A civil rights group in Houston is providing advice to those who may be affected by President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement actions.
Following Trump’s campaign pledge to crack down on those who might be in the country illegally, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) agents launched targeted operations around Texas on Sunday.In North Texas and other places throughout the state, dozens of people have been taken into custody. As part of a clandestine operation, three persons were arrested in Galveston and at least one person was apprehended in Texas City over the weekend, according to the Galveston County Daily News.
According to a social media post by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Houston branch, the division is helping its federal counterparts with immigration enforcement.
Although there have been some local increases in enforcement activity, the majority of Houston’s efforts have been targeted, according to Cesar Espinosa, executive director of FIEL Houston, or Familias Inmigrantes y Estudiantes en Lucha.
According to Espinosa, “for the time being, I say fortunately cautiously because it’s only been targeted operations for specific individuals.” Fortunately, we haven’t witnessed extensive operations where they only conduct sweeps.
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Along with a few other local law enforcement organizations in the area, the Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office have been hesitant to talk about their possible involvement in immigration enforcement during the Trump administration. Harris County claims that immigration enforcement is responsible for more than 1,200 of the detention at the county jail.
According to Espinosa, there are currently procedures in place in Houston and the Harris County region that hold immigrants.
According to Espinosa, many people will be afraid of family separation as a result of heightened enforcement. According to him, some parents might decide not to send their kids to school.
“Obviously, we cannot oppose what a parent feels or wants to do,” he added, adding that people must make educated judgments during these extremely trying times.
According to Espinosa, his organization has been hosting Know Your Rights workshops where they provide citizens of Houston guidance on their rights to remain silent and not to sign documents when questioned by immigration police.
