Minnesota group dedicates itself to helping undocumented immigrants during time of uncertainty
In his address Tuesday night, President Trump spoke about the mass deportations of undocumented workers.
The arrests and the raids are happening in every state, including Minnesota, where an estimated 100,000 undocumented people are living.
"Growing up undocumented myself, I know that there is a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety that comes with everything that we are seeing in the news," Carolina Ortiz said.
Ortiz is the associate executive director of Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Acción Latina (COPAL).
"I grew up undocumented and then received DACA. Now I have been able to have my green card, so it's been a process with me," she said.
When asked if she's confident about her ability to keep her green card given the current political climate, Ortiz said she isn't sure.
"With everything we're seeing right now, I don't know, and it's terrifying," Ortiz said.
COPAL is one of hundreds of groups across the U.S. forming a modern-day underground railroad network of support. It has delivered more than 20,000 cards reminding undocumented immigrants that, under the U.S. Constitution, they have rights.
"You have the right not to open the door, you have the right to remain silent, you have the right to ask for legal help, you have right to not sign any documents," Ortiz said.
Another big concern, according to COPAL, is that immigrants who are undocumented and are here on temporary visas are scared to do what they can do legally, like pay taxes.
"The IRS implemented a system in '96 to allow people without documents to pay their taxes. It's called an ITIN number, and that number is used similar to a Social Security number, except you cannot get benefits," Ortiz said. "You cannot use it other than paying your taxes and there's millions of dollars of money that immigrants have been able to pay right now."
For more information on COPAL, click here.
