With the number of people being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement escalating at a rapid rate since January, many immigrants are fearful of doing basic things like going to work or taking their kids to school.
About 10% of New Mexico’s population are immigrants, or about 215,000 people. They contribute almost $2 billion in taxes annually and make up 11% of working people in the state.
And yet, thousands of immigrants are living in fear of being detained by ICE everyday. Whether they’re at home, work, or even going to a scheduled ICE check-in appointment. A number of organizations are working to alleviate this fear with knowledge.
Danielle Parker is co-director of United Voices for Newcomer Rights. UVNR is a non-profit that provides resources to immigrants in New Mexico. Parker and her colleagues work directly with immigrants on a daily basis, and have seen the terror in the community.
“It’s not about ‘Oh we want immigrants but we want a right way to get here’. No, that’s not the case because you’re having people being detained at USCIS [U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services], at court hearings, who are following the law,” Parker said.
According to the libertarian Cato Institute, 93% of people detained since the beginning of the current Trump Administration have no violent convictions and 65% of detainees have no criminal convictions at all.
Organizations like UVNR are working to educate immigrants about their rights.
Mariana Santos Lezama is a Spanish-speaking community advocate for UVNR. Organizations like hers hand out small “red cards” with information on your individual rights and what to do if ICE comes to your work, home, or you encounter them in public.
“We have to spread knowledge, we don’t have to spread the fear,” Santos Lezama said.
United Voices for Newcomer Rights also has “Know Your Rights” videos on their website in six different languages. The goal is to give as much information to as many people as possible.
“Knowing your rights will give you that peace of mind to say, you know what, I know what you can and you cannot do,” Santos Lezama said, “I’m just walking on U.S. soil and I have rights because I am standing here”
UVNR is not the only organization that provides resources on knowing your rights. These organizations are as well: City of Albuquerque, Somos Un Pueblo Unido, El Centro, New Mexico Dream Team.
If there is a resource you use and wish to add, please email miacasas@kunm.org
