Sen. Jimenez navigates increasing number of ICE raids: 'Fear and anxiety'

ICE raids across the country have left many people going into hiding, with some saying they are fearful.  

In Oklahoma, immigration attorney and State Senator Michael-Brooks Jimenez said calls to his office have increased over the last few weeks.  

He said it is not just families calling but also employers asking for help for their relatives and staff who have been detained.  

Jimenez said right now it is difficult to tell who is a target. He added that many in the Latino community are being picked up without any kind of criminal or immigration history.  He said the stated goal is to arrest those people with criminal records or prior deportations.

“But the numbers that we're getting is that that's probably only 25 to 30% of the people that are actually being picked up,” added Jimenez 

That is about one in four in the Latino community being picked up with these records. The other 70 to 75% are people with no criminal record, no prior immigration history, who have been law-abiding and probably have families here.

“The people that, unfortunately, that maybe are being encountered at a, at a gas station or something or at a restaurant or something like that for the most part, it's been my experience those are Latinos that are being targeted that way," Jimenez said.

He said that after someone is arrested, they are usually taken directly to an ICE office.  Fingerprints are taken, and they run a criminal and immigration history. From there, they are usually sent to a facility closer to Oklahoma City, where they are detained.  After being detained for some time, they are sent to larger detention facilities that were previously private prisons. 

Jimenez adds that there is a certain level of anxiety within Latino communities right now. He has concerns about identifying ICE officers, especially when they are wearing masks and bulletproof vests.

“It would be easy for other people to impersonate those officers, and to me, having masked officers, patrolling and picking people up off the streets at gas stations or, you know, in parks, it doesn't feel like the United States of America," added Jimenez.

He said if you think you could be taken into custody to be prepared. 

Jimenez said they have legal clinics that are helping people get powers of attorney (POA) and guardianships to help take care of their affairs.  

He said that any of these people have not filed an application for permanent residence or US citizenship and they do not have a sponsor, like a relative or employer who is a citizen to vouch for them.  

Jimenez also said there is a limited number of visas available in the US so even if you file, the backlogs can be 25 years long.