Panic and fear won’t help our immigrant neighbors. Here are some things that might. | Opinion
We don’t yet really know what President-elect Trump’s mass deportation plans will look like, but predictably, many of Kentucky leaders are all in.
“The American people overwhelmingly support and demand the common sense actions he will take on his first day in office,” gushed wannabe Kentucky governor and current U.S. Rep James Comer.
First off, and this won’t be the last time I say this, a win of 50-48.3 is clear but not exactly an overwhelming mandate for Trump. The 48.3 percent of us are actually pretty concerned that he might declare an emergency and use the U.S. military to round up anyone with brown skin.
There’s no doubt immigration is a problem to be solved, one that’s been with us since this country was founded. Because unless you are of Native American descent, you, too, are an immigrant.
But apparently, we’re going to demagogue it: On the table are massive camps, family separations, the deportation of legal temporary asylees, like Haitians, or Afghans fleeing the Taliban, the end of DACA, the end of birthright citizenship.
What’s not being discussed is what could happen to people put in camps by people as venal as deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, or what will happen to our economy when the people we have long allowed to do the hardest jobs are no longer there to do them.
We will lose many of the people mowing our lawns, putting on our roofs, slaughtering our livestock or picking our crops. And let’s not forget hotwalking our horses and mucking the many stalls of Kentucky’s signature industry.
Immigrants, undocumented and legal, are an integral part of Lexington. So, if you’re one of the people worried about this, what can you do?
It’s the same old answer: Protest when the time comes, and before that, give money to the small group of beleaguered nonprofits doing this work.
“Everyone needs a legal consultation this year because everything is changing so quickly,” said Mizari Suarez, who runs the Kentucky Neighbors Immigration Clinic with legal director Katie Taylor.
Even nonprofits have to charge small fees for legal consultations.
The clinic also needs volunteers to hold Know Your Rights presentations in different languages like Spanish, Swahili, Haitian and Arabic if there are raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“That tells people where they are allowed to push and where they are not,” Taylor said.
The Maxwell Street Legal Clinic is part of the Kentucky Equal Justice Center, and both of them can always use more donations, said Maxwell Street Director Charles Bates.
“Remember how the last time we targeted large groups of people based on a single characteristic worked out,” he said. “Japanese internment cost $1.5 billion. I would say it’s trite but true, but people are people and we should not lose sight of that.”
Kentucky Refugee Ministries also helps immigrants with their legal status, and they can always use more funding, too. It’s not clear if the Trump administration will target immigrants who are here legally with “Temporary Protected Status” standing.
But that connects to one of the biggest problems right now, said Suarez. We don’t really know exactly what’s going to happen, and there is a lot of misinformation out there.
“Our work is to lead with empowerment, not misinformation and fear,” she said. “I’m not scared of the (Trump) administration — I’m scared of people giving up, I’m scared for people who are hopeless right now. We’re trying to empower the allies and supporters and empower the immigrant community.”
For a wider, statewide list of nonprofit groups helping immigrants in Kentucky, go to the Immigration Advocates Network at https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/nonprofit/legaldirectory/search?state=KY.
If you’re interested in Know Your Rights training, please contact Mizari Suarez at mizari@kyneighborsclinic.org.
This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 4:45 AM.
