With promises of mass deportations, rumors of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and a flurry of executive orders — which may be unconstitutional — Trump has struck fear into immigrant communities in Arizona and beyond. As a result, Macias, an attorney at Nuñez Law Firm, has received a lot of worried calls.
Wednesday night, though, Macias addressed a much bigger audience. On a tele-town hall hosted by freshman Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari, Macias delivered guidance and reassurance to a listening audience of 14,000 people. Macias was joined by Josh Nuñez, the founding attorney of Nuñez Law Firm, and Jose Vaquera, the chief operating officer of social services nonprofit Friendly House.
“I am immensely grateful to Nuñez Law Firm and Friendly House for their insights,” Ansari said in a statement to Phoenix New Times. “Arizonans have constitutional rights regardless of their immigration status.”
Macias told New Times that he was expecting an audience of only 6,000 or so people, which “is already a huge number." The high turnout showed “the population in general is very concerned, whether they are immigrants themselves, allies or just regular constituents,” Macias said.
Ansari’s influence also likely played a role in more than doubling the turnout. The representative has been on the job mere weeks but has already fashioned herself as a progressive opponent of Trump and his MAGA immigration policies. Ansari skipped Trump’s inauguration to volunteer at Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in Phoenix.
Ansari also cast one of her first votes against the Laken Riley Act, which other prominent Arizona Democrats supported and which Trump signed into law earlier this week. The law directs ICE to detain any immigrants, including children and people protected by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, merely accused of offenses as minor as shoplifting.
Guidance on dealing with ICE
Macias said he and Nuñez used their time on the call “to bring the panic down a bit" while validating the concerns of community members and offering some practical advice. Yes, Trump “tried to trounce the Constitution through executive order,” Nuñez told listeners on the call. Yes, “there is a foundation to be alarmed and be concerned."But people can protect themselves.
Macias and Nuñez told listeners that if ICE comes to your door, they shouldn’t open it and should demand to see a warrant. If ICE agents do have a warrant, they should be asked to press it against a window or slide it under the door for examination. Listeners also were told that they should check that the warrant has been signed by a judge.
If ICE agents have a valid warrant, it’s likely to be an arrest warrant for an individual and not a search warrant. In this case, the person ICE is seeking should go outside but close the door behind themselves. If an ICE agent is let into a home, they may find probable cause to detain more people.
Macias also recommended that people fill an accordion file folder with vital documents, including a power of attorney, evidence of a lawyer, proof that the person has been in the U.S. for at least 10 years (one example given was utility bills) and any sort of immigration record. Community members should also know exactly which law firm or advocacy group they’ll call if detained by ICE.
Vaquera also shared information about the organization’s free resources available through Friendly House, including citizenship classes and legal consultations. Monica Manke, the immigration legal services program director for Friendly House, said the organization has “already received several emails and calls from individuals seeking consultations” in the wake of Ansari’s event.
While Arizona has yet to be truly hit by large-scale ICE raids have yet to truly hit Arizona, Macias and Ansari’s office plans to continue engaging with community members through town halls and other events. In early February, Macias will host Immigration Law 101, an information session for non-immigration attorneys.
These are times of “overwhelming darkness of these executive actions and policies,” Macias said. But he thinks events such as Wednesday’s offer fearful immigrants “glimmers of hope.”
