Texas-based immigration and child advocacy organizations claim that mixed-status families and children would suffer as a result of recent policy changes implemented by President Donald Trump.
A 2021 immigration policy from the Biden administration that broadened the concept of protected places has been revoked by the US Department of Homeland Security. Previously, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials were cautioned against enforcing immigration laws at sites such as schools, houses of worship, and hospitals, among other places.
In a statement, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated, “This action empowers the brave men and women in CBP and ICE to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens, including murderers and rapists, who have illegally entered our country.” America’s churches and schools will no longer be places for criminals to hide in order to evade capture. The Trump Administration believes that our courageous law enforcement will exercise common sense and will not restrain them.
The president and CEO of the nonprofit organization Children at Risk in Houston, Bob Sanborn, expressed disapproval of the Trump Administration’s position and claimed that its immigration policies could cause trauma to children.
According to Sanborn, the majority of Americans genuinely care about children and don’t want us to traumatize them. Furthermore, they do not want Americans to be the antagonists in this. Additionally, the majority of Americans do not want to deal with the thought of family separation or the possibility of traumatizing children by separating them from their parents.
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The implementation of Trump’s program is uncertain, according to immigration advocates.
Although we have not yet gotten the orders, these are commands. According to Jessica Cisneros, managing attorney for the Texas Immigration Law Council (TILC), we are still unsure of its meaning. For this reason, we are advising individuals to remain vigilant and determine the source of the information whenever it becomes available, rather than being alarmed.
The TILC’s executive director, Anne Chandler, also advised residents to call an attorney and collect whatever documents they may have.
We don’t need to panic if we are prepared and determined, she remarked. We shouldn’t stop sending our kids to school because of the new regulation. It does not imply that ICE officials will be making arrests at our school tomorrow.
In 2023, there were around 3 million immigrant children residing in Texas, according to Children at Risk. All first- and second-generation children of immigrants, including those living in mixed-status households, those with temporary protected status, undocumented children, and refugee children, are considered children of immigrants, according to the organization.
The NGO March of Dimes estimates that in 2023, there were 8.4 million children in Texas under the age of 19.
Following several executive orders from Trump, sanctuary cities like Chicago and San Antonio have been the focus of immigration raids this week. Trump has been claiming for months that there will be enormous deportations during his second term in office.
This is not, under any circumstances, a common sense policy, Sanborn stated in a statement. Given that more than one-third of Texas children are immigrants or the offspring of immigrants, these executive orders have an impact on more than simply families; they also threaten the foundation of our communities.
