Courtesy of Hogar Hispano, a program of Catholic Charities:

Immigrants: Know Your Rights! Hogar Hispano Conducts Workshops To Educate
The Immigrant Community

“If I am detained and deported, who will take care of my children?”

“Can a police officer stop me on the street because I look Hispanic?”

“What will happen to my house and all of my things if I am deported?”

“Can I really remain silent when I am confronted by a police officer?”

An Urban Institute study asserts that the number of undocumented immigrants arrested in workplaces nationwide increased more than sevenfold from 500 to 3,600 between 2002 and 2006. Effective January 1, 2008, Prince William County police will implement a new ordinance that gives police officers the authority to question the legal status of those stopped in routine policing efforts. The collapse of comprehensive immigration reform in Congress combined with the actions of local governments as they attempt to enforce immigration law in their own jurisdictions, has translated to an increased threat of immigration-related arrests in homes, workplaces, and public spaces.

Since August of this year, Hogar Hispano has been involved in a collaborative effort with other immigrant services organizations in the D.C. metropolitan area to form a rapid response plan to raids carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These agencies, in coming together to dialogue, discovered that the needs of a typical family affected by a raid are far-reaching and cannot be serviced by one agency alone. Certain agencies exhibit strength and capacity for providing legal services throughout a client’s detention process. Others’ mission is to lobby for the interests of Latino immigrants. Still others offer social services and childcare, meet emergency needs for food and shelter, and provide mental health counseling and treatment in response to psychological trauma. The comprehensive needs of a client can only be well-attended if service agencies are in good communication with each other and have access to the most current news and information regarding the political climate.

The first course of action has been to compile a pamphlet of information in English and Spanish which includes advice on how to handle oneself during a raid and before officials. The pamphlet also addresses what to do if detained by immigration and how to locate a loved one who has been detained, and includes contact information for Latin American consulate offices and legal service providers. The goal of the coalition is to disseminate this information far and wide through a “Know Your Rights” outreach campaign in order to empower immigrants with an understanding of their constitutional rights and quell fears that come from ignorance and misinformation about the immigration enforcement practices in place. Hogar Hispano began its educational campaign with a workshop for ESL students and parishioners at Christ the Redeemer Church in Sterling in early November. Know Your Rights Workshops were also held at All Saints parish in Manassas and Our Lady of Angels in Woodbridge. Community partners who contributed included Fransico Henriquez of Tenants and Workers United, Lisa Johnson-Firth of Immigration and Human Rights Law Group PLLC, and Edgar Arranda of the Virginia Justice Center. Hogar Hispano and Catholic Charities would like to thank these parishes for their gift of space and for providing a safe and trusted environment in which these important issues could be discussed.

To further address in its workshops the fears that immigrants face, Hogar Hispano offers guidance in the creation and implementation of a family emergency plan in households with one or more undocumented adult. For example, to families with children, a detailed plan can be especially vital in ensuring that a trusted family member or friend will assume the role of caregiver for a child who may be left behind. A study commissioned for the Urban Institute by the National Council of La Raza compared three U.S. communities who experienced large-scale workplace raids within the past year in an attempt to analyze the impact of such raids on America’s children. The study found that on average the number of children affected by worksite raids is half the number of adults arrested. National data has shown that two-thirds of these children are U.S. citizens and that a large majority of them are infants, toddlers or pre-schoolers. Children in the study suffered significantly at the sudden disappearance of their parents, “experiencing feelings of abandonment, showing symptoms of emotional trauma, psychological duress and mental health problems.” Hogar Hispano and the coalition of immigrant service agencies acknowledge this as one of the most grave consequences of such enforcement actions, and encourages parents, as well as community organizations, to take steps towards creating stable transitions for these children.

In addition to worries about children, the family emergency plan addresses concerns about the maintenance of immigrants’ financial assets, such as homes and other personal property. The pamphlet includes the recommendation that an immigrant grant power of attorney to a trusted adult to take on this responsibility. More suggestions include storing important identification and documents in a safe place to which multiple people have access, keeping plenty of money in the bank for emergencies, carrying or memorizing important phone numbers, and finding a lawyer who specializes in deportation cases and will take on a case in the event of an individual’s detention.

Hogar Hispano will continue to provide educational opportunities to its students, clients, and the immigrant community in accordance with its mission to welcome the stranger among us. If you believe there is a need for this information in your parish or community and are interested in holding a workshop, please contact Cindy Brown at cbrown@ccda.net.

You may read the National Council of La Raza study entitled “Paying the Price: the Impact of Immigration Raids on America’s Children” at http://www.urban.org/publications/411566.html