ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
There has been a lot of talk and action recently throughout the U.S. regarding the hot topic of immigration and last week, the Seward County Democratic Party gave a presentation of how those families can be protected.
Seward County Democratic Party Vice Chair Kathleen Alonso was on hand to give the presentation.
“As we all have heard in the news recently, there is a lot going on with this current administration especially in regards to immigration, so I want to focus on how we can all help keep our local families safe,” Alonso began. “As we all know, Liberal has a very strong immigrant base, so I believe it's important for everyone to know their rights, for us to exercise those rights, and to teach others their rights, all of which are constitutionally guaranteed. However, I do want to emphasize I am not qualified to give legal advice, so if there are ever any legal questions, I encourage visiting a lawyer or some other expert who is qualified to give such advice.”
Alonso also talked about New Frontiers, a non-profit she helps run, that helps Kansans.
“New Frontiers is a two-person team of myself and Alejandro Rangel-Lopez. New Frontiers is a Southwest Kansas-based organization, and we oversee Dodge City, Garden City and Liberal, and we're a non-profit offshoot of Loudlight that seeks to equip Kansans with tools to gain political, social and economic influence through the values of dignity, belonging and freedom,” Alonso said. “We want to empower people with the tools they need in order to get involved in their community, because there is a lot people can do in their own communities, particularly young people. There's a VERY large gap in our political space with a lack of representation from younger voices, so our purpose is to help increase that number of voices on the ground. As I said earlier, Southwest Kansas has a large percentage of Hispanics living in the area – according to the Census, Seward County has 65.6 percent representation of Hispanics in the population, meaning we're the county that has the largest percentage of Hispanics in the population. Seward County is followed by Ford County at 57 percent and Finney County at 51 percent, so this region is very heavily populated with Hispanics. Those three counties are also considered to have the largest population of undocumented immigrants, and that estimate right now is at about 20 percent of the immigrant population, which does bump us up slightly on the ICE list.”
Like any other situation, Alonso said it is important for families to have emergency plans in place.
“If you feel you're at risk for deportation or detainment, it's important to have an emergency plan in place including any necessary documents (passports, birth certificates, consular reports, marriage/divorce certificates), emergency contacts, care of any minor children, financial/property arrangements, the number of an attorney or non-profit organization, etc.,” Alonso said. “If you do encounter an ICE officer, it is important to stay calm and be respectful – we're not encouraging anyone to fight with these officers because at the end of the day, the fight needs to be in the courtroom. Don't escalate the situation or attempt to use force against an officer, because that will not end well for anyone. Don't run, or advise anyone else to run because again, that will not end well for anyone. Be sure to also not carry any false identification or documents, because that's an additional crime you can be charged with, and if you're in the process of seeking citizenship, that will count against you and ruin those chances. It's also not advised to give false information to law enforcement officers because again, that can be another crime you can be charged with. Everyone – U.S. citizen or not – also has the right to due process, which means you will get a hearing, and you also have the right to legal representation.”
Alonso also talked about the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
“One of the rights we have is the right to not have law enforcement just barge into your home without a warrant. A lot of times, when a person sees an officer with a piece of paper, they think it's a warrant, but sometimes, it's actually just an administrative order,” Alonso said. “It's really important to know the difference between the two, because a warrant will have a judge's signature while an administrative order will not. ICE will sometimes use administrative orders to intimidate people into opening their doors, but it is not the same as an actual arrest warrant, and law enforcement is not allowed to enter a private residence with just that administrative order. If ICE does come to your door, ask for an official warrant, and if they just barge in, tell them you don't consent to their being present in your home. Also, if they ask questions, remain silent, because you do have the right to do so. A few years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled an allowance for ICE officers to enter a private home if they suspect you're undocumented, and that is for cities located within the 100-mile CBP jurisdiction. If you get stopped by an ICE agent while you're out on the street driving or something like that, you have the right to ask what agency they're affiliated with and the right to ask if you're free to go. If you are officially being detained, they will tell you. A warrant from ICE does not authorize a deportation, it just means there's an immigration investigation happening. If there's a signed warrant, that doesn't mean you'll automatically be deported, it just means you'll be detained until a court date is set with a judge. If you are arrested, remain silent and ask to speak to a judge or lawyer, and request to see a judge about bond, and get in contact with an attorney and your consulate. It's also highly recommended to not sign anything – a lot of times, when people are deported, it's because they've signed a Voluntary Deportation Order, but we recommend not signing anything until you've consulted an attorney.”
Alonso also emphasized the importance of spreading true information.
“I know on Facebook for the past few weeks there have been multiple posts saying 'ICE is in town!' or something similar, but a lot of the time, those 'sightings' are proven to not be credible,” Alonso said. “All vehicles used by ICE or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will be a U.S. brand, they'll have tinted windows, and they'll have dealer plates. They'll also have a big blue stripe with a USCBP (U.S Customs and Border Patrol) logo on the side. Most of the time, they will be in uniform and/or wearing a bulletproof vest identifying them. ICE agents are typically on the lookout for specific people – though they are called to help with raids – and CBP is more border patrol you see on the ground. There is also the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS), and they help with documents and paperwork for anyone applying for visas and residency and all of that. All of those entities are federal agencies that fall under DHS, and they all have their role to play. Something New Frontiers has recently started is an ICE Watch Hotline, which anyone can anonymously call or text. If you see an ICE officer anywhere in Southwest Kansas, you can contact this number, and we can have someone go and actually verify the sighting, and then we'll make a public announcement on the New Frontiers Facebook page. It's very important for us to share true and accurate information, because if we spread false information, that causes more harm than good for our community since people have to go to work and school and other important places. We don't want to overwhelm people with false information. When reporting these sightings, we recommend sharing as many details as possible such as where, how many officers there are, what they're wearing, and what time you saw them. And people can actually volunteer to be part of our ICE watch network and help confirm that sighting so, again, we can be sure and share accurate information.”
A couple helpful smartphone apps were also mentioned by Alonso.
“There are a couple great apps people can download on their phone, and one of them is the Consult App, which has an emergency button that can be clicked, and that automatically notifies the consulado for that person so they can be properly located and given legal representation if needed,” Alonso said. “Another one is the Know Your Rights 4 Immigrants app, which is only available for iPhone, and that has multiple languages for those Know Your Rights cards, and it's really handy. As I said earlier, I believe it's important for everyone to know their rights, for us to exercise those rights, and to teach others their rights, all of which are constitutionally guaranteed. Again, I do want to emphasize I am not qualified to give legal advice, so if there are ever any legal questions, I encourage visiting a lawyer or some other expert who is qualified to give that type of advice.”
