When Miguel and his wife, Esperanza, think about their situation, their first thought is their 14-year-old child.
The couple has lived in the Los Angeles area without legal status for more than 20 years, working, raising a family, and practicing their Catholic faith at a West LA parish.
They have adult children, too, but if something were to happen to them, who would take care of their 14-year-old?
Since Inauguration Day, the U.S. has not yet seen the kind of large-scale mass deportation operation feared by some as the new Trump administration moves to toughen immigration laws, ramp up deportations, and even create a registry of people living in the country illegally. But the rhetoric coming from the White House and reports of local immigration raids have families like Miguel and Esperanza’s on edge — and asking tough questions.
To find answers, hundreds of families like theirs have attended workshops around the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in recent weeks hosted by organizations such as Catholic Charities of Los Angeles.
The meetings, along with online resources, are about helping immigrants know their rights, find answers to legal questions, and live in these precarious times with faith, according to organizers.
“If people have questions or concerns, they can receive assistance and we’ll point them out to organizations like Catholic Charities and give referrals to trusted attorneys,” said Isaac Cuevas, the archdiocese’s director of immigration and public affairs.
With federal funding in doubt and plans always in flux, the workshops and resources are even more important to keep the public educated.
“With the [Trump] administration, we understand changes can happen on short notice, and we try to adapt as quickly as possible, sharing truthful and honest information with the community,” Cuevas said.
“We know things will change. So, we’re doing as much as we can now.”
At a recent workshop hosted at an LA Catholic parish, Miguel and Esperanza learned about what they should do — and not do — if contacted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
“I fear that ICE will come for us,” Esperanza said. “But that’s why we came to this workshop — to get informed and prepare our little one on how to handle ICE agents if they show up [at our house].
“Organizations like these help us believe that we’re not alone in this.”
After the session ended, Esperanza kneeled before the Lord in front of the tabernacle and took a moment to pray.
“As Catholics, we must give him thanks,” she said. “He provides for us, with faith and trust in him. Only he has power over us. We can’t fully place our trust in a man, but ultimately, in God.”
Nineteen-year-old college student Sandra was raised by immigrant parents. At the workshop, she volunteered to take care of young children whose parents were attending. Though she wasn’t present at the session, she experienced a sense of déjà vu and felt a little overwhelmed.
“In 2016, I was in middle school, and we feared talking about immigration,” Sandra said. “It was like a hush-hush situation. Now, we’re able to lean on one another and find comfort in our faith.”
With today’s generation, Sandra feels more empowered. She feels like her “community is rising” and people are coming together in her church. But her faith is what gives her the most comfort when people ask, “Why would God allow this to happen?”
“He’ll always look out for us; we’re all his children,” Sandra said. “It’s a scary moment in this day and age, but we need to lean on our faith and educate ourselves.”
The purpose of these resources is to empower undocumented families by preparing them for potential encounters with immigration authorities, said Jacqueline, a program coordinator for Catholic Charities who helped put on the workshop.
While she presented key points from the “Know Your Rights” slide, people took notes, others reviewed their packets, and some took pictures of the presentation slides.
Jacqueline said the main concern of families who attended the immigration workshop was family separation. Many families asked her how they could prepare for deportation if it happens and where their children would end up.
By the end of the workshop, some hope filled the church, with those in attendance at least feeling a spirit of solidarity and that they weren’t alone.
“Being in an assembly and hearing other people ask questions had a greater impact on me,” said a man at the workshop, in Spanish. “It felt more real.”
