Legal Help for Families Threatened by Deportation
A legal clinic organized by the Organización Latino-Americana will take place at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton today from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
“The goal of this legal clinic is to help parents prepare for the possible transfer of parental decision-making to others in the event of parental arrest or deportation,” a press release from CMEE said. A panel of lawyers will be present.
The program is designed to help parents deal with practical issues. OLA also is in the process of creating a document explaining how parents could keep their children at home and in school should anything happen to them.
Minerva Perez, the executive director of OLA, said, “A key component of this clinic is to de-escalate the fear of parents who don’t really need to be worrying about this. It’s tricky, though, because we don’t want to contribute to greater concern, but there are families who would benefit from having a plan like this in place. If it brings some peace of mind, it’s a good thing.”
Ms. Perez said many families are “anticipating the worst: Your kids come home from school and you’re not there. It’s not for anyone to question why they’re so afraid, but in terms of giving them whatever they need so they don’t have to spend money, this seems to be the right forum.”
In a related event, tomorrow from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Bridgehampton Community House, OLA, in conjunction with Long Island Jobs With Justice, a coalition of labor unions and community and faith-based organizations, as well as students, will discuss “rapid responder” training, in other words, how residents can support immigrants dealing with minor infractions by accompanying them to court. The event will include a light dinner.
“We are already creating accompaniments for people,” Ms. Perez said. “This will give everyone a broader scope of how they can be involved.” Those who take part do not have to speak Spanish, she said. “You’re essentially a witness.”
On April 5, Ms. Perez met with 25 East End school superintendents to ask that schools adopt a consistent approach to helping children who might face the possibility of parents being arrested or deported. She said the superintendents assured her that the East End schools would do what they could to support these families and that the schools would remain safe places for children, regardless of race or immigration status.
With Reporting by Christopher Walsh