AFSC immigrant leaders (left to right: Betty, Hilda, and Maria) conduct A Know Your Rights training in Colorado. Gabriela Flora
I have not yet written a reflection since President Trump came into office on January 20, and it has been a whirlwind. I am trying to stay focused on the long-term, and these safety planning packets are a part of that long-term.
On February 8, 2025, AFSC Colorado hosted another event for emergency preparedness and safety planning for undocumented folks and their families. I read a quote the other day that said something like “urgency clouds importance” and that resonated with me and the importance of this work.
I think of seven generations from now and how we can keep them safe. I think of the people and the earth seven generations ago, and what we can learn from those who came before us. There is much to learn from history, and from other parts of the world where people have been fighting against colonialism and oppression and for liberation for centuries.
The slew of executive orders and actual changes in policy since the start of Trump’s second term has been overwhelming, to say the least. Notably, the passing of the Laken Riley Act now requires federal officials to detain (and later deport) migrants who are accused, but not yet convicted, of “... committing acts which constitute the essential elements of any burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, or assault of a law enforcement officer offense, or any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury to another person."
Once detained, these individuals will be subject to prolonged detention, without access to an individualized bail or bond hearing, which raises concerns about due process in the United States. According to the National Immigration Law Center, “This bill is particularly extreme because it applies mandatory immigration detention solely on the basis of an arrest or charge, risking the prolonged detention of people innocent of the charges brought against them."
The bill, and the rhetoric surrounding undocumented people in the US, echo the strategies used by the State of Israel. Israel uses administrative detention to detain Palestinians, which is detention without a charge or trial, and can be renewed indefinitely. Palestinians report extreme torture and degrading treatment in Israel’s detention facilities.
Israel is currently detaining around 6,800 Palestinians in their administrative detention system. While these systems are not the same -- and their effects on individuals, groups, states, and the regions at large are vastly different -- it is impossible to miss the similarities.
That is where the next steps, like the emergency preparedness packets, come in. This workshop aims to give individuals and families a sense of security about what will happen to their children, belongings, bills, and life if they are detained or deported.
It is the next step after completing a Know Your Rights training. It can help to empower folks and feel like they have some more agency over what is happening. I plan to do at least one more of these workshops in my final month as an intern with AFSC, and I would like to try to spread the knowledge for running workshops to as many people as possible.