Nearly one in four Americans is an immigrant or the child of an immigrant but President Donald Trump has promised to shrink those numbers through arrests and mass deportations, which have already begun.

The actions have stoked fear among immigrants and worry about how it will affect the economy.

Loren Collingwood, associate professor of political science at the University of New Mexico, is concerned massive sweeps could mistakenly target families who've been in the Southwest for more than 500 years.

"In New Mexico, we have three, four, five generations but look like they did yard work that day, an ICE official could be like, 'Oh, they're an undocumented immigrant, let's go detain them,'" Collingwood said. "That's one of the main challenges with these types of policies and laws."

There are 75 million immigrants in America, including 200,000 in New Mexico, or roughly one in 10 residents. Many fill jobs in construction, restaurants, health care, agriculture and more, while business owners generate $12 billion of economic output annually, according to New Mexico Voices for Children.

Trump has painted immigrants as criminals and worse but a 40-year incarceration project by Stanford University shows immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than those born in the U.S.

Collingwood said nonetheless, threats and dehumanization often are enough to drive immigrants out, with or without a government crackdown.

"The reality is, it costs so much money to do this," Collingwood pointed out. "So a lot of the posturing is designed at self-deportation and people have written books about this, that a lot of deportations that occur in the United States are really just immigrant populations, 'I'm just going to go back to wherever my country of origin is.'"

A Gallup poll found the percentage of U.S. adults who want to see a decrease in immigration rose to 55% in 2024, compared to 41% the year before.


get more stories like this via email

According to the Immigration Policy Tracking Project, the Trump administration has taken 130 actions on immigration so far this term. Groups in Montana are trying to both track those changes and watch state bills.

One early executive order placed a 90-day freeze on refugee arrivals to the country, halting families with flights already booked to the U.S. Another made changes to Temporary Protected Status and Humanitarian Parole, granted when a person's home country is deemed unsafe due to armed conflict, natural disaster or other emergencies.

Mary Poole, executive director of the nonprofit resettlement agency Soft Landing Missoula, said the orders could undo years of work.

"This rapid removal of humanitarian protections, that's one thing that's really scary for folks," Poole observed. "Many people came here through this new legal pathway that Biden created and it might just be deemed null and void."

Two Montana immigration bills passed the House and were brought to the Senate last week. One would require police to check and report someone's immigration status during a "lawful stop" and the other would allow the state to criminally prosecute a person in federal detention for immigration violations.

Soft Landing Missoula works with 600 refugees and immigrants from 30 different countries. Poole said
the organization has taken on new work with the change in federal administration, including immigrant rights' training.

"Immigrants have rights," Poole emphasized. "Making sure that folks are aware of what those are and how our organizations and facilities can uphold those rights, that's a really important piece of the work that we've been doing."

According to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, if immigration officials come to a person's home, they do not need to answer a knock without a warrant signed by a judge, containing the person's correct name and address. People approached also have the right to remain silent.


get more stories like this via email

A northwest Texas family is waiting to hear from agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a recent traffic stop.

Jose is in the country illegally and was taken into custody by ICE agents after he and his wife, Ashley, were stopped by Lubbock police. Ashley said the incident was traumatizing for her and their three children.

"My oldest son, he was crying, because they were being really rough with his dad," Ashley explained. "They're slamming him against the window where he's at, and he's asking, 'Why are they taking him?' And I'm trying to explain to my 4-year-old that his dad's here illegally. He doesn't understand that."

Jose, who's from Central America, was eventually released and told to report for a hearing, but Ashley pointed out they have received conflicting information about upcoming court proceedings.

Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, an attorney in Austin representing the family, said they will fight to keep Jose from being deported. She added the couple had hired an attorney to get Jose his Green Card.

"This story highlights the fact that ICE is not just apprehending and placing people with criminal histories into immigration detention," Lincoln-Goldfinch noted. "Now, because of this incident, Jose has been placed into deportation proceedings. And this is one more person in the already backlogged immigration court system."

Ashley added if Jose is deported, she and their children will go to Central America with him.


get more stories like this via email

Immigrant advocates in Florida are ramping up efforts to help families navigate President Donald Trump's new immigration orders, which have increased fear and uncertainty in communities across the Sunshine State.

The Florida Immigrant Coalition has been holding legal workshops, launched a Know Your Rights webpage, and operates a statewide immigration hotline to provide resources for those at risk of deportation.

Adriana Rivera, director of communications for the coalition, said with reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across Florida, the group is working to ensure immigrant families understand their constitutional rights, regardless of immigration status.

"There is an element of racial profiling that we are witnessing, where even the sole purpose of you speaking a different language has gotten people detained," Rivera observed.

The organization also urged immigrants to carry written scripts asserting their rights, particularly for children who may be questioned at school. Trump's executive orders have raised concerns about increased ICE access to schools, hospitals and other public spaces where enforcement actions were previously restricted.

In some Florida school districts, officials have been instructed to cooperate with ICE agents even if they refuse to allow parental notification before detaining a student. Rivera stressed all families should be making a plan.

"If you are a U.S. citizen but you speak a different language, but you look a certain way or you pray differently than you know. You're not a Christian. You should be thinking, well, what happens if, if this situation occurs, if that situation occurs," Rivera explained.

As enforcement actions escalate, advocates urged families to consult immigration lawyers as soon as possible, particularly those with Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals as Trump's policies threaten to roll back protections.


get more stories like this via email