Advocates plan secret shelters for immigrants who fear raids
An expected crackdown by immigration authorities throughout the country on Sunday is spreading panic among undocumented immigrants in South Florida, with some families deciding to leave their homes or the state altogether. Advocates are preparing sanctuary spaces in secret locations for those seeking to avoid being caught in the raids.
“It feels like the apocalypse,” a spokesperson for a national immigrant advocacy group said. “But unfortunately, you have to do what you have to do.”
One Florida group told the Miami Herald it is readying private homes in advance of Sunday’s deportation
Ahead of an expected U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation crackdown in Miami on Sunday, activists are setting up sanctuary spaces for immigrants.
efforts, as well as canvassing neighborhoods statewide and pass
ing out fliers on immigrant rights in English, Spanish, and Creole.
“We are holding info sessions, knocking on doors, talking to people in flea markets and restaurants; we’re staffing up our volunteers and lawyers, as well as providing an option for people who may feel threatened and unsafe in their homes,” said a group spokesperson, who requested anonymity to talk about the preparations.
Another advocacy group with a national profile said it is gathering supplies, such as sleeping bags and food, to distribute to some of their employees’ homes and churches where families might decide to seek shelter.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are expected to target the homes of thousands of immigrant families with deportation orders Sunday in Miami, as well as Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles/San Diego, New Orleans, New York City, and San Francisco.
Several national and local organizations as well as immigration lawyers and immigrant families who agreed to speak with the Herald asked not to be identified because it is against the law to harbor undocumented immigrants. ICE officials declined to comment when the Herald asked about the agency’s stance on sheltering undocumented immigrants.
Some families at risk aren’t taking any chances. One undocumented immigrant who lives in south Miami-Dade with her two children told the Herald she’s leaving the state before Sunday.
“I can’t stay here. I took days off of work and already left,” she said. “My kids and I are going to take a small vacation, and I’m not sure when we’ll be back.”
Another family said they would be “off the grid” at the homes of friends and relatives, while others are preparing to move out of their homes.
“Lots of people are on the fence. At the end of the day some people want to take a stance and stay in their homes,” one sanctuary organizer said. “But people are wrestling with that insecurity. Do they flee, or do they stay?”
Aside from offering families a safe haven, thousands of immigration attorneys nationwide are equipping their clients with information. On Thursday, the American Immigration Lawyers Association sent out a mass email with resources on “knowing your rights,” as well as links to “local raids response hotlines,” and ICE detention locators.
“[We have been] reaching out to [our] contacts and working with partners to prepare for a possible massive enforcement action,” Gregory Z. Chen, the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s director of government relations, said in an email that references a resources web page that the group created.
“These resources are the most comprehensive of any I have seen and include both national and local government as well as non-government and local community resources,” Chen said.
The mass-deportation efforts were originally slated to start late last month but were delayed after the Herald and other news media revealed the agency’s plan to round up thousands of immigrant families.
Law-enforcement sources told the Herald that Sunday’s operation is expected to be smaller than the previously planned one, but people with deportation orders will still be the target. They also said they would be asking other members of the household of an undocumented immigrant for their immigration documents.
Because South Florida doesn’t have family detention centers, ICE will utilize area hotels to hold families for a maximum of 24 hours before they are transferred to facilities out of state. Local jails may also be used for adults.
ICE officials told the Herald in an email that “the agency will not offer specific details related to enforcement operations.”
“As always, ICE prioritizes the arrest and removal of unlawfully present aliens who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security.”
Monique O. Madan: 305-376-2108, @MoniqueOMadan