“Uncertainty, heartbreak and hope.”
These heightened emotions have overwhelmed members of Aliento since Nov. 6, according to Reyna Montoya, CEO and founder of the organization. This Phoenix-based nonprofit advocates for students who are undocumented, DACA recipients and part of a mixed-status family.
One of their members is Xiomara Flores, a 20-year-old biomedical student at Arizona State University, the oldest of five children who have only known Arizona as home. Her parents arrived to the U.S. as undocumented minors — her mother at the age of 2 from Morelos, Mexico, and her father at the age of 12 from Guerrero, Mexico.
Fear is something they’re accustomed to, Flores told The Arizona Republic. It’s impossible not to feel that way when her parents have survived decades of persecution for a crime they had no idea they were committing when entering the country as kids.
“We try to not instill that fear. Especially having young siblings and having known what that fear is in the past,” Flores said. “But we also don’t want to keep them in the naiveness of what could happen either.”
What could happen, she states between the lines, is the possibility of her parents getting picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and being deported.
President-elect Donald Trump’s promises to conduct mass deportations and the history of family separations experienced during his first term have awoken a mix of emotions — fear and confusion topping them for many mixed-status families living in Arizona.
Trump’s first term was infamous for implementing family separation for immigrants seeking asylum at the border. And while it’s not clear if his administration will re-instate that policy, those who have been living in the U.S. without authorization for years know the likelihood of removal under his new presidency is greater, and the impact felt by family members, undocumented or not, will be felt even more.
According to the American Immigration Council, Trump’s strict immigration policies could impact an estimated 4 million mixed-status families living in the U.S.
Like Flores, Britney Vera, a 20-year-old Business pre-law student at ASU and native Arizonan, is a member of a mixed-status family.
Vera is the second of three daughters of Mexican immigrants native from the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, who entered the United States in 1990. The couple was in search of a better life for the family they would ultimately have and settle in Phoenix, Arizona.
“(My sisters and I) have the privilege to be in college because of my hard-working parents who sacrificed so much to come to this country,” Vera said. “Their whole life all they’ve ever known is to work and they’ve been here longer than they have in their own homeland, but this country still refuses to accept them as people that are considered citizens just due to their status.”
Family separation a likely outcome under Trump
Family separation isn’t new, nor will it cease to be even after Trump leaves office, especially in a state like Arizona with a history of a hard stance against unauthorized immigration.
Workplace and neighborhood immigration raids, enforcement of immigration laws by Maricopa County sheriff deputies, and the passing of SB 1070 in 2010 — the “show me your papers” law — loom over what could now be the state’s harshest immigration agenda to date with Proposition 314.
Approved by about 60% of voters in November, the proposition would make crossing the border illegally a state crime, granting local law enforcement agencies and courthouses the ability to enforce federal immigration law. The law won’t go into effect until Texas clears legal hurdles with a similar legislation that was slated to take effect in March 2024.
Evelyn Cruz, director of the ASU Law Immigration Clinic, said even though the proposition would expedite deportations in Arizona if enacted, she advised the immigrant community to stay calm and wait for the courts to determine its legality before reacting to the potential changes.
“There’s a lot of different moving pieces … It’s scary, I’m sure, to have all these things floating out there that could happen. But the reality is that you have to take each piece on its own and work logically across them,” Cruz said.
During the 2024 election cycle, Trump centered his campaign around a border crackdown, promising a “historic slate of executive orders” that will surpass the scope of mass deportation efforts in the 1950s. He also pledged to seal the border and remove criminals who he says are smuggling drugs, fostering gang violence and endangering communities across the country.
During his first administration, the number of interior arrests made by ICE rose 30% in the 2017 fiscal year. The number of deportations of unauthorized immigrants also rose 17% from 2017 to 2018, and the number of migrant apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border rose in fiscal 2019 to its highest annual level in 12 years, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
Despite the increase, deportation, arrest and border apprehension levels were still behind compared to the early 2000s. The number of arrests of unauthorized immigrants during the first Trump administration was far lower than during President Barack Obama’s first term in office, the Pew analysis showed.
This time around, however, Trump has outlined a more aggressive approach in his immigration plans for his upcoming administration. During his speech at the AmericaFest in Phoenix in December, he said that on the day he takes office, on Jan. 20, he will launch a removal program for undocumented immigrants called “Operation Aurora,” and referenced an Eisenhower-era deportation program that used military-style tactics to remove illegal immigrants and included raids on cities as far north as St. Louis.
“We will begin the largest deportation operation in American history, larger even than that of President Dwight D. Eisenhower,” Trump said at the rally. “We will get them out fast, and we have no choice.”
Tom Homan, Trump’s appointed border czar, has said that mixed-status families can be impacted as the administration carries out deportation plans. Homan was the acting director of ICE during Trump’s first term and oversaw a controversial family separation policy during the first administration.
That would impact an estimated 8.5 million U.S. citizens who have a family member currently living in the country under unauthorized status, according to the American Immigration Council, severely gutting household incomes.
Cruz said there’s still uncertainty regarding the procedures and legality of Trump’s proposed action for his second term in office. With Trump’s approach likely resembling immigration crackdowns in the past, racial profiling practices may be of particular concern, with enforcement agencies potentially targeting Latino-prominent areas or work sites — placing added pressure on mixed-status families, she said.
“This creates an additional burden to people who look like a stereotype of an undocumented person,” she said. “That’s something that we saw with SB 1070: U.S. citizens who have been here for generations have been impacted. With mixed-status families, it creates stressors that mostly impact a community that has an equal right to U.S. protection.”
However, she said any new policies implemented during Trump’s upcoming administration would need to withstand legal challenges.
“There needs to be some established control as to how these things get done, and not rush to judgment,” she said. “There are some things that can be very drastic that can be done within the framework of the law as it exists, but do require an investment of time and process … That is something that unfortunately will have to be addressed as each activity comes about.”
‘Fear can paralyze you’
Mixed emotions have never been more present than ever for families who could be impacted.
For many, time stood still the morning of Nov. 6, post-election day, while a sudden burst of fear and anxiety dismantled the hope that accompanied them during the 2024 election cycle. Some have preferred to stay calm and not worry about something that hasn’t happened.
Others go from one end to the other, fearing their current situation and leaning into the possibility that their family could survive another administration and remain together.
While filled with that hope, Flores and her family try not to fall into naiveness, preparing for the worst possible outcome.
Vera tries to maintain a sense of peace at home by offering words of reassurance, promising her parents and her sisters that they’ll stay together as Trump’s second term nears, especially with her mother who has expressed that fear since Nov. 6.
While remaining strong at home, Vera has found comfort in friends who could be impacted in the same way.
“We can all relate to each other. Even if we’re 20 or 21, having our parents taken away from us will forever be scary,” Vera said. “It’s like that little girl still lives inside me, who was scared of taking a simple car ride late at night to get gas, always scared of living in the US with undocumented parents.”
According to the American Immigration Council, the deportation of parents or family members can have lasting negative effects, especially on children, leading to “significant physical, emotional, developmental, and economic repercussions for millions of children across the country.”
Though they have explored different alternatives, Flores and her family do not have a solid plan for when Trump enters office on Jan. 20, and instead are waiting to see what the situation will look like in real-time. One of the options leaves Flores to assume responsibility over her siblings who are 17, 15, 12, 11 and 9 years old.
“In the case that my parents were to get deported I would be assuming responsibility for my siblings. Of course, with the support and help of my surrounding family and friends that we have here,” Flores said.
Moving to Mexico as a whole family “could maybe become an option” as well, she said.
While the fear of mass deportation is paralyzing some, others, like Alexa Baez, are confident the incoming president is the best choice for the country and for people like her.
Baez is a transgender woman from Veracruz, Mexico, who arrived in the U.S. 24 years ago fleeing the violence of her country. Baez is part of a mixed-status family — her siblings are undocumented like her and her nephews and nieces are U.S. citizens.
Despite being a Trump supporter — who could not vote for him because of her undocumented status — that doesn’t exempt her feelings of concern.
“If he keeps his promises alive, it will symbolize many affected and separated families. Many who would have to return to Mexico where the situation is very difficult,” Baez said.
At home, she encounters tension due to the abundant division of political stances and immigration statuses. It’s something she’s learned to live with, but it doesn’t deter her from reassuring her loved ones.
“Do not take things hastily. Do not be afraid, take things calmly. Yes, you always need to have a plan, but you don’t have to be alarmed by what might happen,” Baez said. “You have to go on with your lives as you naturally do without worrying too much about politics or what people say.”
Cruz advised the community to stay informed about evolving immigration policies under the upcoming administration and to ensure they understand their rights and obligations as they navigate any potential changes to their current situation.
“Make sure that as each new policy comes down the pipe, you examine it thoroughly as to how it impacts you and what is likely to happen with that particular thing,” she said. “That’s the best advice that one can give.”
She also encouraged people to seek legal resources and educational materials from immigrant-advocate organizations, such as the National Immigration Law Center and the Arizona-based nonprofit Chicanos Por La Causa.
Families prepare for worst possible outcome
Vera’s family came up with a plan during Trump’s first term in the likelihood that her parents were forcibly removed from the country. Days before he steps into office again, she said the plan has evolved a bit, but it’s equally as “devastating” to her.
The plan then was to allow all responsibilities to fall on Vera’s older sister, the only adult at the time, aside from her undocumented parents. Now, as all three daughters are of legal age, the parents have found a more profound sense of peace knowing their children can take care of each other.
“With Trump being back in office again it definitely brings back a lot of deja-vu, a lot of anxiety,” Vera said. “Now that I’m going into my twenties and I can be more independent, I still wholeheartedly depend on my parents being here. Having them taken away from me would be devastating.”
As soon as results were called the early morning of Nov. 6, Aliento partnered up with therapists and began holding listening sessions — their way of offering a space to individuals directly affected by Trump’s deportation promises, Montoya said.
The organization has also hosted community events with their students and their families, reminding them that they’re not alone.
“We know the emotional toll that it takes to constantly hear the anti-immigrant rhetoric on television or coming from politicians, but also, the feeling that it goes from words into actions, and it can have real ramifications within our family,” she said. “We wanted to be in tune with their emotional reality because fear can paralyze you.”
Aliento was launched in June 2016, during Trump’s first successful presidential bid. After he won in November 2016, Montoya recalled getting an overwhelming number of calls from targeted immigrant communities.
As a part of their commitment to “transform trauma, fear and anxiety into hope and action”, Aliento began assisting impacted individuals with creating “emergency family packets.” The initiative consisted of the gathering of all necessary documents, like birth certificates and passports as well a list of emergency contacts or people allowed to take custody of minors, medical conditions officials should be aware of and more — all to keep in handy if a family ever experienced deportation.
With Trump’s second term being right around the corner, Aliento intends to offer the same support. On its website, the organization displays a Defense and Preparation Plan form that upon completion will give users access to an information and document-gathering plan.
“This is the plan you wished you never had to use, but in case something happens, you have it here,” Montoya said.
Flores vaguely recalls the first Trump administration. She was 12 at the time he took office. She said she understood the “basics” of what he planned on doing regarding unauthorized immigration. If there was a family separation plan then, she wasn’t aware of it.
This time around, her parents have decided to surrender to whatever outcome lies ahead, always putting it “into God’s hands,” she said.
On her end, she has taken the initiative to start gathering the necessary documents and seeking contact information for local organizations and immigration lawyers, if they’re ever needed.
“As weird as it sounds, my dad, especially, has said that he’d be ready to go back to Mexico. He’d be ready to go back to where he originally called home,” Flores said. “And my mom says the same thing. They say, ‘it’s hard to live in a country where it is constantly being blasted on the news and from the president and from the people that you’re not wanted.’”
Have story tips on Latino communities in the Valley? Reach La Voz reporter Paula Soria at[email protected].
Reach Republic reporter Laura Daniella Sepúlveda at [email protected].
This post was originally published on here
