Advocates for Basic Legal Equality Inc. is reaffirming its commitment to protecting immigrant rights after recent changes in immigration policy sparked fear of arrests, detentions and other enforcement actions from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
President Trump, since he was sworn into office in January, has issued executive orders on mass deportations and increased border security, which he promised to carry out during his campaign.
Those changes have stoked fear in the immigrant community, said Wendy Avina, ABLE’s outreach coordinator and a paralegal in the organization’s agricultural worker and immigrant rights practice group.
“We’ve had a lot of calls from our community partners, and people whose situation is in immigration limbo, asking how these new executive actions and rhetoric will impact them,” she said.
In response, ABLE updated its “Preparing Your Families for Immigration Enforcement” guide, which was first published in 2016.
“Our hope is to provide people with a little more information about what to do in case there is an immigration raid, or you’re pulled over by law enforcement, or ICE comes to your home or work, and how to prepare yourself and your family,” she said.
The big takeaway of the Know Your Rights guide, she said, is to be prepared.
Develop an emergency response plan that includes important contact information like a family member or a friend who can assist if you’re detained, she said.
“Document important medical information of family members you’re taking care of. Who can take care of your pets, and who will have a limited power of attorney in case the parents or guardian are detained? Who is an entrusted individual who can take care of your children?” she said. “Who will be able to take your children to the doctor, pick them up from school?”
The guide also provides general information about rights.
“Remain silent, you have the right to refuse a search of your vehicle and home without a warrant. It can be a scary situation when someone like ICE knocks on your door. It’s ICE’s responsibility to get a warrant. You have constitutional rights regardless of your status. Be polite, don’t run, and don’t produce false documentation to law enforcement. If detained, document the encounter, have a phone number of an attorney memorized,” she said.
“Depending on their situation, there may be a remedy,” she added. “But things move fast when detained, and sometimes people freak out in detention. They don’t want to stay there for a length of time, and will sometimes sign documentation not in their language that may cause immediate deportation.”
Ms. Avina said there is a lot of misinformation about immigration issues on social media.
“People are freaking out. They see a vehicle in their neighborhood, and think it’s border patrol, or there is going to be an ICE raid,” she said.
Many remember an immigration crackdown at a garden center in Sandusky in 2018 in which ICE rounded up more than 100 people, she said.
“People are just scared, especially in Northwest Ohio, and think there could be another mass enforcement like in 2018,” she said.
ABLE provides free services to low income individuals, including immigrants. “We also have a program for individuals who are just above the poverty guidelines but can’t afford an attorney,” she said.
Baldemar Velasquez, president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, has been “inundated” with calls from members, particularly those who have mixed immigration status homes — families consisting of documented and undocumented immigrants.
“We’re very concerned their rights are not going to be acknowledged. We want to make sure immigration authorities, if they hit us in this area, will obey the law. Those who are subject to deportation are undocumented — they are subject to expedited removal,” he said.
“We’ve had raids in Northwest Ohio going back 30 years in the tomato fields,” he continued. “ICE picked up U.S. citizens along with undocumented people. We learned we have to hold everyone accountable to due process. Right now, they seem to be focused on major cities, like Chicago and New York. But as time moves on, it will eventually bleed into smaller communities.”
The organizing committee held a meeting last month on Broadway Street, and distributed a “Know your Rights” flier to a packed audience.
“We told people what to do if they encountered ICE or border patrol — which we have because we’re near the border with Canada. Whether you’re pulled over, picked up in the streets, at work, in school, or at home, know your rights.”
First Published February 18, 2025, 11:53 p.m.
