Mister Terrific
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Immigrants in Michigan urged to know their rights amid increased enforcement
Max Reinhart
The Detroit News
Dearborn — As worries about immigration enforcement surge and the Trump administration continues its broad push for mass deportations, local advocates are reminding immigrants of all residency statuses to know their rights during interrogations, arrests or raids.
The Arab American Civil Rights League had originally planned a press conference for later in the week, but the organization moved it up to Monday after receiving a steady stream of calls over the weekend.
"I know it's causing a lot of anxiety in the community," said Nabih Ayad, ACRL's founder and chair. "The community's on edge."
Trump has reinstated a 2019 policy known as "expedited removal," which, Ayad said, previously only applied to migrants who had arrived in the U.S. within the past 14 days and within a 100-mile radius of the border.
"With Trump's new administrative order, it basically makes no limit of such," he said. "Basically, anyone that's in this country, regardless of radius from the border, anywhere in the country, you can be arrested and deported," without the typical judicial process.
During Monday's presser, the group passed out tip sheets with guidance from the Michigan Immigrants Rights Center. It offered tips on everything from what to say to immigration agents if potentially stopped to whether someone is required to legally allow an agent into his or her home.
The surge in immigration enforcement since Trump took office on Jan. 20 is causing particular concern in Dearborn, where about 29% of its 109,000-plus residents are foreign-born, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Ayad acknowledged the irony that the city's heavily Muslim-immigrant population voted in favor of Trump in November.
He explained that a majority of residents placed more importance on Trump's perceived favorable stance on Middle Eastern conflicts than his hardline promises of deportation.
"If I had to choose between more deportations or children being sniped, 2- or 5-year-olds dying, I'd choose the first and I think a lot of the community feels the same way," Ayad said, referring to the conflict in Gaza.
www.detroitnews.com
Max Reinhart
The Detroit News
Dearborn — As worries about immigration enforcement surge and the Trump administration continues its broad push for mass deportations, local advocates are reminding immigrants of all residency statuses to know their rights during interrogations, arrests or raids.
The Arab American Civil Rights League had originally planned a press conference for later in the week, but the organization moved it up to Monday after receiving a steady stream of calls over the weekend.
"I know it's causing a lot of anxiety in the community," said Nabih Ayad, ACRL's founder and chair. "The community's on edge."
Trump has reinstated a 2019 policy known as "expedited removal," which, Ayad said, previously only applied to migrants who had arrived in the U.S. within the past 14 days and within a 100-mile radius of the border.
"With Trump's new administrative order, it basically makes no limit of such," he said. "Basically, anyone that's in this country, regardless of radius from the border, anywhere in the country, you can be arrested and deported," without the typical judicial process.
During Monday's presser, the group passed out tip sheets with guidance from the Michigan Immigrants Rights Center. It offered tips on everything from what to say to immigration agents if potentially stopped to whether someone is required to legally allow an agent into his or her home.
The surge in immigration enforcement since Trump took office on Jan. 20 is causing particular concern in Dearborn, where about 29% of its 109,000-plus residents are foreign-born, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Ayad acknowledged the irony that the city's heavily Muslim-immigrant population voted in favor of Trump in November.
He explained that a majority of residents placed more importance on Trump's perceived favorable stance on Middle Eastern conflicts than his hardline promises of deportation.
"If I had to choose between more deportations or children being sniped, 2- or 5-year-olds dying, I'd choose the first and I think a lot of the community feels the same way," Ayad said, referring to the conflict in Gaza.
Immigrants in Michigan urged to know their rights amid increased enforcement
The surge in immigration enforcement is causing particular concern in Dearborn, whose heavily Muslim-immigrant population voted for Trump in November.
www.detroitnews.com
With Trump in office, both of those things are now happening; there's no longer an either/or situation.
