Above: Dozens of residents gathered in Winton earlier this year for one of several Know Your Rights events hosted by community groups and immigrant advocates throughout Merced County.Read More
Since taking office, Trump dramatically expanded the definition of who can be prioritized for deportation. Immigration attorneys say that under the expanded definition, nearly any undocumented immigrant could be considered a target.
The first thing to understand, Ruch said, is what undocumented means.
“Visa overstayers, as well as people who came without a visa, are undocumented,” Ruch explained on a recent national press call organized by New America Media and Ready California.
Legal immigrants, especially those who have criminal issues or travel internationally, may want to check with an attorney to find out their options and risks, Ruch said.
Alarmingly, seven out of ten sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone the victims know. When it comes to juvenile victims, 93 percent know the perpetrator.
Your President makes me feel sick, he wants to deport us.
And if you want to support him, and let him ignore us
And say he's the greatest, when he's the biggest misogynist
We can no longer be friends, please understand this
Reporters can help fill the gap in hate crime reporting through coverage of local incidents in their communities, said A.C. Thompson, award-winning investigative journalist with ProPublica. The nonprofit news outlet is working to establish a mapping database to record incidents of hate crimes across the country.
“We’re trying to add another layer of information to what’s out there,” he said. “People around the country can report hate crime incidents and hate bias.”
For those reporting on hate crimes in local communities, Thompson recommends straddling the line between sympathy and skepticism towards victims.
“The most important thing to remember, is that you may not have papers, but you do have rights. You have the right to remain silent. You do not have to respond to immigration’s questions,” Davenport said. “If they ask where you were born or where you live, just say you’d prefer not to answer.”
The hope is that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials will decide you are too much of a hassle and will not bother pursuing someone who shows they have a clear understanding of their legal rights, she said.