Immigrants, their employers and groups that work with them are already taking action ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, in which he has vowed to deport millions of people.

While some fear how the new administration will affect their families, others hope the plans — if they come to fruition — will make things better.

Trump’s allies Discuss deportation and detention optionsAddressing the US-Mexico border, which has been a priority since Day 1. Eliminating undocumented immigrants who commit crimes will likely be an early focus, a source familiar with the team’s preliminary plans told CNN.

But advocates fear deportation plans could soon reach deeper into American communities, targeting people they say have a right to live here.

The League of United Latin American Citizens, the oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States, is currently providing money and lawyers to fight against what it calls potential “malicious, malicious, cruel and cruel” immigration policies.

“Make no mistake: Mass deportations will harm the millions Donald Trump targets, the families and communities they are a part of, and every person in our country. “They will tear parents away from their children, destroy businesses and livelihoods, and destroy the fabric of our nation and economy,” said LULAC CEO Juan Proaño.

A lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union says planning for legal challenges is already well advanced.

“We have been preparing for Trump’s second term for nearly a year, focusing on the most draconian policies possible, including threatening to use the military to deport people, which is absolutely illegal,” said Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the ACLU. most most high profile cases During Trump’s first term.

He said lawyers from the National Immigrant Justice Center were also on hand.

“We will continue our work to provide critical legal representation to immigrants and refugees, fight to keep families together, defend access to asylum, and advocate for an end to arbitrary detention and unjust deportation,” said Mary Meg McCarthy, the center’s executive director. in a statement.

‘What happens now?’

Cesar Espinosa, a leader in the Hispanic community in Houston, said he has received numerous calls and messages from worried people since Trump’s re-election early Wednesday.

“We can sense the feeling of uncertainty in many people. A lot of people are wondering, ‘What happens now?’ “What will we do?” he said.

Some are in so-called mixed-status families consisting of U.S. citizens and undocumented immigrants. Espinosa, who is a legal permanent resident or “green card” holder, said the fear stems from the immediate targeting of noncitizens.

He says he is trying to calm fears by saying mass deportations, primarily of non-criminals, will take time. In the meantime, he is calculating when he can apply for U.S. naturalization, although it is still more than two years away.

Espinosa said machismo among Latino men may have contributed to support for Trump.

“Unfortunately, many people in the Latino community, even immigrants themselves, have embraced anti-immigrant rhetoric,” he said.

Jorge Rivas’ support for Trump is obvious. The MAGA burger is on the menu at Sammy’s Mexican Grill, which he runs with his wife, Betty, in Catalina, Arizona, north of Tucson.

He says Rivas, who was born in El Salvador, was granted asylum at 17 and sees little connection between his life as an immigrant and the people at the top of Trump’s potential deportation list.

“If they take in hundreds, thousands of people who already have criminal records, if deporting them leads to a mass deportation, I’m fully prepared for that,” he said.

He doesn’t think the action will include law-abiding workers.

“That wouldn’t be fair,” he said. “They need to make sure they’re not trashing, firing, deporting family-oriented people.”

Lawyers are taking action

In California, where farmers depend on immigrant labor, there has been renewed calls for immigration reform to allow people to enter the US for temporary farm jobs. There are also calls for legal status for the current workforce.

“We must focus on alleviating the chronic worker shortage on California farms and ranches and reducing barriers to employment,” California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass told CNN.

In the urban core of New York City, thousands of immigrants and refugees to have local resources are strainedSome places of worship are preparing to change their missions.

“The faith community has been mobilized in some kind of emergency capacity for over two and a half years,” said the Rev. Chloe Breyer, executive director of the Interfaith Center of New York, a religiously diverse nonprofit organization. “The problem was not specific deportation as it is now; the challenge was to feed, house and welcome large numbers of people.”

He said that approximately 60 churches, mosques and synagogues are called every two weeks to welcome immigrants and that these calls can be directed. “This is the network that will be mobilized when it comes to fighting against more extreme measures such as deportation.”

A day after the election, New York City officials said the fear was premature as they addressed immigration and how they would work with the incoming Trump administration.

The city has protection laws that prevent local officials from contacting federal immigration officials if they encounter an immigrant who does not have permission to be in the United States. Some in Mayor Eric Adams’ administration have said they want the laws changed to exclude those who commit violent crimes, but for now city-federal cooperation is limited.

“We work with all agencies that interact with immigrant communities to ensure they understand what our asylum laws are and what they are expected to follow,” said Manuel Castro, the mayor’s commissioner of immigration affairs. While the laws are in place, immigrant communities’ concerns and fears are rooted in misinformation and even hate crimes, he said.

But Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition, warned that asylum laws will not stop federal immigration agents from doing what they want.

“Sanctuary laws do not stop federal agencies. They do not allow the city and the state to participate,” Awawdeh said. “They were never a firewall.”

federal enforcement

Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, two agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, would not comment on any potential new policies or preparations. Both will be central to any deportation plan, but senior leadership will not change until the second Trump administration begins its work on January 20.

Capture of suspects at both northern and southern borders Illegal crossings will remain low in 2024The seven-day average is 1,700 per day, according to a law enforcement source familiar with government data. San Diego was the busiest region where 350 people were detained on Tuesday.

At some points December 2023Migrant seizures at the US southern border have exceeded 10,000 per day.

The day after the election, San Diego County Board of Supervisors member Jim Desmond posted a photo of himself and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance at the border wall and said he looked forward to securing the wall. Desmond earlier this year He testified before Congress federal policies meant that “our Border Patrol has been reduced to standing-by processing agents watching for people to violate our laws.”

Many local businesses have ties to companies, operations and workers across the border, and an efficient and secure border should still facilitate trade and travel, said Kenia Zamarripa of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

“This isn’t just manufacturing, it’s not just tourism or retail, these are the high-paying jobs and skilled workers that our businesses need to thrive,” he told CNN.

The tone was more defiant in Los Angeles, where the University of Southern California estimated last year that there were more than 800,000 undocumented immigrants in L.A. County. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told CNN: “The immigrant community is the heart of our city, and in the face of threats and fear, Los Angeles will stand together. No one should live in fear because of their immigration status. We will continue to support local and state policies that protect immigrants and provide vital resources .”

He added: “My message is simple: No matter where you were born, no matter how you came to this country, Los Angeles will be there for you, and that won’t change.”

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest district after New York City, said it was prepared for the potential threat of legal action against students and their families that could lead to separation or deportation. He added that he would not contract with government agencies to enforce federal immigration law unless required by law.

“Immigration enforcement activities around schools create challenges and barriers to health and education and foster a pervasive climate of fear, conflict and stress that impacts all students in our district, regardless of their background or immigration status,” a district spokesperson said. in a statement sent to CNN.

About 3,400 people are waiting in migrant shelters across the San Diego border in Tijuana, Mexico, according to Jose Luis Perez Canchola, the city’s director of immigration affairs.

Many hope to enter the U.S. legally by using the DHS-run CBP ONE app to make immigration appointments, but there are fears the app could be affected, he said.

“In the event of mass cancellation of appointments and closure of CBP ONE, it is possible that many people will decide to cross the border illegally before January 2025,” Perez Canchola said.

There are also concerns in the Mexican city of Piedras Negras, across the Rio Grande from Texas’ Eagle Pass. “There is fear and anxiety,” said Sister Isabel Turcios, director of the Frontera Digna shelter, where immigrants use CBP ONE to make appointments with immigration officers.

“I try to calm them down because the anxiety they feel is so great,” he said.