
Listing names of some organizations, with no specific cites or reporting, does not qualify as providing the basis for your claims. Of course, there aren’t any valid or reliable sources for conspiracy theories.
Why this great country can’t or will not come up with a real immigration policy is unbelievable. Try to become a Canadian citizen and see where that will get you. Try to become a European citizen, talk about a border wall and look around Europe, many countries have border fences/walls and they are manned by military personnel with weapons.
This country needs and must have a solid immigration policy that allows for legal immigration.
I won’t support AE financially if promoting illegal immigration & evading law enforcement is what you do.
But you’re still reading AE and commenting in it….
Not supporting but reading to be able to see every side of the issues. Support would require money. See Bob, that is how being informed about the issues works, don’t just read what supports your narrative. Read it all. This publication is perfect in seeing how the out of touch believe.
If Dementia Joe and the Democrats hadn’t opened the borders for the past four years we wouldn’t have to clean up the mess they created; 20MM illegals and hundreds of thousands of them with criminal backgrounds running around in America costing taxpayers tens of billions of dollars and in some instances, their lives. Go get ’em and deport ’em Mr. Homan without delay!
Thanks Tim Rowland for reporting on this, and the practical advice it offers advocates. Immigrants are hard, taxpaying workers keeping businesses we use every week or month in business. These businesses in turn pay taxes and their economic impact and benefits ripple outwards. We have seen this movie many times. U.S. citizens like me and other commenters are not working these fields, groves, farms, dairies, construction sites, etc. and, as has been born out will not do these jobs at any serious scale. Terrifying honest hard working immigrants from showing up for work hurts us all. We all bleed red. As for a new immigration law, Trump’s party craves the problem, not the solution.
The sooner the illegal immigrants are gone the sooner we can make America great again with legal immigrants that have respect for our country and our laws. People that defend this lawless behavior are only trying to serve themselves on the backs of the American people. To me the other crime these proponents of illegal immigrants are responsible for is making law enforcement a target of violence. These people should be ashamed of themselves. If not for the Biden administration allowing these people to mass invade our country we wouldn’t be in this mess. To the businesses that employ these people maybe they should stop looking at labor as slavery and get your hands dirty and hire legal help.
“…we can make America great again with legal immigrants that have respect for our country and our laws.”
Respect for our country and our laws? I guess we’ll have to start with Donald Trump first. Among his many lawless acts, he’s been detaining and deporting immigrants who are legally in the U.S.
Where are your factual sources, Bob?
Steve Hendershot says: “Where are your factual sources, Bob?”
That’s rich, Steve, coming from someone who has failed to cite any specific sources for his claims. (And no, listing names of organizations without any supporting evidence or reporting for your specific claims is not sufficient. Talk is cheap when you don’t back it up.)
Here are two specific cites of mine that specifically support my comment that Trump has been detaining and deporting immigrants who are legally in the U.S.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/migrants-in-u-s-legally-and-with-no-criminal-history-caught-up-in-trump-crackdown#:~:text=As%20his,and%20deported.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-deportation-undocumented-immigrants-policy-change-rcna213356
There are many farms that do this legally. Why don’t these people spend their efforts helping people be legal instead of being felons and hiding them. There are some parts of the laws for farm visas that is horrible but that is being worked on as we speak and if history proves itself, President Trump will make it happen fast. The law I a specifically talking about how migrant workers can only get a visa for 8 months where dairy farms need them all year. One of the ideas discussed was allowing all current migrant workers come forward to get a longer term visa with no questions asked but must pass a background check for crimes.
Pro-authoritarian haters with keyboards and apparently, no access to facts, should maybe stay out of the comment section. Not adding anything of substance while demonstrating ignorance.
Facts from only the sources that support your narrative or all of the facts? That is exactly why I read this publication, to get facts from all sources. This one is entertaining and shows how out of touch many liberal voters are.
Is this pro-authoritarian by enforcing the laws on the books that have been ignored or a more passive approach like socialists where they just take your money to give to the lazy?
If you came here illegally, you don’t belong here no matter what you do..You broke our laws and you must be deported..If you interfere with Ice agents, then you get what you deserve!! America is a country of immigrants that came here legally,NOT ILLEGALLY!!!
Why has Trump been detaining and deporting immigrants who are legally in the U.S.?
The law is the law. Eyes on the Ground sure appears to be a group that is aiding and abetting criminals. I’m appalled that this publication includes this in the article. What on earth does illegal immigration have to do with the Adirondacks? This publication has evolved into a liberal echo chamber.
“The law is the law.”
Except when it applies to Criminal Felon Trump and his lawless administration, right?
“What on earth does illegal immigration have to do with the Adirondacks?”
Foreign-born workers in agriculture and in hospitality, many of whom are undocumented, have been part of the labor force in the North Country for decades.
I stole from you but, I did it years ago and didn’t get caught so should be pardoned. Is that the logic you are using?
Trump is detaining and deporting those who have never committed any criminal acts.
Yes, President Trump is a convicted felon if you believe the results of the kangaroo court in New York that tried and convicted him. Results of that conviction are being appealed.
Please provide specific receipts, with examples, to support your reckless comment about the “lawless administration”.
Yes, legal and illegal immigrants are part of the fabric of the Adirondacks and definitely provide value to the region. All we’re asking is that those here illegally go back and re-enter legally. That’s not too much to ask.
“Please provide specific receipts, with examples, to support your reckless comment about the “lawless administration”.
Okay. Here they are:
— Birthright Citizenship: Four federal judges temporarily blocked an executive order aimed at curtailing automatic birthright citizenship for individuals born in the U.S. One judge described the order as “blatantly unconstitutional.”
–Indiscriminate Immigration Stops: A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to halt indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in Southern California
–Foreign Aid Payments: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration’s attempt to withhold payments to foreign aid organizations for work already performed, marking a setback for his administration’s foreign aid policies.
–Medical Research Funding: A federal judge blocked the administration from significantly cutting federal grants for medical research, which could have led to lab closures.
–Federal Employee Firings: Several judges paused the administration’s efforts to fire thousands of federal employees, ruling that the president did not have the authority to unilaterally remove certain officials.
–National Labor Relations Board Member: A federal judge reinstated a member of the National Labor Relations Board who had been fired, asserting that the president lacked the authority for such an action.
–Healthcare Funding: Two federal judges temporarily blocked executive orders that threatened to end federal funding for medical providers offering gender transition care to minors.
–Military Exclusions: Lawsuits have been filed to challenge the exclusion of transgender individuals from military service, with some judges temporarily blocking related policies’
https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2025-01-30/factbox-where-do-the-legal-cases-against-trumps-executive-orders-stand
https://apnews.com/article/california-immigration-stops-arrests-b4d59afc4aa6be4944e67f773aa34096
https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/“Yes, President Trump is a convicted felon if you believe the results of the kangaroo court in New York that tried and convicted him.”
————————-
“Yes, President Trump is a convicted felon if you believe the results of the kangaroo court in New York that tried and convicted him.”
— Your turn. What’s your evidence that the jury trial was a “kangaroo court”? (No, not your opinion, but your evidence.) Interesting that the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records verdict were unanimous.
The article begins with:
“North Country residents came together to help Black people evade slave catchers. Today, a somewhat similar network is evolving to protect immigrants from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents”.
This comment equating slaves of a long ago era with ILLEGAL immigrants today shows how dillusional many writers of the AE are. Extremely left wing folks with stage 5 TDS!
If the hobnail boot of the authoritarian secret police fits, then wear it….
Secret police.: They wear masks to hide their identity. They wear no badge to indicate their law enforcement status. They refuse to verbally identify themselves.
You need to get the full story on the child with the cancer because people are lying about it. That child that had cancer the mother took it back with them The government offered them full medical benefits to pay for that child with cancer in Mexico. That child is receiving full medical benefits for that cancer. It’s not like they are going there with nothing to help that child that child is receiving the benefit because it is an american-born child. It was the parents decision to take the child with them because they were illegal immigrants. Stop with the misinformation and lies stop it. If you’re going to tell the story tell the story correctly this is not CNN. And if you’re illegal you should be deported You don’t belong here and it’s been like an infestation. You’re taking jobs from American people. You’re taking our tax money it’s not fair. And frankly Americans are tired of it You should not be able to vote. And I’m tired of hearing well they’ve been here for 5 or 6 years you should have had plenty of time to become citizens of the United States within five or six years That’s not our fault. I realize it’s expensive but if you’re making all that money within five or six years you can afford to apply for citizenship
Moving a child to another country while the child is undergoing treatment for Stage 4 metastatic cancer is despicable. It was made without the ability to consult with the child’s physicians. And no, the child’s mother did not make that decision as a free choice — it was made under duress.
The lack of humanity in this action, as well as defending it, is inexcusable,
Plead all you want with these people, but it won’t work. They’re convinced that immigrants’ mere existence is a crime.
We need to use some plain, common sense and expand the guest worker program in an efficient, effective, and humane way. We can start by stopping the demonization of undocumented migrants performing jobs that Americans need by don’t want to perform.
Was the Adirondack Explorer once a magazine about how to explore the Adirondacks and find new adventures? Once upon a time did the writers EXPLORE paddling, hiking, biking trails and pass their trip knowledge along? Is it time to change the name of the magazine?
The Explorer covers the Adirondack region — its environment, communities, recreation, and economy. Fortunately, we continue to be the go-to resource for readers seeking unique recreational stories across the park. You may have missed recent coverage. Over the last month, we’ve published at least a dozen stories on our website that cover these topics. Check out the most recent updates: https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/outdoor-recreation.
For reference, we work on the following on behalf of our readers.
Informed decision-making: We provide fact-based reporting on environmental and community issues in Adirondack Park, helping readers make educated choices.
Local perspective: We cover topics that larger news outlets overlook, giving insight into Adirondack-specific challenges and successes.
Recreation guidance: Our articles help readers safely and sustainably explore the park, ensuring responsible enjoyment of the outdoors.
This article is none of these. This is an opinion editorial with partial facts that supports the opinion of the writer. Please don’t call it informed decision making.
Just a friendly reminder that we have a commenting policy and will delete comments that violate it: https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/commenting-policy
The high.handed immigration enforcement tactics used by ICE recently led to a massive protest in Sackets Harbor by hundreds of local citizens outraged over the sudden removal of sawmill workers, farm workers ,and CHILDREN all without due process or reasonable transparency about their whereabouts and their status – and these tactics are still continuing!
The efforts of right thinking local citizens to try to make information available to everyone about what is legal for ICE and what is exceeding their authority should be commended by all of us!
But the real solution is for our elected leaders to stop lying to us, and stop putting their own selfish interests ahead of America’s urgent need to create the long overdue immigration policy that America so desperately needs!
I’ll try. First off that’s exactly what the trump administration has done in six months that the Biden administration couldn’t possibly do in four years allowing our country to be overrun by illegal occupation. First step was to close the border which took about 3 months. Next was letting everyone who was here illegally know that the federal government would supply to them $1000.00 and free transportation back to their home countries with the chance to come back if they left on their own. Next was tracking down criminals and arresting them. By this point everyone was aware that there were consequences for being here illegally. By this point over 1000000 of these folks have self deported. By the time 6 months have gone by the border is completely sealed setting the stage for legal immigration. In the meantime during this concerted effort by the government to undue the failures of the Biden administration and control illegal immigration the Democrats have created a false narrative ( as usual) trying to cover up what they are ultimately responsible for ( opening the border and letting everyone in irresponsibly) . Moving forward I believe cooler heads will prevail and as much as Democrats try to make it hard for hard working patriotic Americans to live the American dream Trump will have this immigration issue licked by the end of this year. What’s your solution whoever asked.
I keep seeing the anti-immigrant comments talking about “illegal” immigrants.
But Trump’s secret police is rounding up people who are on somehow suspected or alleged to have broken immigration law. But NOT charge with a crime, NOT given a trial or any due process to defend themselves, NOT convicted of any crime. Simply rounded up and sent to brutal concentration camps.
In America, you are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. The 5th Amendment to the Constitution guarantees due process of law to all persons, and that includes those alleged to have violated immigration law.
Trump has been convicted on 34 felony counts. He is clearly an “illegal”.
This is reminiscent of how Nazi Germany rounded up Jews and others.
If you consider yourself a Christian or Jew, look up Leviticus 19:33 in the Bible. It clear commands us to treat the immigrants just like our own native born citizens.
If your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents fought against Nazis 80 years ago, they are turning over in their graves if you support this brutal, hateful, racist fascism.
If you give a damn about Democracy, about the Constitution, about the rule of law, about basic human decency, I urge you to go to indivisible.org/groups and join a group near you in the Pro-Democracy movement, and fight against the growing fascism of Trump and his party.
Joe, “not convicted of any crime” they are here ILLEGALLY, isn’t that a crime?
@George: No, being in the country without documentation is a civil violation, and not a criminal offense. So when someone claims or implies that an undocumented immigrant is a criminal based on their lack of documentation, they are either woefully ignorant or lying.
The ironic thing is that fighting to keep them here and them ultimately being arrested is most likely going to lead to them not being able to come here legally. That’s a shame because the government is just simply wisely trying to vett those who enter our country. So who’s really creating a problem for these people.
Bob this is the law:
Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.
George, I think you’re correct in your citation, as far as it goes. As I understand it, entering the U.S. through means other than the regular border crossing may a criminal offense. Note that the law you cited (8 U.S.C. § 1325) deals with improper entry — improper time or place; avoidance of examination or inspection; misrepresentation and concealment of facts — and not with the civil violation of being undocumented.
The issue is that some people say that being undocumented is a crime. It isn’t. It’s a civil offense.
There are a number of reasons an undocumented immigrant may be in this country and it’s not a crime. For example, they may have applied for asylum and be awaiting adjudication of their application. They may be here with an expired travel or work visa, which is a civil violation with legal implications but is not a criminal offense. They may have entered the U.S. legally through a temporary waiver, then have the waiver summarily cancelled.
Perhaps part of the problem is some people are conflating the terms “undocumented” and “illegal,” when in fact they are different.
The other issue, aside from conflating “undocumented” with “criminal,” is that Trump sold his immigration efforts to the public as deporting violent criminals. What he and his immigration czar have done, though, is attempt to deport undocumented immigrants who have no record of arrests or convictions of violent crimes. He’s deporting undocumented immigrants who have been in the country for years, are gainfully employed, and are part of their communities.
Most people support deporting violent criminals who are undocumented. But only a minority of people support deporting non-violent immigrants who are undocumented.
Unfortunately the last administration opened the borders with NO checks and balances and allowed anyone from around the world to enter the United States illegally. Now someone has to clean up this MESS. I hear/read that people are upset with programs being cut, Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, Food Assistance, Public TV, etc. but who is going to pay for this ICE round up of the people who came into this country illegally? Answer the TAXPAYERS.
Remember this started because our politicians haven’t come up with a comprehensive immigration policy and the last administration took advantage of that fact.
Let’s get behind the current administration to get this problem resolved and DEMAND that they come up with a comprehensive immigration policy so we don’t have this problem ever again.