Salvador Sanabria, the head of El Rescate, a small immigration legal assistance organization based in Los Angeles, reported that around 250 cases are currently under their purview. He cited increased federal crackdowns as a major reason many undocumented immigrants have gone into hiding, leading to a surge in missed appointments. Sanabria believes that a palpable sense of dread is at the core of this behavior. He added that such an atmosphere of fear amid ongoing immigration issues is negatively impacting people’s quality of life and disrupting their day-to-day activities.
The mass deportation drive led by President Donald Trump, which specifically targets these communities, has resulted in an unprecedented level of uncertainty. Lawyers and legal professionals handling immigration cases in Southern California state that their clients are more anxious than ever. They argue that the system they are battling against is not merely overwhelming, but it is also bereft of genuine human empathy.
Recently the Department of Homeland Security announced that since the launching of the Southern California immigration raids in June, over 1,600 migrants had been detained for deportation. They also revealed that this is part of the Trump administration’s aim to carry out approximately 3,000 daily arrests across the country. In further developments, on July 1, both LA County Board of Supervisors and Los Angeles City Council voted to pursue legal action against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to halt these raids or at least ensure warrants and due process.
Simultaneously, the ‘sanctuary city’ policy of Los Angeles came under fire with the Department of Justice suing the city. It stated that the city’s policy obstructs the federal immigration law, hampering the efforts to safeguard American citizens. In contrast to the Administration’s claims of concentrating on apprehending violent criminals, data suggests that a large percentage of those detained have no criminal convictions.
Numerous incidents have surfaced in recent weeks where individuals have been arrested while at work, shopping, or during routine court appearances. Immigration attorneys contend that once these individuals are in ICE custody, their right to due process is severely undermined. Karla Aguayo, director of Legal Services with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, stressed upon treating those ensnared in immigration issues as human beings first and foremost, arguing that this underlying humanity is often lost amid these legal quagmires.
Aguayo also shared that it has become increasingly difficult to offer legal assistance to detainees and their families, mainly those who feel excluded by the system. ‘From a legal standpoint, these actions are constitutional violations. We cannot sometimes even determine the number of people who were deported without a chance to consult legal advice,’ she expressed.
A more empathetic stance towards undocumented immigrants is being pushed for by legal advocates such as Yazmin Mercado from Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice. Acknowledging that these individuals have established homes, businesses, and raised families here over time, Mercado described their lack of a legal path to stay as heartbreaking. The ICIJ, a network comprising over 35 immigration advocacy groups, implements regular legal clinics, citizenship and family preparedness programs, and ‘Know Your Rights’ workshops.
Mercado also mentioned an alarming issue where clients have encountered fraudsters posing as immigration lawyers or notaries, capitalizing on their desperate need for legal status. As part of her work, Mercado now needs to advise her clients not to submit applications that could potentially lead to deportation, depending on their specific circumstances. Frances Arroyo, an attorney with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, highlighted the soaring demand for counsel due to increasingly aggressive ICE activities.
However, numerous concerns including financial limitations, deep-seated fears and absence of due process have collectively caused fewer people to seek legal assistance. Chief Executive Officer of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, Connie Chung Joe, recounted a similar increase in pleas for legal aid but urged for an individual approach to each case.
The civil rights organization provides a range of services from arranging informational sessions and naturalization workshops to representing families in court. Connie Chung Joe emphasized the myriad barriers, including language and financial obstacles, that immigrants encounter while attempting to acquire citizenship, and the additional scrutiny they’re subject to for even starting the process.
Even those who abide by the proper legal process live in fear of arbitrary dismissals of their cases by federal immigration judges, revealed Mercado. She also reported instances of ICE agents entering courtrooms, discouraging individuals seeking legal status from attending their court sessions. This could further complicate their legal journey and make it even more challenging for their lawyers.
Many advocates also pointed out the difficulty faced by immigrants due to a lack of legal service providers and loss of federal funding. Serious issues such as general mistrust of the legal machinery, or important legal information getting lost in translation, have been raised. A concerning revelation made by Connie Chung Joe and Aguayo was that some detainees are not being taken to their mandated court hearings and are sometimes shifted to densely populated detention centers with inadequate living conditions.
Furthermore, it was stated that many undocumented clients were moved out of state, complicating communication and legal assistance from their families. Providing effective and timely legal aid is further complicated by inconsistencies and opaque practices. Securing access to detained clients in California has also become more challenging, with instances of lawyers or representatives being denied entry altogether due to messy administrative systems. Meanwhile, ever-changing policies in an already difficult immigration system continue to pose a major obstacle for lawyers.
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