NEW YORK – National Welcoming Week, an effort to promote meaningful talks on immigration, has netted some big results in New York. It's being viewed as a major change for Suffolk County, according to Maryann Slutsky, director of Long Island Wins.
Under the past administration, says Slutsky, people who wanted to talk constructively about immigration were "drowned out with negative rhetoric." That's why she's pleased that County Executive Steve Bellone decided to host National Welcoming Week in Suffolk County.
"This really represents an important change in tone. They're embracing the immigration community and the immigration advocacy community. They are ready to listen to us and they're ready to work with us."
Twenty states are taking part in National Welcoming Week. Slutsky says it is a time dedicated to promoting meaningful connections and a spirit of unity between U.S.-born and foreign-born Americans.
The week's event in Happague included a reading and discussion of a book about a Long Island Latina worker. According to Slutsky, the story was an eye-opener for some, about the struggles faced by people who now live next door.
"So, that's what Welcoming Week is trying to highlight: Who are our new neighbors? What was their life like, and what it is like now? And how can we promote a deeper understanding and really begin to work together, as a community?"
Slutsky says the Bellone administration is already looking at ways that similar storytelling projects can be used to promote a deeper understanding of immigrant issues in their dealings with government agencies.
Information about National Welcoming Week is online at www.welcomingamerica.org.
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As word has spread about President-elect Donald Trump's mass deportation plans, advocates for immigrants in Oregon are working to educate people about their rights.
Oregon has the longest-standing sanctuary laws in the nation, which prevent local and state law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities without a signed order from a judge.
Johanna Costa, a civil-rights coordinator at the Oregon Department of Justice, noted that while undocumented residents have greater protection in Oregon, these laws are not foolproof.
"Oregon sanctuary law does not stop deportations from occurring," she explained. "It does not stop federal prosecutions for crimes like unlawful re-entry."
While they don't block federal immigration authorities such as ICE from operating in the state, Costa said Oregon is the only state in the country that offers a hotline to report violations of the sanctuary laws. Oregon is also the only state tracking and making this data public.
Some 90,000 legal Oregon residents currently live with a family member who is undocumented. Costa recommends they learn their rights and make a plan with their family for what to do if immigration officials come to their home or stop them on the street.
"We're not naive to the possibility of what could happen," she said, "and we don't want to fear monger and tell folks, 'This is coming.' But we also want folks to be prepared."
Research shows undocumented immigrants are a boon to Oregon's economy, paying more than $350 million in state and local taxes this year.
Alonso Oliveros, a program associate at Oregon Project VOICE, educates immigrant communities about their rights and works with faith and other allied groups to organize against deportation.
"Immigrants have always been used as a political scapegoat," Oliveros said, "so we really need to be better prepared in terms of how to defend our community, how to advocate for them."
To report a suspected violation of sanctuary laws, receive support or be connected to resources, people can start by visiting the Oregon Department of Justice website.
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New Mexico immigrant-based and immigrant-serving organizations are developing strategies to defend those workers and their families in the new year.
President-elect Donald Trump has promised the largest deportation of undocumented residents in U.S. history when he takes office in January.
Marcela Díaz, executive director of the advocacy group Somos Un Pueblo Unido, said immigrant workers, entrepreneurs and consumers are essential to the state's economy. She hopes residents and state lawmakers will take a stand to protect them.
"Demand that our local and state policymakers don't use the money that we are generating for this state, against us by spending very limited public safety resources in helping the Trump administration enforce civil and federal immigration laws," Díaz urged.
Díaz pointed out the state has about 60,000 undocumented immigrants -- 10 % of the population -- who pay nearly $70 million annually in state and local taxes. They account for 13% of the workforce in some industries, including oil and gas. Advocacy groups want lawmakers to consider a bill to provide economic relief for families with children who lose income due to immigration enforcement.
Díaz believes lawmakers need to be proactive when they convene in January. She noted it became clear during the last Trump administration there were not enough experts in New Mexico, particularly in rural areas, to help those trying to obtain citizenship while caught in the deportation process.
"That's primarily because there aren't enough immigration attorneys or low-cost, no-cost legal services in the state of New Mexico," Díaz explained. "That's one of the big asks that we're going to make this year is, spend some of our money in helping us defend our families."
She acknowledged there are a lot of uncertainties about exactly what the Trump administration is going to do in 2025, but emphasized there is already a huge worker shortage in the state and deportations will make matters worse.
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The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas predicts if President-elect Donald Trump follows through with his campaign promise of mass deportations, it would have serious negative effects on the state's economy.
The President-elect has said on "day one" of his new term in office, he will launch the largest deportation program in American history.
Sarah Everett, policy director with the ACLU of Arkansas, said industries such as Tyson Foods and many local farmers rely on the immigrant population to operate.
"We're certainly talking about a rise in grocery costs," said Everett. "And what we've seen in previous upticks in deportations has been inflation as well as higher labor costs - and when restaurants have to shut down because they can't find enough employees, the employees who aren't deported lose out, too."
She added that immigrants have protections under the 4th, 5th, and 14th Amendments to the Constitution.
The Migration Policy Institute estimates there are 58,000 undocumented people living in Arkansas.
The ACLU is advising people who are legal immigrants to have a plan in place in case they are detained.
Individuals are encouraged to carry their paperwork with them and have an established relationship with an immigration attorney.
Everett said now that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is suspended, many young people don't have any protection.
"When it comes to racial profiling, we want to hear from people if students' rights are affected," said Everett. "All students have a right to a public education regardless of their immigration status. And then, if people are being harassed or mistreated by law enforcement, we want to hear about that too."
She says the ACLU has also created a petition asking Congress to cut funding to the Department of Homeland Security to prevent soon-to-be President Trump from having access to the resources he needs to carry out mass deportation plans.
The petition is online at action.ACLU.org.
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