Undocumented & Afraid

On a recent evening in Phoenix, Arizona, protesters surrounded  a van as it was pulling away from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office. 

The activists were demanding the release of the woman inside the van, who, they feared, was about to be sent out of the United States. ­Guadalupe García de Rayos, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, had been detained earlier that day after reporting for her annual meeting with immigration officials. She’d been required to attend the meetings since a 2008 arrest for using a fake Social ­Security number, which is a crime.

Rayos, a custodian, says she was just trying to get a job to support her two kids, who were both born in the U.S. (and therefore are citizens). Despite the demonstrators’ efforts, the van departed. Rayos’s family didn’t know where she’d been taken until she called the next morning—from Nogales, ­Mexico. She had been deported.

Rayos was one of the first immigrants to be removed from the country since President Donald Trump announced new policies on illegal immigration. On January 25, he issued an executive order that gives immigration officials greater authority to carry out deportations: Any undocumented immigrant who has committed any crime, even a minor offense such as a traffic violation, can now be deported.

Protesters surrounded a van on a recent evening in Phoenix, Arizona. The vehicle was pulling away from a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office.

The activists were demanding the release of the woman inside the van. They feared she was about to be sent out of the United States. Guadalupe García de Rayos is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. She had been detained earlier that day after reporting for her annual meeting with immigration officials. She’d been required to attend the meetings since 2008. That’s when Rayos had been arrested for using a fake Social Security number, which is a crime.

Rayos is a custodian. She says she was just trying to get a job to support her two kids. Her children were both born in the U.S. That means they are citizens. Despite the demonstrators’ efforts, the van left. Rayos’s family didn’t know where she’d been taken until she called the next morning. She was in Nogales, Mexico. Rayos had been deported.

Rayos was one of the first immigrants to be removed from the country since President Donald Trump announced new policies on illegal immigration. On January 25, he issued an executive order that gives immigration officials greater authority to carry out deportations. Any undocumented immigrant who has committed any crime, even a minor offense such as a traffic violation, can now be deported.

This is a sharp contrast from former President Barack Obama’s policy, which prioritized deporting dangerous criminals, such as murderers. That’s why Rayos—who wasn’t considered a threat—had been allowed to stay in the U.S.

Because undocumented immigrants technically break the law just by living in the country illegally, experts say that Trump’s order could easily be applied to the estimated 11 million of them who are currently in the U.S. 

“Every administration has to prioritize who they will go after,” says Steve Yale-Loehr, an immigration law professor at Cornell University in New York. “This goes further than any other president. To make it simple: If someone is here illegally, they are targets for removal.”

This is a sharp contrast from former President Barack Obama’s policy. Obama prioritized deporting dangerous criminals, such as murderers. That’s why Rayos had been allowed to stay in the U.S. She wasn’t considered a threat.

Experts say Trump’s order could easily be applied to the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. That’s because they technically broke the law just by living in the country illegally.

“Every administration has to prioritize who they will go after,” says Steve Yale-Loehr. He is an immigration law professor at Cornell University in New York. “This goes further than any other president. To make it simple: If someone is here illegally, they are targets for removal.”

One group that may be exempt from Trump’s executive order is ­people covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) ­program. In 2012, Obama issued an executive order temporarily protecting from deportation young people who’d been brought to the country illegally as children. Those who qualify for DACA have renewable two-year permits to work legally in the U.S. 

On the campaign trail, Trump said DACA was unconstitutional, and he vowed to abolish the program. But he seems to have softened his tone since taking office, referring to the young immigrants as “incredible kids.” Trump’s deportation order does not affect DACA. 

Still, many of the more than 750,000 people protected under DACA are uneasy about their futures in the U.S. (See “My Parents Were Deported,” below.)

One group that may be exempt from Trump’s executive order is people covered under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. In 2012, Obama issued an executive order that temporarily protects from deportation young people who’d been brought to the country illegally as children. Those who qualify for DACA have renewable two-year permits to work legally in the U.S.

On the campaign trail, Trump said DACA was unconstitutional. He vowed to abolish the program. But he seems to have softened his tone since taking office. He has referred to the young immigrants as “incredible kids.” Trump’s deportation order does not affect DACA.

Still, many of the more than 750,000 people protected under DACA are uneasy about their futures in the U.S. (See “My Parents Were Deported,” below.)

In response to Trump’s order, dozens of cities have designated themselves as sanctuary cities that vow to protect the undocumented. From New York City to Seattle, Washington, cities are providing safe zones where such immigrants can seek refuge, including churches and schools.

Also, many local governments have ordered their police officers not to assist immigration officials in rounding up immigrants. They say it will make people afraid to report crimes and takes officers away from their primary duty of protecting people. 

Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities in response. U.S. law gives the president the power to set immigration policy, so Trump says he has the authority to decide who should be deported.

But many cities are prepared to fight. “We will not give in to threats,” Ed Lee, mayor of San Francisco, said in a recent statement he issued with two other California mayors. “[We] will stay . . . united against any and all efforts to divide our residents, our cities, and our country.”

With reporting by The New York Times

In response to Trump’s order, dozens of cities have designated themselves as sanctuary cities. They vow to protect the undocumented. From New York City to Seattle, Washington, cities are providing safe zones where such immigrants can seek protection. These safe places include churches and schools.

Many local governments have ordered their police officers not to assist immigration officials in rounding up immigrants. They say it will make people afraid to report crimes and takes officers away from their primary duty of protecting people.

Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities in response. U.S. law gives the president the power to set immigration policy. Trump says he has the authority to decide who should be deported.

But many cities are prepared to fight. “We will not give in to threats,” said Ed Lee. He is the mayor of San Francisco. “[We] will stay . . . united against any and all efforts to divide our residents, our cities, and our country.” 

With reporting by The New York Times