By Blake Hollingsworth | Staff Writer
With about 1.6 million undocumented immigrants living in Texas, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids have been occurring throughout the state, according to Austin American-Statesman. Despite rumors, American Gateways legal director and Baylor alum Anali Looper confirms ICE is conducting “targeted enforcement,” not raids, in Waco.
“What that means is ICE is looking for specific people, and that’s generally people with prior criminal convictions or prior removal orders,” Looper said.
American Gateways is a nonprofit legal service provider that supports immigrants in Central Texas. It offers direct legal representation, community education and assistance for asylum seekers, according to Looper.
“We will never be able to meet the needs of all the immigrants in our communities, but we try to find ways to help folks as much as possible,” Looper said.
Looper said the organization relies on reports from partners within Texas Here to Stay, a coalition of nonprofits and private attorneys supporting immigrants.
“We also hear reports from others in the community,” Looper said. “There have been a lot of rumors that are not true about different enforcement activity. We also get calls from family members whose loved ones have been detained, and then we can piece together what kind of enforcement activity has been occurring.”
ICE agents usually arrest individuals in public rather than entering homes, which requires a signed warrant from a state judge, according to Looper.
“What they often do is wait for that person outside of their home and then follow them to a public location where they’ll make the stop,” Looper said.
However, if an officer knocks, individuals have the right to refuse a search unless presented with an arrest warrant, except in “exigent circumstances” that threaten lives.
“Often the way that law enforcement enters a home is through consent –– opening the door implies that,” Looper said. “So what we tell folks is that they have a right to say they do not consent to a search and ask to see a warrant.”
This can be tricky, though, as ICE is legally allowed to lie in an attempt to persuade offenders to let them in, according to Looper.
“We received a call that ICE showed up to a home and told the stepmother that they wanted to arrest her stepson,” Looper said. “She said, ‘Well, you need a signed warrant to come into our home.’ They said, ‘No, we have evidence that the young man was selling weapons.’ Well, none of that was true… and again, if they were claiming exigent circumstances, they would have just broken down the door. So, the woman allowed them entry, and they were arrested.”
Furthermore, if someone is detained by ICE, it is essential that they exercise their right to remain silent and never sign any documents without an attorney present.
“I have had many clients in the past that think if they just explain their situation, they’ll be released, and that’s just not the case,” Looper said. “It’s also very important that someone who is arrested by law enforcement or ICE never show false documents and never lie. That only makes the situation worse, and it’s a criminal act.”
Additionally, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center provides “red cards,” which have immigrants’ rights written in Spanish, including a paragraph invoking the fifth amendment, according to Alicia Alvarado, staff attorney at American Gateways.
“The number one thing is, be informed and know your rights,” Alvarado said. “Don’t believe everything you see on social media. A lot of people trying to do good end up spreading false rumors, and that just spreads fear in the community.”
Looper agreed with this sentiment, and said that Wacoans can be supportive by educating themselves on what immigrants in the community are facing and by supporting nonprofits like American Gateways.
“There’s so much misinformation, and obviously that leads to misunderstandings of the process,” Looper said. “I think there’s room for reasonable minds to disagree on some immigration policies, but unfortunately, so many people have opinions on immigration policy without understanding how the system actually works, so I think that’s very dangerous.”
