“People Are Afraid”: Immigrant Communities Brace for Raids and Mass Deportation Under Trump

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.

As immigrant communities around the country are bracing for President Trump’s imminent raids and mass deportations, the future of thousands of asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border is also uncertain. On Monday, Trump issued this slew of anti-immigrant executive orders, including one that would require undocumented immigrants to register and be fingerprinted. Trump also reinstated his “Remain in Mexico” policy, which forces asylum seekers to stay in Mexico as they wait for their hearings in U.S. courts. Trump first implemented the program in 2019, leaving tens of thousands of asylum seekers stranded in Mexico, living in squalid makeshift camps and facing horrendous conditions. As Trump took office, his administration immediately shut down the Biden-era CBP One mobile app used by Customs and Border Protection to manage asylum requests at ports of entry. Thousands of asylum seekers lost their upcoming appointments, many after waiting for months.

We go now to Santa Ana, California, where we’re joined by Guerline Jozef, co-founder and executive director of Haitian Bridge Alliance, which has been hosting workshops nationwide, as well as other immigrant rights organizations, to train communities on their legal rights and how to respond to ICE raids.

How are people, how are communities preparing? Can you talk about the fear in these communities, Guerline?

GUERLINE JOZEF: Good morning, Amy, and thank you so much for having me.

The fear is outrageous. People are afraid, especially now with the new executive orders. We are already seeing how it’s impacting people, even when it will be taking a long time to put certain things in practice, but just the belief that this can happen is detrimental to extremely vulnerable populations. People are afraid. Their lives are uncertain, especially those who have children, those who have fled extreme conditions. Now their lives are once again at risk.

AMY GOODMAN: You were just in Springfield, Ohio. Of course, Ohio is the home state of the vice president now, JD Vance. And we all know what they both said about Haitians eating dogs and cats — to say the least, an absolute lie. But President Trump repeatedly said that it would be ground zero for these mass deportations.

GUERLINE JOZEF: We were in Columbus and Springfield, Ohio, where we wanted to make sure that the community had the support that they need. I will be honest with you, Amy. What we witnessed in Springfield, Ohio, over the weekend was a mix of, really, the people of Ohio, people of Springfield and Columbus, coming around the Haitian community, coming around immigrants, to let them know that they are welcome and that they will continue to support them as they deal with these extreme conditions.

We clearly saw, as well, where people were planning to potentially not be able to leave their homes. So, what we were able to really talk to them about is how to prepare, to make a plan, to make sure that they have emergency contacts in case something were to happen to them, because the reality is, with the new executive orders, they are not safe. We already see the ending of CBP One. We already see the ending of the CHNV Parole Program, and how that will impact a lot of people who are in Springfield, in Chicago, in Massachusetts, in California, in New York, around the country, who have made the United States their adopted homes.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Guerline, what about Trump’s vow to end TPS, especially for Haitians, but for other migrant groups, as well?

GUERLINE JOZEF: As of right now, Juan, we have TPS for Haiti specifically until February 2026. But we also know that when the first administration, they did terminate — try to terminate TPS for Haiti and many other countries. So we stand ready to take that to court to really push back to make sure that people are protected. But we are worried that after February 2026, there will be no more ways to really make the provision to protect people. TPS is really a lifeline to many immigrants who have been in this country for 20 years. We have our nurses, our doctors. We have people who have invested their entire lives here, homeowners, people who have — business owners, especially in Springfield and other places, where we have many people really creating opportunities for others within the community by having businesses, restaurants and providing the support that is needed. Our farmworkers, who are currently making sure that we are fed, are also at risk.

So, this whole idea of really punishing people who have made the United States their homes, people who have given back, paying their taxes, and really be the fuel behind the economy, as well, is very, very scary at this moment. And we stand ready, committed to push back against the policies that are being created to criminalize people of color and people of immigration — immigrant background.

AMY GOODMAN: And let’s be very clear: In Springfield, in Ohio, it was the Republican governor himself, Mike DeWine, who invited in so many of the thousands of Haitians who now legally reside there. Guerline Jozef, we want to thank you for being with us, co-founder and executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance.

Coming up, Donald Trump moves to roll back protections for transgender people. Then, Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier is going home, after President Biden commuted his sentence. Peltier has been in prison for almost half a century. Back in 20 seconds.