DETROIT – “We’re here to say, not on our watch! We’re going to protect our neighbors,” U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., said as immigration advocates took to the streets of southwest Detroit on Wednesday.
The group said its goal was to ensure residents are informed about their rights amidst growing concerns over immigration enforcement.
Ruby Robinson of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center said the agency was experiencing a significant increase in calls for assistance.
“Over the last two weeks, we have seen a triple volume of the phone calls of the people looking for assistance,” Robinson said, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
The press conference on Wednesday (Jan. 29) included politicians, advocates, attorneys, and community members, all responding to fears that have escalated since President Trump’s recent executive orders on deportation.
Those orders, issued shortly after his inauguration, have sparked widespread concern.
Detroit City Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero emphasized the contributions of undocumented immigrants.
“I’m here to remind folks that undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars in taxes,” said Santiago Romero.
Santiago-Romero was one of the first local politicians to address the issue last week, issuing an urgent alert to residents following the executive orders.
“I’m hearing that people that have no criminal record are being picked up by ICE and are being deported very quickly,” Santiago-Romero said. “People are scared, they don’t know what to do or have a plan.”
The group has created informational signs and pamphlets in various languages to combat this fear, recognizing the diversity of Metro Detroit’s migrant communities.
“Nobody wants to wake up in the morning and wonder if they want to go home and their father is not there,” said Dr. Seydi Saar, founder of the African Bureau of Immigration and Social Affairs.
Homeland Security Investigations' Detroit office confirmed efforts to apprehend immigration violators in Michigan and Ohio. However, advocates argue that the presence of federal officers in southwest Detroit is causing increased fear and anxiety.
Santiago-Romero urged the community not to be intimidated.
“We cannot allow the roaming of their vehicles and of the agents to scare us,” Santiago-Romero said. “We are going to always see them. But there is a heightened fear now.”
In response to the uncertainty, advocates are collaborating with faith leaders to organize community meetings to educate residents about their rights.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump continued his push to tackle illegal immigration by signing the Laken Riley Act on Wednesday.
That bill requires federal officers to detain immigrants who don’t have legal status and who are accused of crimes, even before they are convicted.
“Today, I’m also signing an Executive Order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay,” said Trump. “Most people don’t even know about it. We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.”