Mexican and Guatemalan consuls are urging immigrants to be prepared and not panic in the wake of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation last week that resulted in 161 arrests in six Southern California counties.
In today’s immigration landscape, this means preparing for potential deportation.
“It’s as if you’re preparing for a hurricane or a natural emergency. Apply that idea,” said Mario Cuevas Zamora, the Mexican consul for Santa Ana.
This message jibes with a statement from the Mexican government that alerted its nationals of the “new reality” they’re facing in the United States. The statement was issued after an Arizona woman, who had regularly checked in with U.S. immigration officials, was deported Wednesday.
“The entire Mexican community should take precautions and stay in touch with the nearest consulate, to obtain the necessary help to face this kind of situation,” the statement read.
Immigrants need to set up a family plan, said Cuevas, the Mexican consul for Santa Ana.
This involves securing original copies of their birth certificates, passports, and matricular consular cards, Cuevas said. If legal permanent residents qualify, they should seek citizenship, he added. And, if their children are U.S. born, foreign-born parents should register their children in their country of origin.
On top of that, immigrants need to know their rights, Cuevas said.
They don’t have to open their door if Immigration and Customs Enforcement is knocking or reveal their immigration status. And if they are arrested, they have a right to ask to speak with their nearest consulate.
“An informed person will make the right decisions,” Cuevas said.
However, consuls are stressing what Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been saying all along, that this recent Southern California enforcement was scheduled ahead of time, and targeted those with a criminal background, or who had final orders of removal or had been previously deported.
“These operatives are not new,” said Billy Muñoz, the Guatemalan consul for San Bernardino, who added that this kind of enforcement occurred when Barack Obama was president.
Describing this kind of enforcement as a ‘raid,’ Muñoz said, “generates alarm, fear, and panic.”
Muñoz said a number of people have called in fear in the wake of the recent immigration operation that struck Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
They’re scared of taking their kids to school, or they call about a supposed raid or checkpoint that turned out to be false alarms, Muñoz said.
Most of those arrested in the Southern California operation were nationals from Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Muñoz said the consulate has interviewed four Guatemalan nationals detained at the Adelanto Detention Center.
However, there have been reported cases of collateral arrests, Muñoz said. Collateral arrests can refer to unauthorized immigrants with deportation records, who were not the intended targets but were at the same location of the enforcement action.
Whatever the case is, Muñoz urged immigrants to keep in contact with their consulate. If they have deportation orders, for example, Muñoz said they may qualify for some sort of immigration relief.
“The community needs to remain calm and to continue living their life with tranquility,” Muñoz said. “These are not raids.”
Meanwhile, the Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino has experienced an increase in foot traffic since the beginning of January, said spokesman Jorge Alejandro Torres Garza.
They’re seeking legal representation for immigration cases, as well as financial advice to become U.S. citizens. Many are also asking how to go about registering their U.S. born children as Mexican citizens, Torres said.
In the wake of so much immigration uncertainty, the Ontario Hispanic Chamber of Commerce held a Wednesday evening forum on immigration. Mexican, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran consuls, as well as a host of attorneys, were invited. About 100 people attended.
“Right now, all of the immigrants are in limbo,” said Enrique Flores-Guerra, with the chamber.
Flores-Guerra said even permanent legal residents are worried. Many, he said, don’t know if they should travel outside the country because they fear not being let back in.
“The people don’t know what they need to do … what rights they have,” he said. “We need to keep the community informed.”
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