Elgin-area agencies say they are working with undocumented immigrants as fears of mass deportations escalate with this week’s inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Among the efforts underway have been workshops outlining immigrants’ rights and instructing people what to do if stopped by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE), both being offered by the Elgin YWCA and Centro de Informacion, based in Elgin.
“There are so many fears. It’s a very stressful time,” YWCA Immigration Services Director Rose Diaz said. “We are all just waiting. All we can do is prepare for the worst and do our best and try to support each other.”
On his first day back in office, Trump signed a flurry of executive orders tightening immigration laws and some anticipate ICE raids in Chicago could begin as soon as this week.
The YWCA has been working with Centro de Informacion to present “Know your Rights” workshops at the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin and at locations in Batavia. Beyond that, they have a team with two immigration attorneys, a paralegal and a legal assistant to help people individually, she said.
Less publicly, agencies, grassroots organizations and advocates for undocumented immigrants also have been working to provide the same kind of information to people since Trump’s election in November.
Diaz, who is also a life and wellness coach, is worried about the mental health toll this has been having on immigrant families. One woman she recently spoke to says her 15-year-old child is scared they’re going to come home from school one day to find her gone, Diaz said.
One thing Diaz has been doing are restorative practice circles to help undocumented immigrants and their families cope with the stress and fear. There is a need for mental health services, she said. “Ultimately, this is about human beings. You can say whatever you want, but it’s about humans,” she said.
The YWCA continues its classes to help people with green cards through the citizenship process. Classes include assistance with mock interviews, application forms and test practices, Diaz said. Classes are funded through grants, although there’s a question now of whether those grants will still be available under the new administration, she said.
Trump’s administration faces some challenges in doing mass deportations, including the fact that sanctuary cities are not cooperating, funding for the process is uncertain and the immigration court system has a years-long backlog, experts say.
Beyond that, there are certain to be legal challenges to Trump’s executive orders, including one focused on birth rights outlined in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
Regardless of if or when deportations actually happen, Centro de Informacion is preparing for them, Executive Director Dianha Ortega-Ehreth said.
Centro has sought new grants to increase its capacity and add services to assist undocumented immigrants, Ortega-Ehreth said. They’ve also become part of a regional group of agencies providing immigration services, like legal clinics, and have added an additional attorney to its staff, she said.
Along with general Know Your Rights workshops, Centro is providing information on how to make an emergency plan for possible deportations, Ortega-Ehreth said. This includes having paperwork prepared to transfer parental rights, if necessary, and what to do with your home, she said.
It’s similar advice advocates gave when Trump assumed office in 2016.
Ortega-Ehreth said she remembers what it was like then. She was working with undocumented people for a different nonprofit agency, but the fear feels different now “because we all know Trump has a running start in plans,” she said. “Last time, it really seemed like it took him almost four years to get a plan.”
Fear is often based on the unknown and worrying about the worst-case scenario, Ortega-Ehreth said. Knowledge is power, she said, so knowing what to expect and knowing your rights can help undocumented immigrants.
She goes through “a roller coaster of emotions” these days. As an immigrant herself, she said, “It’s a very sad thing to think about people being taken away and not being given due process. I don’t know how far the administration will go. It makes me scared because it becomes a very slippery slope.”
But she finds inspiration and hope within the Elgin community, she said. There are a lot of resources and people willing to help legal and undocumented immigrants, she said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Elgin-area agencies ay they are working with undocumented immigrants as fears of mass deportations escalate with this week’s inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Elgin-area agencies say they are working with undocumented immigrants as fears of mass deportations escalate with this week’s inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Among the efforts underway have been workshops outlining immigrants’ rights and instructing people what to do if stopped by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE), both being offered by the Elgin YWCA and Centro de Informacion, based in Elgin.
“There are so many fears. It’s a very stressful time,” YWCA Immigration Services Director Rose Diaz said. “We are all just waiting. All we can do is prepare for the worst and do our best and try to support each other.”
On his first day back in office, Trump signed a flurry of executive orders tightening immigration laws and some anticipate ICE raids in Chicago could begin as soon as this week.
The YWCA has been working with Centro de Informacion to present “Know your Rights” workshops at the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin and at locations in Batavia. Beyond that, they have a team with two immigration attorneys, a paralegal and a legal assistant to help people individually, she said.
Less publicly, agencies, grassroots organizations and advocates for undocumented immigrants also have been working to provide the same kind of information to people since Trump’s election in November.
Diaz, who is also a life and wellness coach, is worried about the mental health toll this has been having on immigrant families. One woman she recently spoke to says her 15-year-old child is scared they’re going to come home from school one day to find her gone, Diaz said.
One thing Diaz has been doing are restorative practice circles to help undocumented immigrants and their families cope with the stress and fear. There is a need for mental health services, she said. “Ultimately, this is about human beings. You can say whatever you want, but it’s about humans,” she said.
The YWCA continues its classes to help people with green cards through the citizenship process. Classes include assistance with mock interviews, application forms and test practices, Diaz said. Classes are funded through grants, although there’s a question now of whether those grants will still be available under the new administration, she said.
Trump’s administration faces some challenges in doing mass deportations, including the fact that sanctuary cities are not cooperating, funding for the process is uncertain and the immigration court system has a years-long backlog, experts say.
Beyond that, there are certain to be legal challenges to Trump’s executive orders, including one focused on birth rights outlined in the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
Regardless of if or when deportations actually happen, Centro de Informacion is preparing for them, Executive Director Dianha Ortega-Ehreth said.
Centro has sought new grants to increase its capacity and add services to assist undocumented immigrants, Ortega-Ehreth said. They’ve also become part of a regional group of agencies providing immigration services, like legal clinics, and have added an additional attorney to its staff, she said.
Along with general Know Your Rights workshops, Centro is providing information on how to make an emergency plan for possible deportations, Ortega-Ehreth said. This includes having paperwork prepared to transfer parental rights, if necessary, and what to do with your home, she said.
It’s similar advice advocates gave when Trump assumed office in 2016.
Ortega-Ehreth said she remembers what it was like then. She was working with undocumented people for a different nonprofit agency, but the fear feels different now “because we all know Trump has a running start in plans,” she said. “Last time, it really seemed like it took him almost four years to get a plan.”
Fear is often based on the unknown and worrying about the worst-case scenario, Ortega-Ehreth said. Knowledge is power, she said, so knowing what to expect and knowing your rights can help undocumented immigrants.
She goes through “a roller coaster of emotions” these days. As an immigrant herself, she said, “It’s a very sad thing to think about people being taken away and not being given due process. I don’t know how far the administration will go. It makes me scared because it becomes a very slippery slope.”
But she finds inspiration and hope within the Elgin community, she said. There are a lot of resources and people willing to help legal and undocumented immigrants, she said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
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