THE ATTACKS BEGAN - NEW ACTIONS BY THE EXECUTIVE AND INTIMIDATION OF THE TROMPET PLAYERS

People should prepare themselves but not panic!

Since Trump was sworn in on January 20th, he has initiated several of his plans and perverse maneuvers against immigrants. We are going to talk about some of the most important actions and changes at the moment, again the warning for immigrants in general here in the state of Michigan is that they should not panic.

It is important that if you do not have documents you speak to an immigration lawyer to find out exactly what your situation is. Each case is different and you have several options depending on your particular and personal situation.

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FIRST — THERE ARE NO MASS RAIDES YET

You shouldn't believe the rumors that ICE is randomly detaining people or that they are stopping all cars or entering all Latino homes, etc., but as I have told you, it is always important that you know your rights, no immigration authority or agent can enter your home without a written deportation order.

I am going to talk about some of the most important changes, executive actions, that Trump has signed and that we are currently seeing both in the United States and at the border.

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CHANGES AT THE BORDER.

They end the “CBP One” program and re-established the “Stay in Mexico” program At the Southern Border

Another challenge for asylum seekers at the border. On the same day as Trump's inauguration, the new government eliminated the CBP One program through which thousands of people were able to make appointments to apply for political asylum upon arrival at the northern Mexican border. This program, which Biden initiated, brought a lot of order to the border. People could make an appointment and enter the United States in an orderly manner, and many managed to enter the United States legally to continue with their asylum applications without running any danger in Mexico or facing long detentions.

Unfortunately, Trump eliminated CBP One and replaced it with the Remain in Mexico policy, putting people at risk who have to remain in unsafe places exposed to crime. The Mexican government is also complaining because it has not been consulted so that they can work together and provide places for immigrants waiting for their appointment.

They have put an end to the Humanitarian Parole program that allowed immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua to enter legally and safely. The Humanitarian Parole program has been eliminated and the people who were waiting will no longer be able to come to the United States by air and will have to expose themselves to the horror of traveling by land or water to escape persecution and mistreatment in their countries.

People who are already in the United States through this program can continue here, but since last month Biden announced, and obviously Trump will not make any changes, that they will not be able to renew it to extend their legal stay and they should consult with a lawyer to find out if they can apply for another consideration such as political asylum, they must do so within a year of their arrival. Asylum is based on people being afraid of suffering persecution and mistreatment when they return to their countries because of their opinions or political activities, especially people from Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Executive Action Against Birthright Citizenship is one of the most ridiculous proposals. Trump says that people born in the United States when at least one of their parents is not a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States cannot obtain citizenship by birth. This unconstitutional proposal will supposedly come into effect in 30 days. If it passes, when people apply for their US passport they will have to prove that at least one of their parents is a citizen or legal permanent resident, otherwise they will not be able to receive citizenship, which will cause great confusion and harm to millions of people.

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CHALLENGES IN THE COURTS

Lawyers' groups such as the ACLU and other pro-immigrant groups have already filed lawsuits against this action, because it is not the kind of decision that Trump can make. It has to go through Congress and needs a change in the 14th Amendment of 1866 of the US Constitution to specifically state that these people born in the United States cannot be citizens by birth.

The Trumpers are trying to use the misinterpretation that people who enter the United States without permission are invading and therefore their children do not qualify for citizenship, but all the judges and lawyers have said that Trump will lose this fight.

But for now there is no change, don't worry, the challenges to this proposal will continue in the courts and they will almost certainly stop this absurd idea.

They eliminated the discretion program put in place by Biden

They also removed Biden's priority and discretion programs and memoranda that provided protection against deportation for people without criminal records who have lived in the United States for many years.

They should understand that this is not going to happen to everyone and they will also still have the right to apply for parole and fight their cases in court. We will talk more about this in the future.

They are suspending the arrival of refugees, they have already suspended flights of refugees who were scheduled to travel to the United States, this means that people who for political or racial reasons can no longer live in their countries and whose applications have been approved after many years of waiting and investigation cannot travel for now in the next 90 days and it is another attack on the policy of welcoming people who cannot live in peace in their countries.

Another big change is that the Department of Homeland Security and its new director, anti-immigrant Tomas Homan, announced that immigration officers will be able to enter places such as schools, hospitals or churches in search of unauthorized immigrants, a practice that was previously protected by law.

According to Homan, people will not be able to hide in schools and hospitals as if they were going to these places just to escape immigration, when the reality is that people should feel safe and not be afraid to go to schools to look for their children, to hospitals to receive medical treatment or to churches for a religious service. This demonstrates the wickedness of some of the leaders appointed by Trump.

The government has also ordered the deployment of more troops to the southern border, thousands of national guard officers from different states will join, although they will not directly detain people, but will supposedly support the Department of Homeland Security in other ways. The governor of Michigan and other states have spoken out against sending troops to the border, but the more republican and fascist states are willing to send their troops even if it probably conflicts with the constitution of the republic.

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EVERY CASE IS DIFFERENT

You should consult an immigration lawyer, every immigration situation is different. Sometimes, if you have a pending immigration case, you can explain it to the immigration officer and you should call your lawyer so that they can be involved in case you are detained by immigration officers.

We are organizing workshops to educate people about their rights and continue planning political strategies against deportations. I also want to congratulate the group Cosecha, tireless fighters who on January 20th protested in downtown Grand Rapids calling for justice for immigrants.

¡Sí se puede!