Immigrant advocates offer advice amid deportation talk: Have a family plan, know your rights

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Immigrant advocates held a gathering on preparing for the potential of deportation in response to President-elect Donald Trump's plans to boost deportations.
Speakers at the Salt Lake gathering also focused on the rights of immigrants, including the right to remain silent.
A representative from Comunidades Unidas stressed the importance of having a written family plan in the event a family member is deported.

SALT LAKE CITY — As the specter of mass deportations loom, a coalition of advocates offered a mountain of advice at a presentation Thursday to help brace the immigrant community.

Know that you have legal rights, have a talk on the issue with your family and prepare a written family plan to prepare for the possibility of deportation, they advised.

"We hope nothing will happen, but it's important to be prepared," said Brandy Farmer, president of the Mexican Civic Center in Salt Lake City, which hosted the gathering on the deportation question. Many people have been reaching out to her as President-elect Donald Trump's plans to deport immigrants here illegally come into focus, "and they're terrified."

Immigration attorneys, representatives from the Mexican Consulate of Salt Lake City and the leader of Comunidades Unidades, an immigration advocacy group, addressed the crowd of around 50. The leader of the Humane Society of Utah was also on hand, offering advice on how to deal with pets in the event of deportation.

Notably, Salt Lake City attorneys Nicholle Pitt White and Kendall Moriarty said even immigrants here illegally have rights. They have the right to remain silent if confronted by immigration authorities, though the intent not to speak must be expressed verbally. They don't have to open the doors to their homes to immigration officials or police unless the authorities have a warrant signed by a judge. They have a right to consult an attorney, though only in criminal matters would the state provide an attorney, if needed.

A document offered by Comunidades Unidades to help immigrant families prepare for the possibility of deportation of a family member at a gathering held Thursday at the Mexican Civic Center in Salt Lake City. (Photo: Tim Vandenack, KSL.com)

"What we're trying to tell you is you have rights ... that transcend your migratory status," said Moriarty.

Pitt White said her hope was to offer advice to put a check on the potential fallout brought on by the possibility of increased deportations and confrontations between immigrants and authorities. Deporting immigrants here illegally is a priority for Trump, worried they pose a security threat and drain U.S. resources.

"Prepare them so they don't run into a bad interaction with police or ICE," Pitt White said, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency tasked with enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.

Mayra Cedano, executive director of Comunidades Unidades, advised preparing a detailed document ahead of time in the event of deportation containing family, legal and emergency contacts, possible caretakers for kids and instructions on how to care for homes and utility bills, among many other things.

"Put down everything, absolutely everything," Cedano said. The topic can be painful and uncomfortable, she said, but families at risk of having a family member deported must discuss the issue ahead of time.

Fernanda Gomez, a vice consul at the Mexican Consulate in Utah, said the office offers some services for Mexican citizens facing deportation, though Mexican officials have no authority to intervene in removal proceedings. Like Cedano, she said it's important for families to discuss the topic openly to avoid surprises. "It's important to talk about these things, be prepared," Gomez said.

Among other pieces of legal advice from Pitt White and Moriarty — don't provide U.S. officials with false documents and don't flee if approached by authorities.

Alexis Pagoulatos, executive director of the Humane Society of Utah, advised those worried about deportation to make a plan for friends or other family members to care for their pets. She also recommended checking ahead of time on the guidelines for bringing pets to the likely destination country if deported.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.